November 2025 Volume 7

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

NEW RING ROLLING SYSTEM UNVEILED AT ANDRITZ SCHULER’S ERFURT SITE By Karissa Krueger

A NDRITZ Schuler, a long-time producer of equipment for the production of seamless rings, debuted its new ring roller to the public at the company’s “Ring Roller Technology Days” in-house event.

Jens Aspacher, Sales Manager at ANDRITZ Schuler Pressen GmbH, addressed the development of the original ring roller in 2017 and background for its current advancements: “We had already built numerous presses for the production of ring preforms in the past, including various tooling concepts. Customers continuously asked us to supply a complete turnkey line, but we didn’t have the ring roller at that time.” The Ring Roller Technology Days event highlighted key features of the ring roller, including its ability to produce rings with a diameter of up to two meters and a height of 400 millimeters, use of cassettes to shorten changeover times, and control of axes in real time. The event successfully established ANDRITZ Schuler as a turnkey supplier for ring rolling production. Increasing Diameter It is typical for the diameter of the preform, weighing half a ton, to slowly increase throughout the ring rolling process. In this case, the familiar railway wheel profile, including the flange on the outer surface, is created in approximately one minute. The roller shown during the event has the capability to produce rings with a diameter of up to two meters and a height of 400 millimeters. A key feature of the ring roller is the patented height-adjustable vertical unit that allows the upper bearing of the mandrel roller to be locked at different heights. This means that mandrels of various lengths can be used, and the optimum mandrel can be selected for rings of different heights. Producing rings using high-strength material, such as Inconel and titanium, is possible with the new system given its strong design and powerful drive. This capability has been proven in several trials throughout the commissioning of the line. Achieving Shorter Changeover Times The extremely rigid system, with a radial force of 200 tons and an axial force of 160 tons, features modular cassettes for the axial and radial rolls, enabling quick changes and short changeover times. The actual assembly and disassembly of the rolls from the cassettes takes place outside of the machine, allowing for minimized downtime. The ring roller control system offers functions such as automatic adjustment of rolling parameters, real-time data access, and the option of simulation using digital twin and FEM software, increasing both quality and process reliability. The high rigidity of the system and improved cooling of the tools also contribute to improved overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). The user interface is based on the press control system and enables intuitive operation. Controlling Axes In Real Time All hydraulic and electrical axes can be controlled in real time thanks to the control architecture, as explained by expert Angelo Sartori during the event. FEM simulations, which run with the

The new ring roller system on display at ANDRITZ Schuler’s Ring Roller Technology Days. The two-day event, held in mid-September at the ANDRITZ Schuler Erfurt site in Germany, attracted nearly 100 international participants. Attendees experienced a wheel tire being rolled from a red-hot ring blank live on the new system. The ring roller will be used in the railway industry, a growing market worldwide. It can also be used to roll rings for large engines or bearings in wind turbines.

Attendees watched the ring roller in action as it rolled a wheel tire from a red hot blank.

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