Giant crane moves molten steel at the Ovako Koverhar mill

Algol Technics has supplied a new giant crane for Ovako Koverhar´s steel mill
in the Hanko district in Southern Finland. The operating environment of the new
crane is demanding and the conditions extreme. The crane is an integral part of
the production process at the mill, continuously moving 1600-degree molten
steel around the clock in a dusty and hot foundry hall whose temperature can
reach 60 degrees in the summertime.

The crane is a twin-beam Algol System Demag overhead crane with a lifting
capacity of 120 tonnes. It features a specially constructed tilting hook that
is fitted with a 30-tonne pouring ladle that can handle 55 tonnes of molten
steel. The crane moves its heaby load from the pouring oven to the casting
machine 35 times a day. Due to the special conditions of the operating
environment, the crane´s frequency converters, control systems and logic
functions are situated in a special, air-conditioned container that protects
them from the heat and dust.

Over a single year the crane will handle the equivalent of double the Koverhar
mill´s current 600,000 tonne annual production. According to Sales Manager
Matti Suominen of Algol Technics´ Lifting and Conveyor Solutions unit, the
crane was constructed to support the customer´s plans to increase the annual
production and improve the manufacturing processes at the mill. The Ovako
Koverhar mill produces steel billets that are rolled into wire rods at Ovako´s
other mills.

Algol Technics was responsible for the manufacturing, technical planning and
installation of the crane. Demag Cranes & Components, a major international
specialist and Algol´s co-operation partner in the field, delivered the
components.

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