Tata Steel has invested almost £1.5 million in new technology to improve the quality of the steel bar and wire rod output at its Rotherham and Scunthorpe works in the UK.
New quality control technology has been installed to improve inspection and measurement during the manufacturing processes. The investment will benefit customers in a range of markets, including automotive, engineering and office equipment.
Grant McBain, Tata Steel’s Commercial Manager for wire rod and bar products, said: “Our customers rightly demand high-quality products. This investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to delivering products of a consistently high standard to the marketplace.'
The investment includes almost £1m on state-of-the-art HotEye® technology at the Rotherham plant’s Thrybergh Combination Mill. The innovative technology can capture the image of an object in temperatures up to 1,450°C with the same image quality as if the object were at room temperature. This will help Tata Steel to improve product quality in some of its most safety-critical products, including steels used in gears, steering and braking systems in cars.
Tata Steel has also installed two laser measuring devices at the Thrybergh mill. Lasers fire harmless pulses into the steel as it is being rolled into bar and provide measurements accurate to 0.03mm (about the width of a human hair).
Meanwhile, the company has upgraded a quality inspection system at its Scunthorpe Rod Mill. The Eddy Current system uses high-frequency voltage to detect surface quality issues as steel rod is being rolled. The upgrade includes an enhanced screen to improve defect detection and positioning.
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For further information, contact Rob Simpson on +44 (0)1724 405769 or rob.simpson@tatasteel.com
About Tata Steel in Europe
The European operations of Tata Steel comprise Europe's second largest steel producer. With the main steelmaking operations in the UK and Netherlands, they supply steel and related services to the construction, automotive, packaging, lifting & excavating, energy & power, aerospace and other demanding markets worldwide. The combined Tata Steel Group is one of the world's largest steel producers, with an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and approximately 81,000 employees across five continents.