On February 22, the Italy-based equipment producer Tenova has announced that its subsidiary Tenova Strip Processing in December 2010 received full approval for its grain-oriented (GO) silicon steel strip heat flattening line at the main production site in Lipetsk of the Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), bringing the trial phase to a successful conclusion after several weeks of rigorous tests.
Tenova Strip Processing developed the innovative technology implemented on the line and completed the project in cooperation with Tenova LOI Italimpianti of Genoa, which supplied the complete furnace. The heat flattening line performs the final treatment on the GO strip and has to ensure the leveling of the strip maintaining the steel's magnetic characteristics. GO steel is normally used in the magnetic core of high performing (low-loss) transformers.
NLMK has selected Tenova as a partner of choice for its silicon steel treatment lines: after this initial contract, NLMK has awarded Tenova an order for three more lines in Lipetsk and one for its transformer steel producing subsidiary VIZ-Stal.