The development of the defense and rocket building industry in the 60-ies of the past century contributed to the commissioning of a new cold rolling mill shop with a unique single stand mill ‘2800’ and a unique complex of finishing equipment for rolling alloy steel.
On 21 April 1963 construction of the first stage of cold rolling mill shop No.3 was over. Testing of each unit and mechanism during operation started. This was a big event for the workers of the shop. Everyone was eagerly waiting for the shop to start working at its full capacity. On the night of 27 April 1963 the first cold rolled metal was rolled on mill ‘2800’. The first team operating the mill was the team of senior roller V. Nelin, rollers A. Vasilyev, V. Barzia and operators V. Snizhko, E. Shevchenko, N. Belov. The specialists and the workers of the shop worked with great diligence. During their work they mastered unknown technologies, operatively solved unforeseen problems, were busy with modernization. They were to some extent “pioneers”, not only at the Works but in the Soviet Union, too. In particular, they were pioneers in mastering the rolling technology of hard-to-deform complicated alloy and stainless steel grades. These were orders for the defense industry. The shop collective simply had to fulfill them.
With the commissioning of the unique grinding-polishing complex the positions of the shop strengthened even more. The production of stainless steel rolled products with a special ground and polished surface finish was mastered and the production volume of these products gained 8 thousand tons per year.
In 1980-83 the shop mastered a very complicated technology on production of cold rolled sheet of titanium alloy ‘ПТ-ЗВ’ (PT-ZV) for space systems “Buran” and “Energia”.
Due to the self-sacrificing labour of the shop collective the shop became the winner of the All-union competition among the rolling mills. The high professionalism of Zaporizhstal workers was confirmed by the Tsialkovskiy and Korolyov medals for their great contribution to the development of space technique.
In the hard years of the reforming period (perestroika) hard times for the shop began. The production of alloy and stainless steels rapidly decreased. The shop was on the verge of shut down and only due to the creative approach to work and the high technical skill of the specialists was it possible to master the production of cold rolled and hot rolled sheet of carbon steel grades. In 1994 for the first time in the history of the shop a new type of product appeared, i.e. hot-rolled sheet.
The present activity of the collective, the same as decades ago, is directed towards further improvement of the work of the shop sections aimed at the increase of efficiency, power saving technologies and quality. The shop has developed and is fulfilling programme measures for the period 2007 — 2010 on reconstruction of mill’2800’. At present the element base of the mill main drive feed source has been replaced, frequency rectifiers for feeding the electric drives of the aerodynamic depiler have been installed, the thyristor converters of the roll profile regulation system and the preliminary tension of the stand have been replaced.
One of the new stages of the shop modernization is the accomplished work on computerizing the work places of the technological personnel with the installation of new control desks. Today this is usual provision of the technological process.
At present the shop tightly cooperates with specialists from the automation and mechanization central laboratory. They splendidly embody the shop ideas and add their own. Together with the automation and mechanization laboratory the following were installed: 2-position sheet piler of the cutting-to-length unit No.1, a unit for automatic cutting of package bands and the first stage of improving the unit for setting up charges in the pickling line complex has been fulfilled. In May it has been planned to install pulling rolls before the upcut shears and fixing a sensor for standard size cutting. All the accomplished jobs are aimed to improve labour and to make it much easier for the workers, to save material and power resources.
In 2001 with the commissioning of the new coil shearing unit the shop increased the production volume of metal products and widened the range of products of hot-rolled sheets up to thickness 8 mm, which allowed to satisfy the needs of the Kremenchug wheel manufacturing plant, wagon building plants of Ukraine and foreign countries. In 2006 the shop shipped 173 thousand tons of rolled products and in 2007 — 185 thousand tons. One of the main aims of the collective of cold-rolling shop No.3 is the increase of shipment of metal products.
Since the day the shop was commissioned several generations of workers have been working here. All of them have contributed to the labour fame of the shop. Specialists are working here who have dedicated many years of their lives to the shop. First of all, rollers N. Pinchuk, A. Vaynovskiy, pickling line operators P. Neznanov and V. Chetverikov, repair fitter P. Kalachevskiy, team leaders N. Melnikov and V. Skorina, control desk operator S. Zubchenko. Skilled workers also work in the electrical repair service. Their experience is very precious. They are: team leader of the hydraulic system V. Borisenko, team leader of the fitters A. Pilipenko, electricians V. Seleznyov, Yu. Obukhov. Everyone is proud of them. We must align ourselves with them. They are an example of responsibility and creative attitude towards their work. They show how everyday assignments are to be fulfilled and how perspective projects are to be solved.
Every year a new generation of young specialists comes to the shop. A lot of talented and perspective young people have been enlisted. The following specialists can be relied on: roller operator R. Reznik, shearers A. Lin’kov, G. Korkodilov, K. Kartashov, shipment team leader O. Chupakhin, processor of metal surface defects V. Galochka, fitter and specialist on hydraulics D. Kozyryatskiy, electrician S. Kovshov.
I would like to congratulate the collective of cold rolling shop No.3 with its 45th Anniversary and I would like to express my cordial gratitude for the high-powered work. I wish all of you good health, prosperity and success.
Dmitriy Yeskov
Manager of cold rolling shop No.3