ORIENTATION

REPORT

Prepared By
Riaz Rasool Qadri
Trainee Engineer- Production
ORIENTATION REPORT

CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 3
2.0 ORIENTATION PROGRAM ...................................................................................... 3
3.0 PUSH PULL PICKLING LINE .................................................................................... 3
3.1 PICKLING .............................................................................................................. 3
3.2 PPPL-1................................................................................................................... 3
3.3 PPPL-2................................................................................................................... 4
4.0 COLD ROLLING AND SKINPASS MILL ................................................................... 4
4.1 COLD ROLLING .................................................................................................... 4
4.2 CRSM .................................................................................................................... 4
4.3 SKINPASS ............................................................................................................. 5
5.0 BELL ANNEALER FACILITY..................................................................................... 5
5.1 ANNEALING .......................................................................................................... 5
5.2 BAF ........................................................................................................................ 5
6.0 ELECTROLYTIC CLEANING LINE / RE-COILING LINE .......................................... 6
6.1 ECL ........................................................................................................................ 6
6.2 RCL ........................................................................................................................ 6
7.0 QUALITY ASSURANCE / QUALITY CONTROL ....................................................... 7
7.1 QUALITY ASSURANCE ........................................................................................ 7
7.2 QUALITY CONTROL ............................................................................................. 7
7.3 QA/QC ................................................................................................................... 7
8.0 RGL (ROLL GRINDING LINE) .................................................................................. 8
8.1 SHOT BLASTING MACHINE ................................................................................. 8
8.2 ASSEMBLY DISASSEMBLY/CHOKER DECHOKER MACHINE .......................... 8
8.3 CNC GRINDING MACHINE ................................................................................... 8
8.4 WORK ROLLS & BACKUP ROLLS ....................................................................... 9
9.0 CONTINOUS GALVANIZING LINE ........................................................................... 9
10.0 MECHANICAL ....................................................................................................... 10

1
ORIENTATION REPORT

10.1 CRANE MAINTENANCE ................................................................................... 10

10.2 MAINTENANCE ................................................................................................. 10
10.3 WORKSHOP ...................................................................................................... 11
11.0 ELECTRICAL ........................................................................................................ 11
11.1 PLCs .................................................................................................................. 11
11.2 VFDs .................................................................................................................. 11
12.0 PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL ............................................................. 11
13.0 UTILITIES ............................................................................................................. 12

2
ORIENTATION REPORT

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Aisha Steel Mills Limited (ASML) is a Group Company of Arif Habib. ASML was
incorporated in 2005 and started its commercial operation in 2012 and its one of the
largest manufacturer of Flat Rolled Steel – Cold Rolled and Hot Dipped Galvanized
coils located in Port Qasim, Karachi- the most suitable plant location for export
market.
It is a state-of-the-art Cold Rolling and Hot dipped Galvanized Rolling Complex with a
capacity of 700,000 metric tons per year
ASML is one of the largest private sector investments in the value added flat-rolled
steel industry in Pakistan.

2.0 ORIENTATION PROGRAM

An orientation plan was planned by the ASML management for the newly inducted
trainee engineers. During the orientation, we visited every department and
understood the process going on there and the problems faced by them ad how to
overcome these problems.

3.0 PUSH PULL PICKLING LINE

3.1 PICKLING
Pickling is a metal surface treatment used to remove impurities, such as stains,
inorganic contaminants, rust or scale from ferrous metals, copper, precious metals
and aluminum alloys. A solution called pickle liquor, which usually contains acid, is
used to remove the surface impurities. It is commonly used to descale or clean steel
in various steelmaking processes.

3.2 PPPL-1
The entry section consists of a pay-off reel of diameter around 610mm. A flattener is
further attached having 6 rolls in total, 3 to top and 3 to bottom. An entry shear and
taper shear is present for making the face of the sheet. 3 tanks are present, tank 1
having the concentration of HCl acid 4-8 %, tank 2 10-12%, and tank 3 14-16%. A
temperature of 85 C is maintained in the tanks. The three pickling tanks have 14m^3
volume and are 12m in length. There are 4 rinse tanks present which use RO water
for rinsing and washing at 90 C. Hot air dryer is used to dry the remaining water and
uses air at a temperature of 100-110 C. The tanks are separated by ringer rolls which
help to remove acid from the coil. The exit side contains side trimmer, oiler, looping
pit. The function of bridle roll is to provide back tension. The speed of line is 90 mpm.

