OREANDA-NEWS. March 24, 2008. The central laboratory of JSC Gurievsk Metallurgical Plant (GMP, ESTAR Group) is to get modern equipment for testing the metal products supplied to the consumers according to the foreign standards.

The electrospark discharge machine and a metallographic microscope available at the plant will be supplemented with an optic emission spectrometer ARL QUANTODESK, a split disk DELTA mill, a contour band saw Carif and a tensile-testing machine WDW-200. Besides, non-standard equipment was developed and is under installation for testing impact resistance, durability and fatigue resistance according to the Goldfields (South Africa) laboratory method.

Purchase of the new equipment became necessary in the course of implementing a Program of activities of the plant’s quality policy; its main strategic purpose is to preserve and expand the distribution markets of rolled section and grinding balls. The enterprise’s management took the responsibility for a rigid control of technological parameters throughout all the steel refining process: from melting to the final thermal treatment – low temperature balls drawing. Purchase of the modern equipment was a logical stage of the technical development of the enterprise: late last year an electric pusher furnace was commissioned at GMP for low temperature balls drawing; production of grinding balls with volume hardness that exceed the existing state standard (GOST) was developed.

As Alexander Studenov, managing director of JSC GMP, commented,  “The existing GOST for grinding balls is outdated and does not meet the requirements of modern market. The Russian standard provides for only 1 criterion – hardness. Whereas there are no requirements to meet other quality parameters concerning hardenability, macro-/microstructure and durability in the conditions of impact loads that the balls are exposed to when working in the mills. Unfortunately, the Russian manufacturers of grinding bodies cannot yet guarantee certain durability parameters of  the grinding balls. These parameters are breaking, tear and wear, power and griTding consumption per unit – considered common and natural by the foreign manufacturers. Our plant is confidently developing the foreign markets, so we're obliged to guarantee high quality characteristics of our products to the consumers. Purchase of the equipment for express laboratories will allow us carrying out the necessary tests and be competitive on the metal products market”.

Total investments volume for purchase of new laboratory equipment is about 7 mln rubles.