Developments in forging ingot production at BethForge inc.

BethForge manufactures precision custom forgings for diverse applications including turbine and generator rotors, components for nuclear reactors and other pressure vessels, and rolls for steel and aluminum rolling mills. This paper will discuss the production of forging ingots for BethForge at the modernized steel making facility in Steelton, PA. The facility is operated as part of a joint effort with Pennsylvania Steel Technologies, Inc. (also a wholly owned subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel) and consists of a 150 ton (136 metric ton) DC electric are furnace, a ladle refining station including a ladle furnace and ladle degasser, and teeming facilities which include bottom pouring and Vacuum stream degassing. Steel is produced for BethForge ingots as well as continuously cast for the Pennsylvania Steel Technologies product lines. Forging, heat treating and machining operations remain at Bethlehem, PA and ingots as large as 130 inches diameter (3300 mm) and 290 tons (263 metric tons) are hot transported the 90 mile (145 km) distance from Steelton to Bethlehem in specially constructed insulated railcars. Tn addition to describing the facilities and operations, the presentation will focus on solutions to several of the unique engineering and technical challenges realized in successfully bringing this operation on line.