3
ORIENTATION REPORT

3.3 PPPL-2
Almost the process is same, just this line has 5 pickling tanks where the
concentration of acid in first tank is 2% and 18% in final tank and the orientation of
tank is also different for creating the turbulence in order to achieve proper mixing.
The speed of the line is also greater than PPPL 1, which is 150 mpm.

4.0 COLD ROLLING AND SKINPASS MILL

4.1 COLD ROLLING

In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed
through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness and to make the thickness
uniform. If the temperature of the metal is below its recrystallization temperature, the
process is known as cold rolling.

4.2 CRSM
The cold rolling mill consists of 3 mandrels. The 1st is POR (Pay-Off Reel), the 2nd is
ETR (Entry Tension Reel) and the 3rd is DTR (Delivery Tension Reel). It is a single
stand 4 HI Mill, with two work rolls and 2 backup rolls.

The POR consists of:

1.Snubber roll

2.Leveling roll

3.pinch roll

4.Deflector roll

The ETR consists of:

1. Hold down roll

2. Pinch roll

3. Deflector roll

4. Anti-crimping roll

The DTR consists of:

1. Cross break roll

4
ORIENTATION REPORT

2. Pinch roll

3. Deflector roll

The diameter of POR is 610mm whereas diameter of ETR and DTR is 508mm.

Heat and friction is generated between the rolls and the sheet, so an
emulsion(coolant) is used. It is a mixture of oil and water with 2-3 % concentration.
The main tank has a capacity of 65,000 litres. There is a mixing tank of 5,000 liters.
The emulsion is recycled and a flatbed vacuum filter is placed to filter the emulsion.

4.3 SKINPASS
Skinpass is performed on annealed coils to improve the hardness of the coil and
make the surface of the coil dull.

5.0 BELL ANNEALER FACILITY

5.1 ANNEALING
In metallurgy and materials science, annealing is a heat treatment that alters the
physical and sometimes chemical properties of a material to increase its ductility and
reduce its hardness, making it more workable. It involves heating a material above its
recrystallization temperature, maintaining a suitable temperature for a suitable
amount of time, and then cooling.

5.2 BAF
The furnaces used here are bell furnaces made by EBNER. First of all, a tilter is used
to tilt the coil in horizontal position. Then loading is done with the help of a coil
grabber. The total working height is 5200mm. There are 26 work bases, 13 heating
bell and 13 cooling bell. A max of 4-5 coils can be placed at a time depending upon
the size. Hydrogen annealing is performed for better surface finish. A leak test is
carried for 15 minutes and then nitrogen purging is carried for 45 minutes. Heating
bell contains 8 burners and 1 hydrogen burner, the three stages in heating bell are:

 Ramp (660-695 oC) 24hr

 Soaking 7.5-15hr

 Slow cooling 4-8hr

After the process is completed in heating bell, the cooling bell is placed. The stages

5
ORIENTATION REPORT

of cooling bell are:

 Air cooling (380 oC)

 Water showering (90 oC)

After the cooling bell stage, safety purging is done with the help of nitrogen. Then
after 2 days it is sent for skin pass. 850 C is the max temperature of heating bell. The
capacity of BAF is 320,000 MT/annum. The defects can be sticking and black
batches.

6.0 ELECTROLYTIC CLEANING LINE / RE-COILING LINE

6.1 ECL
Electrolytic cleaning line is used for rewinding for BAF, cleaning of sheet, application
of anti-rust oil. The chemical used in ECL is sodium orthosilicate Na2SiO4. The coil is
charged in pay-off reel. After sheet is leveled, there is a spot welder for welding.
There are two main tanks, 1 alkali and 1 hot water. In electrolytic cleaning process
sheet passes through following cleaning process:

i. Alkali brush

ii. Hot water

iii. Fresh water

iv. Edge wiper

v. Dryer

6.2 RCL
Re-coiling line is used for transforming the mother coils into baby coils. Off gauge
cutting (scrap cutting) and edge cutting is performed in this line. The most common
widths are 1219, 920, 950, 1000, 1017 and 914mm. Oiling is performed with the help
of an electrostatic oiler. The name of oil is ferro coat, grade N6 130 and is produced
by Quaker company. The division of coils in weights is also performed on this line
and final quality inspection is also carried on this line. The speed of this line is
250mpm.

