OREANDA-NEWS. March 30, 2011. Baosteel Grade3 bearing steel, with three grades passed qualification certification of world famous bearing manufacturer SKF of Sweden. Its Grade3K high-carbon and  chromium bearing steel is of highest grade of its kind, reported the press-centre of Baosteel.

SKF formally awarded qualification certificate to Baosteel products recently.Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. since became SKF's global supplier of these high-grade products.

Becoming supplier of SKF is ultimate goal of bearing steel manufacturers, which signifiesworld-class product quality and management. In 2009, Baosteel signed strategic cooperationagreement with SKF and started Grade3 high-grade bearing steel testing production in highprofile, formed enforcement leadership group headed by vice general manager Jiang Licheng and difficulty tackling team with Special Steel Business Unit, Steel Tube Business Unit,Research Institute,Manufacturing  Management Department. 

Bearing steel manufacturing is difficult for its requirements of precision techniques  and strict process control in refinery impurities, banded carbonide and liquation. Baosteel difficulty tackling team gained support of SKF specialists in technical benchmarking with SKF lab and formulated assessment standards to implement centralized management of quality design,process control, inspection and testing,   user tracking, etc. During testing production, the group reviewed weekly, brainstormed  and tackled all technical and manufacture problems. 

Steel Tube Business Unit Electric Furnace Plant worked in close cooperation with BaosteelResearch Institute in effective refinery through applying technical and management methodsof fine operation with limited element control model and scheme, train timetable, "nine fixation" and enhanced testing and tracking. After over twenty testing rounds, Grade3 bearingsteel was manufactured with difficulties  in castability, impurity control, low magnification, banded carbonide eliminated. Steel Tube Business Unit Rough Rolling Plant and Special Steel Business Unit Rolling Plant successfully forged Grade3K high-carbon and chromium bearing steel rods by full utilization of existing facilities. In May 2010, Baosteel bearing steel passed SKF certification of onsite specialists.   

Samples were sent to SKF in 2010, fulfilling requirements of all technical parameters afternumerous strict examination.