Morgan's First High-Speed Shear Commissioned at Connecticut Steel
WORCESTER, Mass., May 30, 2001

Morgan Construction Company's newly developed High-Speed Shear has been successfully commissioned at Connecticut Steel Corporation (CSC), of Wallingford, Conn. The equipment was installed several months ago on the steel company's one-strand mill.

The commissioning marked the successful culmination of a joint evaluation program between the two firms designed to show that the new equipment would meet several production and technical criteria.

Daniel Morgan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Rolling Mill Division, said, "The commissioning of the new equipment is a classic example of what it takes to have a successful development…a terrific technical concept coupled with talented people from both companies who were committed to having a successful outcome."

W. Fergus Porter, CSC president, said that Morgan's shear was considered by Connecticut Steel "to be a good fit" for the company's rolling mill upgrade, a project that began in late 1999 after Senior Management assumed majority control through a leveraged buyout.

"Morgan was chosen to supply the equipment," he said, "due to the company's technical know-how in all aspects of long product rolling mill equipment and its close proximity to the Wallingford plant."

The new shear, which is located between the exit end of the finishing block and the laying head, automatically cuts the front and tail ends of the rod using a unique, patented cutting action.

The new equipment replaces traditional manual trimming. Savings occur due to reduced manpower and due to improved recovery of prime product, since the equipment can be programmed to trim just the minimum amount of the material to be scrapped.

Porter commented, "After its successful installation and commissioning, the shear has been performing to Connecticut Steel's full expectations for the last several months. The savings achieved by previously projected manpower reductions, and by better-than-expected yield improvement, have lowered CSC's roll mill conversion costs, and consequently have positively affected the company's bottom line."

The CSC mill, which finishes rod at a speed of 70 meters per second (m/s), produces wire rod from 5.5 to 13 mm in diameter.

Morgan, which received a patent for this product last year, is also conducting similar tests in a European rod mill to prove the process at higher speeds. The new shear has a design speed of 120 m/s.

Morgan Construction Company, is a designer and producer of high-quality rolling mill products and services for the metal industry worldwide.

Questions or comments can be e-mailed to: sales@morganco.com