Hot-rolled strip for the cold-rolling industry

Salzgitter Flachstahl's broad product range for the cold-rolling industry focuses on mass customization and variety in the highest product quality. The portfolio includes classic case-hardened steels and quenched and tempered steels, alloyed chromium and nickel steels and boron-alloyed quenched and tempered steels. Each material is backed up by different analysis concepts that are coordinated to our customers' requirements. The steel's characteristics can be diversely varied and selectively adapted to almost every requirement.

Not only the individual alloying concept, however, is relevant for flawless further processing at the customer. Compliance with very tight geometric tolerances and generation of profile cross-sections in the hot-rolled strip that are appropriate for the application are just as important. Thanks to many years of intensive cooperation with our customers and continual improvement in the plant processes, today we can achieve the tightest dimensional tolerances in the hot-rolled strip across the entire strip length and width in order to guarantee optimal machining in the cold rolling process. This demanding goal imposes extremely strict demands on the production plants and processes. In order to maintain this, we shall also continue to make major efforts in the future in order to keep the expertise of our employees, from developers to central system controllers, and the plant's technology at the state of the art at all times.

The cold roller then configures the final material characteristics for the end product during the further processing of the hot-rolled strip. Annealing steps, quenching and tempering, sometimes repeatedly, selectively achieve the mechanical-technical characteristics such as high yield point and tensile strength and good fatigue properties, wear resistances and toughness. The large analysis range, greatest purity and narrowest strip geometry make Salzgitter Flachstahl a dependable partner for the tough requirements in the cold-rolling industry.

The case-hardened steels include unalloyed and low alloy steels up to a maximum carbon content of 0.20 percent. Case-hardened steels, either hot rolled or cold-rolled, are used primarily for gearbox parts (disk springs, clutch plates and converter caps). In the hot rolled delivery state, the material features good punchability and formability. As a result of the heat treatment at the cold roller, the components have a high toughness level in the interior and a significantly greater hardness at the surface, resulting in good resistance to wear.

Quenched and tempered steels comprise steel grades that exhibit high tensile strength and good fatigue properties thanks to the hardening and tempering. They feature a carbon content of more than 0.20 percent. The heat treatment allows a selective influence on the relationship between strength and toughness. The goal is to give the component both higher strength and toughness. The group of quenched and tempered steels includes both unalloyed and alloyed steel grades. In the alloyed quenched and tempered steels, the different contents of the alloys chromium, manganese, molybdenum and nickel are very precisely matched to the particular intended use. Typical application areas are chain plates, belt locks, springs, steel caps for safety shoes, saw blades, knives and scissors.