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		Hot Rolling Table of contents production from raw materials refining casting hot rolling cold rolling annealing The process of hot rolling takes a 9" slab and rolls it into a 3,500 foot coil of hot rolled sheet steel. First, the slab is reheated in a furnace to 2,300 F for approximately three hours. Then the slab is gently removed using an automatic lift and placed on a conveyor. Automatic systems are used to make sure that the slab is handled delicately - the process is so exacting that even the slightest scratch could ruin the product (tolerance levels are very small for the precision crafting demanded by the customer). From the furnace it is conveyed to a series of automated roughing and finishing stands. This group of machines - which are over a half mile long (!) - rolls the slab into sheet steel using tremendous pressure. Jets of water remove surface scale as the steel moves through the stands. Sensing devices continuously transmit the slab's width, thickness, temperature, and roller pressure to a computer in the control room. The computer makes minute adjustments to ensure correct operation. In just four minutes, the 9" slab is rolled into a coil of sheet steel a half a mile long, and as thin as a dime. Hot rolled sheet is the ideal product for pipe and tubing, auto parts, rail cars, and construction and agricultural equipment. Other products - exposed auto body parts, appliances, office furniture, electric motors, require smoother finish, more precise thickness, and other mech. properties. This requires cold-rolled steel. cold rolling Site related questions or comments? Contact crc@tms.org