14 01, 2022

A Deeper Dive into Steel & Steel Processing

2022-08-05T16:28:02+00:00January 14th, 2022|News Blog|

In an ancient Greek myth, Prometheus steals fire from the gods so that humans may escape their wretched situation on Earth. A modern rendition of this myth may have Prometheus bringing us steel rather than fire.

It is steel, strong and versatile, which releases modern humans from the constraints of nature. It is a stalwart in everything from medical equipment to structural elements, to specialty parts in aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, military, and infrastructure industries. Today, our steel researchers, metallurgists, technicians, and engineers put on the garb of Prometheus as they continue to perfect different grades and specialty steel.

What are some of the aspects that go into steel processing?

Steel Grades Make Steel Processing Easier

In the modern world, there is a specialist for every job. It’s no different with steel. The “grade” of steel is a descriptor that identifies both the physical properties of the steel as well as its composition, among other descriptors. Currently, there are more than 3,500 grades of steel, each tailored towards a specific task. Of these, the grand majority were developed just in the last 25 years.

Thanks to this variety, steel processors can offer their clients the perfect “specialist” for the job.

Steel Processing: Earth-Friendly

No modern industry can claim to be for the benefit of mankind without being sustainable. For this reason, steel sustainability has made huge leaps in the last decades towards social responsibility.

Fortunately, as a material, steel is very compatible with sustainable goals. Steel is 100% recyclable. It is also very long-lasting and improves the performance of transportation vehicles, which makes for greener rides. Recently with the increased prominence of electric arc furnaces, more and more steel recycling has given new life to old steel. All this is done without reductions in quality or performance.

Creating Better Steel for Steel Processing

The creation of new grades of steel involves transformation of the chemical composition of steel alloys as well as using different physical processes to transform steel.

Steel can be categorized into four basic groups based on the chemical compositions:

  1. Carbon steel
  2. Alloy steel
  3. Stainless steel
  4. Tool steel

Check out this page to learn more about each of those categories.

Steel Processing: A Huge Enterprise

2020 saw the production of 1.88 billion metric tonnes (Mt) globally, which was actually 0.3% above the pre-pandemic 2019 production numbers. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused many industries to grind to a halt, which – in turn, decreased the demand for steel. However, in 2022 demand promises to bounce back. The Worldsteel Association predicts that “steel demand will grow by 4.5% in 2021 and reach 1,855.4 Mt after 0.1% growth in 2020. In 2022, steel demand will see a further increase of 2.2% to 1,896.4 Mt. The current forecast assumes that, with the progress of vaccinations across the world, the spread of variants of the COVID virus will be less damaging and disruptive than seen in previous waves.”

Steel Processing of Advanced High Strength Steels

A thematic characteristic of steel and steel processing is that it’s a forward-looking industry […]

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7 10, 2021

Steel Supply Chain Management: National Material Company

2021-10-07T18:09:59+00:00October 7th, 2021|News Blog, NMC Media|

As a leader in supply-chain management, just-in-time programs, and inventory control, National Material Company is the perfect choice for any customer in search of the best experience possible. A skilled workforce, state-of-the-art metals processing machinery, and warehouse storage capabilities make NMC the company to compete with.

National Material Company has a particularly strong focus on delivering additional value to their customers — delivering excellence at every step in the supply chain — maximizing quality, cost, and speed.

Metal Processing:

  • Slitting
  • Pickling
  • Blanking
  • Galvanizing

Learn more

Logistics Optimization:

Materials from A to B at lowest possible cost for the Customer

    • Cost-efficiently linking 22 plants, steel mills, and a certified processor network
    • Total freight cost in 1 invoice: mill to processor to OEM
    • Custom-designed for all NMC programs

Pricing Programs:

NMC provides numerous pricing options

  • CRU-indexed contracts allow price to change
  • Directed-buy pricing – OEM negotiates price with mill, NMC buys metal at “directed” price
  • Firm price for a defined period
  • Resale option– OEM negotiates price with mill, processor “resells” back to OEM at a price that includes value-added services
  • Spot pricing– one-time purchase with quick turnaround
  • Hedging/futures— eliminates price volatility

Value Added / Value Engineering:

Providing value over & above the price of the steel

  • Part appraisals
  • Mass reduction—light weighting
  • Product & process training
  • And more…

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI):

Increases accuracy and efficiency of transactions

  • Automated transaction processing
  • Eliminates keystroke errors

Outsourced parts:

Using a network of partners, NMC can provide

  • Stamping
  • Laser
  • Roll form
  • Press break
  • Welding
  • And more…

About Parent Company National Material L.P.

