Forgemasters complete record-breaking 607 tonne molten steel pour
STEELWORKERS at Sheffield Forgemasters International have completed the firm’s biggest ever pour, coming in at 607 tonnes of molten steel in total.
The steel was transferred into a massive subterranean mould to create a huge casting component, taking six weeks to cool.
It will weigh around 320 tonnes, and is part of a £12.2m contract with a German firm SMS Meer which will supply the client with 11 components of a similar size.
Group development director at Sheffield Forgemasters Mark Tomlinson told TheBusinessDesk.com ahead of the announcement: “There are only a handful of companies in the world that can do this kind of job.
“The customer is looking for a very specific size, shape and strength with this component, which is just one of a series of 11 that we are doing for them. It will go into a manufacturing machine for other steel parts.
“They rely on us to have the knowledge to cast complex components like this, and have the right equipment to finish to the right tolerances.
On the actual process that is making headlines for the firm, which has the largest foundry facilities in Europe, Mr Tomlinson said: “The size of it dictates what the difficulties are. For us to pour 607 tonnes of steel, that takes us about 20 hours.
“All the steel is readied in six different pots which are then transfer across a main road in Sheffield, though it’s only 20 minute journey, we have to make the first pot very hot, to make sure at the end destination they have caught up with each other in terms of temperature.
“German firm SMS Meer are a manufacturer of large steel making equipment, so we’ve done a number of big presses and rolling mill parts for them over the years.
“The biggest job before this was for a press forge for an Austrian company, that creates structural sections for the Airbus 8380, joining wings to the fuselage. It was a huge machine that presses out complex shapes and we created a new press for a new plane.”
We discussed the impact of the recession and also what has kept the firm going through difficult times. Mr Tomlinson said: “Relationships are hugely important for us. There are only so many people in the world that need very large or very complicated components made of tonnes of metal that we specialise in.
“Those customers have to have a lot of trust in us. With each different component, we’re embarking on something we’ve never done it before, but we’re the best qualified to do that.
“We have extensive experience of how to handle the process, and on top of that trust and a good relationship with our clients which has kept us going.
“The last few years have been pretty tough, as a company we entered into recession a bit later because of the order book we’ve got, and then we tend to come out later.
“It’s still tough out there and we have to look at general market trends which will impact us in 6 and 9 months time. Order intake has improved over last 6 months and we’re hopeful for the future.”
Sheffield Forgemasters International will be providing six more of these components in the next 18 months. Over 6,000 tonnes of molten steel will be used in total.
