Investment in slab pusher furnace successfully completed

Dillinger further expands capabilities with ultra-heavy plate for offshore wind projects

Aktien-Gesellschaft der Dillinger Hüttenwerke (Dillinger) has successfully upgraded its slab pusher furnace 2 in the rolling mill. What might sound unspectacular in fact brings some “weighty” advantages. Successful completion of the EUR 26 million investment means that Dillinger can now produce even greater volumes of ultra-heavy steel plate and with a more sustainable process.

“Now we can heat the 600-millimeter slabs cast on the continuous casting machine CC 6 – currently the thickest slabs in the world – directly in the pusher furnace. This means a considerable increase in capacity compared to the previous process using the bogie hearth furnace,” explained Dr. Peter Maagh, Chief Technology and Production Officer.

For the customer, this means increased availability of large, heavy plates. These plates can in turn reduce the need for welding seams and, thanks to more efficient production, enable more offshore foundations to ultimately be produced and installed. Modernizing the slab pusher furnace as well as the new edge milling machine, and thus enabling delivery of “prefabricated” offshore wind plates, are part of a series of investments in the offshore wind market currently being planned and implemented at Dillinger.

“Offshore wind is a growth market where we want to participate significantly as market leader,” said CEO Stefan Rauber, explaining the future-focused investment strategy. “With our technology, our innovative products and our customer service, we are a strong driving force in the energy transition. This is also part of our assuming responsibility for the future in line with the Pure Steel + concept.”

The upgrade of slab pusher furnace 2 at the Dillinger rolling mill was completed on schedule in exactly three months, despite extensive work that extended down to the machine foundations. In addition to increasing slab thickness and weight, the modernized oven saves 750 MWh of electrical energy per year, which equals the annual electricity consumption of 250 households.