Since its founding in 1964, National Material Limited Partnership has grown to over 30 business units and is now one of the largest suppliers of metals in North America. The National Material group of industrial businesses consists of the Steel Group, Stainless and Alloys Group, Raw Material Trading Group, Aluminum Group, and Related Operations.

Please visit us at www.nationalmaterial.com or call (U.S.) 847-806-7200 to […]

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8 07, 2021

Sustainable Steel Industry: Build Using Steel

2021-07-08T17:15:17+00:00July 8th, 2021|News Blog, NMC Media|

The steel industry, as one of the globe’s premier industries in size and history, has taken its place of leadership in transforming itself towards sustainability. Previously identified as a smokestack industry, the steel industry has introduced new technologies and practices in becoming a green industry of sustainable steel.

Elon Musk has stated that environmental concerns “supersede political parties, race, creed, religion, it doesn’t matter. If we do not solve the environment, we’re all damned.” Or as Cameron Sinclair put it, “For 90 percent of the world, sustainability is a matter of survival.” For historian Thomas Fuller, the idea is very simple, “We never know the worth of water ‘til the well is dry.”

One way to see the huge strides the steel industry has taken is by looking at structural steel used in green construction. In particular, the “wood versus steel debate” sheds light on all the different aspects that need to be accounted for when considering sustainability and carbon neutrality.

For example, care must be taken to examine all the details involved with a product’s complete lifecycle. The extraction, manufacturing, and transportation of the materials must be calculated, but also the longevity, disposability, and reusability. Furthermore, all derivative processes must be considered. If the electricity used in steel plants is solar or wind energy, the steel industry becomes more sustainable without directly changing itself, just by modifying tangential processes. The same goes for the wood industry. Not all forest management practices are created equal, and the care taken in logging and replanting trees can radically change the sustainable nature of a material like wood.

By paying attention to all these details, the structural steel industry has decreased its carbon footprint per ton by 36%, lowered energy intensity per ton by 31%, and decreased greenhouse gas emissions per ton by 45%.

One of the most promising aspects of modern American steel processing is recycling, with steel being 100% recyclable. As reported by Architect Magazine, “The American Institute of Steel Construction estimates that 98% of structural steel from demolished buildings is recovered and recycled into new steel products. As such, domestically produced structural steel, which comes from electric arc furnace (EAF) mills, boasts a recycled content of 93%.” Because of steel’s longevity, in fact, one of the major bottlenecks in steel recycling is that, despite 98% of structural steel being recycled, finding enough scrap globally for the potential output of electric arc furnaces can be a problem.

Through innovation and design, the steel industry hopes to reach the ultimate goal: carbon neutrality. It is a fitting goal for an industry with a trajectory as important as steel. If we indeed turn this next century into the “Green Century,” the innovators of our times will become the heroes of the future. That, NMC believes, is a goal worth fighting for.

At NMC our steel slitting, cold rolled steel, hot rolled steel, and all our steel processes aim to continue the tradition of […]

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24 06, 2021

The Slitting Line and Steel Slitting Process Explained

2021-06-24T18:47:26+00:00June 24th, 2021|News Blog, NMC Media|

 

Steel is an alloy of iron that is mixed with carbon which improves its strength and durability. Combine these properties with its low cost and you have a perfectly-suited alloy for a multitude of uses in various end applications, including (but not limited to) automotive, infrastructure, and appliance/HVAC.

Enter the role of steel processors. Steel processing companies like National Material Company provide manufacturers with the right steel material for their industry. This article will focus on the topic of steel slitting and how the slitting process works.

Steel slitting is a steel manufacturing process wherein a coil of steel is slit into the lengths and widths specified by the end application. This process requires machinery lines equipped with a decoiler, slitter, and a recoiler — to achieve the end product: slit steel coils, or “mults.”

