Stainless steel billets are hot rolled into wire rod, the starting material for all wire products. A square billet is heated to 1050°C before hot rolling and this elongates during hot rolling, which is a continuous process incorporating up to 30 steps.
During the final stages of the process, wire rod is laid by a so-called laying head in coil form on a conveyor and transported to cooling and heat treatment, if any. The conveyor with the hot wire rod enters the cooling chamber in-line.
Laying head pipe
The hot-rolled wire rod, after rolling, is laid on a Stelmor conveyor in the form of a coil with the help of pipe commonly known as 'laying head pipe', rotating at high speed. A coil formation of hot rolled wire after rolling is important for effective air cooling to achieve the desired final properties of the wire.
Improved productivity with Alleima tubes for laying head pipe
Maximizing throughput and reduction of quality issues are key concerns in the production of wire rod. Where materials are rotating at very high speed, laying head pipe must withstand significant wear from the friction between hot wire and pipe surface at very high temperatures.
Rolling speeds can be anything from 50 to 150 m/s and in today’s rod mill environments, laying heads must handle production at temperatures in the region of 900°C.
Super resilient, ultra-strong and ultra-smooth
At elevated temperatures these material properties are an essential ingredient for reducing wear, cost and time, leading to increased production reliability and profitability. Contact us to find out more about our products for laying head pipe.
Reduced wear and tear = increased returns!