The grinder are being installed by the German Company, Egon Evertz. Three of their personnel are currently training our operators. Commissioning started on 10 July. The second mobile grinder will be installed in August. These grinders will be retained for a period of three years. There is a big difference in operating the mobile grinders: The two fixed slab grinding machines, SG1 and SG2, have moving tables that take the slabs through the grinders, whereas the mobile grinder does not have moving tables, but the grinder itself moves from side-to-side. Initial Steel Plant quality problems experienced during commissioning necessitated a conservative approach to slab conditioning. As a result, the grinding practises implemented have tied up our two permanent grinders much more than initially expected. The Egon Evertz grinding machines have been obtained to help with this capacity shortfall. Improvements to Steel Plant quality have been achieved. 409 Grades of good metallurgical quality are now consistently being produced. Further development work is being conducted on the austenitic titanium stabilized grades. Grinding practises are also tailor-made to suit the processing routes of our semi-finished customers. This does place additional work load on our grinding facilities. The old grinding machine, SGI, is still in use, and a dedicated team, headed by Production Engineer, Glen Waldeck will look after the grinding bays to ensure maximum efficiency.

COLUMBUS NEWS,  7/1996