Resource-Saving Production in Europe’s
First Green Steel Mill

For the Roll Shop of the first climate-neutral steel mill in Europe, SMS group is relying on the expertise of Maschinenfabrik Herkules, the specialist when it comes to Roll Shop Turnkey projects, and is having the associated Roll Shops equipped with the market leader‘ s technically highly sophisticated machines. The highlight: The new steel mill will be the world‘s first one based on renewable hydrogen.

At Herkules, sustainability begins with the selection and planning of the machines, which is the basic prerequisite for our customers worldwide not only to manufacture unparalleled quality products, but also to ensure an energy- and resource-optimized production process. In order to meet these requirements and enable our customers to achieve their sustainability goals without restriction, Herkules has been relying on the software solutions developed in-house specifically for this purpose plus the associated measuring systems.

A total of seven roll grinding machines will be produced and commissioned for this prestigious project. Herkules is supplying a total of three WS 450 KL × 5500 CNC Monolith™ work roll grinding machines, one WS 1100 × 7000 CNC Monolith™ combi grinding machine and three WS 600 × 6500 CNC Monolith™ work roll grinding machines for the production of a broad product portfolio including high-strength steels used in the automotive industry.

All machines are set up foundation-free as Monolith™ and are equipped with the latest control and measuring technology (KP10 + C-Frame measuring gauge). This combination guarantees first-class grinding results and homogeneous roll surfaces “on the fly“, which leads to enormous savings in terms of grinding time, stock removal and overall handling in addition to the outstanding quality of the end product.

Apart from that, the automatic loading device and the modular Roll Shop Management System from Herkules guarantee the highest possible degree of automation. Machines and systems have an influence on the assessment of sustainability – from energy consumption and the associated environmental effects to the greatest possible minimization of production wear.

The constantly growing complexity of machines and processes demands increasing automation of production. Networking between people, IT, machines and systems is essential to ensure that all production processes run smoothly, safely and as efficiently as possible.

“To optimize a grinding process in the best possible way, the target values and customer requirements relating to this process must be precisely defined,“ explains Harald Kraft, Chief Operating Officer of the Herkules Division Electronics. “We attach particular importance to sustainable business models and the responsible use of resources at all levels in order to continuously drive forward the development of our technologies. This enables us to fulfill the sustainability principles of the Blue Competence Initiative, of which we have been a partner since 2021.“

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