Swedish high-technology engineering and steelmaking group Sandvik has announced that at its facility in Sandviken it has officially commissioned the world's largest, dedicated mill for the advanced manufacture of stainless steel and high nickel alloy tubes for use in nuclear power plant steam generators. Construction work on the mill had started in 2010.
The new mill utilizes the latest state-of-the-art technology. At over 340 meters long and covering an area of approximately 12,000 square meters, the plant is the equivalent size of two soccer pitches. It incorporates a fully automated flowline, in which the layout facilitates greater flexibility with short set-up and lead times.
According to Sandvik, the investment not only strengthens its position as leading global supplier of seamless nuclear steam generator tubing, it also provides the company with the flexibility and manufacturing capability to satisfy the requirements of the rapidly growing nuclear power industry.
Officially inaugurating the new mill, Jonas Gustavsson, president of Sandvik Materials Technology, stated, "The energy sector is a key segment for Sandvik and we see a lot of interesting opportunities for nuclear and steam generator tubing."