Nucor Buys Largest Monolith™
Roll Grinding Machine in the World

In heavy plate mills, roll grinding machines play a central role in ensuring the quality of the final product. They are used to restore rolls to their original shape after use by regrinding their surfaces. Abrasion, pressure, and high temperatures deform the roll surfaces – without precise regrinding, the rolls would run unevenly, leading to streaks, grooves, and other surface defects in the steel.

„Nucor Tuscaloosa primarily produces heavy plate and specialized hot-rolled steel strip for a wide range of applications, including shipbuilding, heavy-duty equipment, construction, energy, and infrastructure. As part of the modernization of its plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the company therefore decided to invest in a roll grinding machine from market leader Herkules in order to further increase both capacity and product quality,” explains Tobias Wurm, Senior Sales and Project Manager. “When grinding rolls for heavy plate mills, we are sometimes dealing with the largest work and back-up rolls in the world. The machine must operate flawlessly around the clock. To meet these demanding requirements in terms of accuracy and surface quality, the customer opted for a WS 1100 × 7000 CNC Monolith™ equipped with a C-frame measuring device, Eddy Current testing, and Ultrasonic testing including the creeping wave method.“
Thanks to the inhouse developed measurement and testing technologies, the required accuracy and consistently homogeneous surface quality can be reliably achieved. “In addition, the customer benefits from reduced roll consumption when using Herkules technology. The high mechanical stability and robustness of the machine components allow the use of harder grinding wheels, which reduces abrasion and minimizes grinding wheel consumption. This significantly extends the service life of the rolls. At the same time, the machine’s solid design ensures high availability and enables short processing times.“

Thanks to the fast service and high spare parts availability from our Herkules site in Ford City, PA, USA, our customer is well supported at all times – even in the event of an emergency. „The machine is completely built and assembled by our specialists in Ford City. Short distances, clear standards and fast response – this ensures quality and reliability on site and once again proves our pioneering and global market leadership in this industry.“