Owing to their size and high investment volume, hot strip mills have an extremely long life. Almost 40 % of the 140 conventional hot strip mills currently in operation all over the world were built between 1960 and 1970. These mills were designed as fully continuous or three-quarter continuous mills featuring 5 to 7 roughing stands. Today's mills attain annual productions between 3 and 5.5 million t in semi-continuous operation with 1 to 2 roughing stands. In addition, mechanical equipment, drive technology and process automation systems have been enhanced. Latest-generation hot strip mills with their lower power demand and higher productivity are able to produce at lower cost, with novel technologies resulting in an even better product quality.
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