OREANDA-NEWS. Ilyich Iron & Steel Works of Mariupol is launching the production of boron-added 30MnB5 steel plates for quenching and tempering, which increases the service life of components in agricultural machinery. This is the first time this kind of plates will be manufactured in Ukraine; machine building companies previously imported this type of steel from Turkey and Europe.

30MnB5 hot-rolled plate according to EN 10083-3 is widely used in the agriculture machinery sector to manufacture wear resistant pads, grader blades, caterpillar tracks, lining and screen plates, grinding equipment, blades, hand-held tools, ploughs, disc harrows, sowing machines, and more.

30MnB5 steel is more effective than 65G steel and other GOST equivalents. 30MnB5 steel in hot-rolled condition is better suited to cold forming and cutting. After quenching and tempering, items have high strength and hardness, which provides for higher wear resistance – 2-3 times longer service life vs. 65G steel.

A trial lot of 30MnB5 steel plate 6 mm thick will be used to make agricultural machinery components (disc horrows). In addition to domestic sales, it is planned to ship these plates to customers elsewhere in Eastern and Western Europe.

Dmitry Nikolaenko, sales director of Metinvest Group, said: "This project is very important for us since we are offering Ukraine's agricultural machinery sector an effective solution and a quality equivalent to expensive imported rolled steel products. This will definitely improve the competitiveness of domestic agricultural machines and their components both in Ukraine and in export markets. We think that our cooperation with machine builders in the next several years will facilitate an increase in the volume of steel purchased by the agricultural sector up to 40,000 tons per year."