6
ORIENTATION REPORT

7.0 QUALITY ASSURANCE / QUALITY CONTROL

7.1 QUALITY ASSURANCE

Quality assurance (QA) is a way of preventing mistakes and defects in manufactured
products and avoiding problems when delivering products or services to customers;
which ISO 9000 defines as "part of quality management focused on providing
confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled". It is process based.

7.2 QUALITY CONTROL

Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors
involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "A part of quality
management focused on fulfilling quality requirements”. It is product based.

7.3 QA/QC
It is performed in two ways:

7.3.1 INSPECTION

An inspection is, most generally, an organized examination or formal evaluation

exercise. In engineering activities inspection involves the measurements, tests, and
gauges applied to certain characteristics in regard to an object or activity.

Inspection is performed on incoming material, processing, final inspection. HRC

inspection, CRSM inspection (scratches, roll marks, buckling, wrinkles, rust, sticking,
edge waviness and etc.), Final inspection (surface appearance, rust proof, scratch
less, thickness variation, black patches). After inspection the coil is standardized into
prime or secondary coil. JIS standard is followed.

7.3.2 TESTING

It is further divided into

a) Mechanical Testing

Mechanical testing reveals the properties of a material under dynamic or static force.
Designed to ensure that materials are suitable for their intended applications,
mechanical testing includes methods such as tensile strength, compression strength,
impact resistance, fracture toughness and fatigue.

7
ORIENTATION REPORT

At ASML, hardness is the main focus. The instruments used are UTS, Webster
hardness tester, Lube hardness tester, Vicker hardness tester, ultrasonic thickness
machine.

b) Chemical Testing

In chemistry, a chemical test is a qualitative or quantitative procedure designed to

identify, quantify, or characterize a chemical compound or chemical group.

At ASML, water testing, pH conductivity test, chloride test on sheet, emulsion stability
index, chromate preservation test etc are performed.

c) Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy is the technique of splitting light (or more precisely electromagnetic

radiation) into its constituent wavelengths (a spectrum), in much the same way as a
prism splits light into a rainbow of colours. However, in general, a spectrum is
generally more than a simple 'rainbow' of colours.

8.0 RGL (ROLL GRINDING LINE)

This line is responsible for the preparation of rolls (backup, working and skinpass) for
the rolling mill (CRSM & CCM). It basically constitutes of 4 main machines.

8.1 SHOT BLASTING MACHINE

Shot blast machine is used for treatment of mainly metallic surfaces. This includes
the de-rusting, descaling, descending, or deburring of the work pieces. Other uses
are hardening of surfaces (shot peening), finish blasting of sensitive parts and
roughening of surfaces for coating. Shot blasting is just used on skinpass rolls, steel
grits are used with a pressure of 7 bar, the grade of grits is JH-25 with a hardness of
63-65 HRC.

8.2 ASSEMBLY DISASSEMBLY/CHOKER DECHOKER MACHINE

This machine is used for the assembly and disassembly of choker. Taper rolling
bearings are used in Choker.

8.3 CNC GRINDING MACHINE

CNC grinding machines are machine tools which use a rotating grinding wheel to

8
ORIENTATION REPORT

achieve material removal on a metallic work piece by means of cutting. Grinding

machines are mostly used for the hard fine machining of work pieces (parts). ... CNC
stands for “Computerized Numerical Control”.

8.4 WORK ROLLS & BACKUP ROLLS

WORK ROLL BACKUP ROLL
Hardness
90-97 HSB 67-75 HSB
Roughness
Rolling 0.45-0.55 RA Skin pass 0.5-3.5 RA 0.7-0.8 RA
Barrel Length
1620 m 1420 m
Total Length
4000 mm 4470 mm
Diameter
355-400 mm 1100-1220 mm

9.0 CONTINOUS GALVANIZING LINE

This line is divided into 3 main sections:

Entry 2) Processing 3) Exit

At the entry section, first comes the degreasing section where cleaning takes place,
after which the sheet passes through annealing furnace. Then the line Zn cot, where
coating of Zn takes place. Then comes the cooling tower where the coating cools and
after that it is sent for skin pass. A tension leveler is also present, after which the anti-
fingerprint process comes where chromate coating is applied and then finally comes
the exit section.

