A Chicago-based manufacturer recently announced the construction of “the world’s largest continuous ERW tube mill,” according to the project’s supplier.
Capable of producing hollow structural sections (HSS) with a size range of 8″ square x 0.750″ wall up to 22″ square x 1″ wall, the new mill, operated by Atlas Tube, a division of Zekelman Industries, will produce square, rectangular, and round structural sections in the mill. The largest rectangular section will be 34″ x 10″ x 1″ wall, and the largest round section will be 28″ OD x 1″ wall. The new mill will produce products to meet or exceed ASTM A500, ASTM A1085, CSA G40 and ASTM A252. This will be the first time ERW sections above 16″ square will be available domestically.
The mill will also be engineered to allow for world-leading full change-over times of less than 60 minutes, as well as special forming and sizing technology for precise dimensional tolerance. Zekelman Industries selected SMS as the supplier for the mill, Kusakabe for the milling cut-off, and Mair for the material handling and packaging line.
The total project investment is over $150 million — the largest private investment in the U.S. steel industry in the last decade. Frank Lagac, sales manager of welded pipe plants at SMS, noted that it will be the “world’s largest continuous ERW tube mill.”
“At Zekelman, we continue with our long-standing goal of creating, not waiting for, the future, said Barry Zekelman, CEO of Zekelman Industries.
“Over the past few years, we have seen the increasing need for larger, domestically produced HSS in the bridge, transportation, and building markets,” said Tom Muth, president of Atlas Tube. “Also, HSS with thicker walls that meet the more stringent width-to-thickness ratio requirements of the AISC Seismic Provisions are in greater demand for lateral bracing systems.”
“This new mill gives structural engineers new tools to meet the demands of designing and building cost-efficient and safe steel structures,” said Brad Fletcher, senior sales engineer for Atlas Tube.
Main image photo credit: SMS Group
