The order received from Stahl Gerlafingen for a K-Weld machine to be installed at its plant in Switzerland, is the fourth for the new, sixth-generation billet welders awarded to Danieli in the last 12 months.

The new Danieli billet welding machine will be connected directly to the new reheating furnace to feed the existing rolling mill, which will operate in endless mode. A new, 2-MW Danieli Automation Q-Heat-system also will be installed right after the welder. This will optimize the billet temperature after the temperature drop caused by the welding process, before it enters the roughing mill.

What distinguishes the sixth-generation of Danieli-patented billet welders from the previous ones is the design of a convenient cartridge hosting the welding clamps. The new cartridge makes it possible for clamps to be replaced in the workshop, making the machine fully available (saving 50% time compared to the conventional billet welders).

A new, tension control system speeds up joint welding, leading to enhanced mechanical characteristics of the joint itself and the rolled stock.

Endless welding rolling allows more stable rolling conditions and improved plant yield because there is no billet head and tail cropping, and no inter-billet gaps.

The startup of the new-generation billet welder is scheduled in the first quarter of 2024.