Billet Production Plant

Billets are the suitable raw material for the production of steel bars, below is given a typical steel billet manufacturing process at the steel shop:
  • Raw materials handling:
The two common types of raw material fed to induction furnaces are scrap metals and sponge iron
Scrap metal
The incoming scrap metal is classified and stored in different pits and areas by type. An efficient way to load the scrap iron into the furnace is by means of a vibratory furnace charger. In the process scrap iron is fed to the feeder by means of a grab, bucket or magnet and then the vibratory feeder loads the furnace in the desired pace.
Sponge iron
A suitable method for feeding sponge iron into the furnace is by using a belt conveyor. 
  • Melting:
Raw material is charged to the furnace continuously and gradually, other materials in the form of flux are added in order to eliminate slag. 
  • Refining:
With the addition of ferroalloys and flux, the final composition is adjusted and a layer of slag is formed that eliminates undesired elements from the steel.
  • Tapping:
After the molten steel temperature and chemistry are adjusted, furnace is tilted and the molten metal is poured to the ladle.
  • Transferring:
An overhead crane lifts the ladle and discharges the liquid metal in the tundish above the continuous casting machine 
  • Casting:
Continuous casting
The continuous casting process consists of solidifying molten steel through a strictly controlled water cooling process, while keeping key factors in mind, including initial steel temperature and casting speed. The liquid metal is discharged to an arc shape lines and continuous steel billets are produced. The final product is a billet, or square steel ingot in different lengths. 
Horizontal/vertical casting
Horizontal molds or vertical ingots can also be used to cast steel billets. Though these methods are financially desirable, the resulting billet does not have the quality of a continuous casted one.  
  • Cooling:
Finally, billets are cooled by natural convention.