The Ring Mill
Information and photographs kindly contributed by Ray Sykes
Ray was Project Manager in early 1980’s when the Thyssen Mill was installed and the original No3 mill was transferred.
Distington Engineering Contracting (contracting arm of BSC) provided the design ,construction supervision ,programming and cost control of the Ring Mill etc on behalf of BSC R & RRP Ickles.
Lew Stone was involved in preparing the planning schedule for the project which lasted two years and finished on time and within the budget.
The system was automated from putting the ‘blocks’ onto the furnace input robot , blocks taken out after heating , descaled, passing into blanking press (upsetting and piercing) then to mill for rolling, with discharge from mill onto out-feed conveyor to stamping machine, the ring then being handled into cooling area.
Firth Rixon took over the mill and Firth Rixon was sold to Alcoa Forgings in 2014