An operator will feed the steel coil onto the uncoiler mandrel. The uncoiler unwinds the master coil, feeding it into the slitter head where the steel will be slit into narrow mults (strips) by rotary knives. The operator then inspects the individual mults to ensure the gauge width and edge condition meet required specifications. The mults will then travel through a looping pit to insure stress-free and camber-free recoiling of the slit material. Individual mults are then banded and packaged to specific customer requirements.

This process requires careful precision. Leading steel processing company NMC operates several steel service centers in the United States and Mexico using robust precision slitting machines equipped with advanced technology in software, tooling practices, and hardware. This helps National Material Company streamline their production and reduces their time to delivery. NMC thoroughly checks their equipment for alignment and regularly calibrates their machine line to help reduce scrap and overall cost.

 

National Material Company spent decades perfecting the art of steel processing to provide only the best to their clients, earning their position as a top steel processor. NMC guarantees top tier quality for all of your steel supply needs, and they also offer a wide variety of steel processing capabilities.

 

About National Material L.P. – National Material L.P. (NMLP) has been in the steel service industry since 1964. Operating 16 steel service centers and processing facilities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico makes them one of the largest independent steel service centers in North America. For more information about National Material L.P, visit www.nmlp.com

To find out more information about NMC’s products and services, please visit us at www.nationalmaterial.com or call (U.S.) 847-806-7200 to speak with a sales representative.

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26 04, 2021

What is Steel Processing? The Processes That Shape and Support our World

2021-04-26T16:18:27+00:00April 26th, 2021|News Blog, NMC Media|

It is easy to take the miracle of mass-produced steel for granted. Just in 2019, 1869.9 million tons (Mt) of steel rolled out of facilities and into our appliances, cars, planes, buildings, roads, and beyond. Yet, the steel processing that we enjoy today has been a work in progress for centuries, a work that, today, is evolving towards greener, more eco-friendly production.

 

What steps go into the processes that shape and support our world?

Raw Materials:

 

As has been done in the past, much of today’s steel processing begins with mined raw materials: iron ore, coal, and limestone. The molten iron produced from these initial materials are transformed into steel using a basic oxygen furnace or a modern electric arc furnace

However, the steel industry’s commitment to green processes means that every year in the United States, 70 million tons of steel are recycled, producing astonishing energy and raw material savings by the American Steel industry. According to World Steel, “A basic oxygen furnace can be charged with as much as 30% steel scrap. An electric furnace can be charged with 100% steel scrap. On average, new steel products contain 37% recycled steel.”

 

Refining, Adjusting, and Casting:

 

After the production of molten steel, a flurry of different processes can be applied, the most basic of which is when elements are either added or taken away to manipulate the final characteristics of the steel. Currently there are over 3,000 steel grades, each with a different balance of elements and heating adjustments to produce the desired properties. This includes the advanced high-strength steel grades.

 

When finished undergoing secondary steel making processes, molten steel is cast into “semifinished” billet, bloom, or slabs preparing the steel for its final physical shape.

 

Forming, Fabricating, and Finishing:

 

Afterwards, steel processing service centers take steel billets, blooms, and slabs and create deliverable steel products. This includes forming steel through hot rolling and cold rolling, and applying processes such as:

  • Steel Blanking
  • Steel Pickling
  • Steel Slitting
  • Shearing
  • Leveling
  • Milling
  • Saw Cutting
  • Drilling
  • Flame Cutting
  • Tumbler
  • Burning

The steel service centers then deliver the steel to final manufacturers who will transform it into a final, consumer product such as automobiles and appliances.

Coming full circle:

As mentioned earlier, The EPA estimates that nearly 70% of U.S. steel is recycled, meaning that the life cycle and processing of steel never truly ends, but begins again to create a healthier environmental future.

About NMC’s parent company: NMLP

Since its founding in 1964, National Material Limited Partnership (NMLP) has grown to over 30 business units and is now one of the largest suppliers of steel in North America. The National Material group of industrial businesses consists of the Steel Group, Stainless and Alloys Group, Raw Material Trading Group, Aluminum Group, and Related Operations.

Become an NMC customer today! Visit NMC at www.nationalmaterial.com. You can contact sales via our website or call us at 847-806-7200.

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