The total length of the line is 295 m. There are a total of 13 bridle rolls, 8 CPCs
(Centre positioning control) and 1 EPC (Edge positioning control). The sheet storage
capacity at the entry looper is 450 m (horizontal) and the storage capacity at the exit
looper is 360 m (vertical).

After the entry section there is a welder (resistance seam welder) used for welding
the tail and head of two coils. The TV (thickness*volume) is 75 for high gauges and
60 for low gauges. When the sheet comes into degreasing section, alkali brush is
present for cleaning after which comes the water rinsing and then the sheet is dried
through a dryer. Electrolysis is also performed at 1200-1500 Amp.

9
ORIENTATION REPORT

The furnace has 1 tension meter, and the total length of the furnace is 160 m which
operates on natural gas and hydrogen. There are W shape burners and 94 overall
radiant tubes. This furnace is RTHF type (Radiant tube heating furnace) and has 2
thermo couples on each segment and 3 pyrometers. Then there is a soaking zone,
recycled cooling and then equalizing furnace.

When the annealing process is finished in the furnace, then comes the galvanization
process. The Zn is coated in the Zn pot, which has a M.P of 419 C, and the capacity
of Zn is 180 tons. 2 electrical inductors are present in the pot.

The production capacity of CGL is 250,000 MT/annum and this line operates at a
max speed of 180 mpm. An X-ray coating thickness gauge measures the coating
weight on line in terms of g/m^2. The coating weight varies between 60-275 g/m^2.
The standard followed is JIS G 3302. Max coil weight can be 25 tons.

10.0 MECHANICAL

10.1 CRANE MAINTENANCE

The total no of cranes at ASML is 24. The capacity of cranes is 5-45 ton. There are
cranes from KUEZUGH (Germany) and NUKLEON, YUNKAI (China). The cranes are
identified by a nomenclature:

1 KC

Here, 1 shows SERIAL NUMBER, K shows manufacturer name and C shows

complex.

10.2 MAINTENANCE
The maintenance department is divided into 4 sections:

 CGL maintenance

 Maintenance support

 Crane & PEB maintenance

 Plant maintenance

The maintenance dept. generally looks for oil consumption, daily maintenance,
breakdown of plant, ECL and roll placement sheet. There are two general
maintenance, preventive and breakdown.

10
ORIENTATION REPORT

10.3 WORKSHOP
The workshop is responsible for the support of maintenance and also preparation of
some required jobs. The workshop has the following machines:

 Gear hobbing

 5 Lathe machines

 Band saw

 Radial Drill Machine

 Shaper

 Bridge Board

 Milling machine

11.0 ELECTRICAL
The electrical dept. is responsible for all the electrical and electronics equipment and
needs of the plant. As the lines at ASML are automated or partially automated, the
use of PLCs and VFDs is must and this dept. provides for these needs.

11.1 PLCs
A programmable logic controller (PLC) or programmable controller is an industrial
digital computer which has been ruggedized and adapted for the control of
manufacturing processes, such as assembly lines, or robotic devices, or any activity
that requires high reliability control and ease of programming and process fault
diagnosis.

11.2 VFDs
A variable-frequency drive (VFD) or adjustable-frequency drive (AFD), variable-
voltage/variable- frequency (VVVF) drive, variable speed drive (VSD), AC drive,
micro drive or inverter drive is a type of adjustable-speed drive used in electro-
mechanical drive systems to control AC motor speed and torque by varying motor
input frequency and voltage.

12.0 PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL

At ASML, the department of production planning and control is responsible for the
future requirements and forecasting of HRC, the sales dept. remains in coordination
with PPC and then it works and forecasts the HRC required for future. It also is
responsible for giving production plans, and dispatching of finished goods etc.

11
ORIENTATION REPORT

13.0 UTILITIES
Utilities department consist of 3 boilers, 5 compressors, 2 chiller plant, waste water
treatment plant, Hydrogen plant and RO plant.

12