Seamless rolled rings stacked on top of each other

Seamless rolled rings – the robust seamless rolled steel rings that are best in their class

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Our companies in Germany, the USA, and China manufacture our forged rings in state-of-the-art ring rolling mills. With a production range from 300 to 8,000 mm outer diameter, Rothe Erde can offer a wide range of seamless rolled rings. In production, CNC ring rolling programs allow optimum quality and reproducibility.

Our raw rings are:

  • tailor-made, robust and durable

  • efficient as well as reproducible

  • qualified according to: DIN EN ISO 9001 and DIN EN 9100

The expertise we have built up over 160 years in steel forging and processing, seamless rolled ring forgings, as well as in open and closed die forging, enables us to implement your projects in the best possible way. As a reliable manufacturer of seamless rolled rings, Rothe Erde is a strong partner at your side. Our seamlessly rolled rings are manufactured in the most modern ring-rolling mills by our companies in Germany, the USA and China. With a manufacturing area with a 300 to 8,000 mm outer diameter, we are able to offer our customers a wide range of seamlessly rolled rings. CNC ring-rolling programmes in manufacturing enable optimal quality and reproducibility.

Rothe Erde impresses with their performance, which they owe to the seamless rolling process. Warm treatment generates the many mechanical properties demanded of the rings. Besides the normalising, the tempering and soft annealing of the rings enables programmed processes for all (special) materials to comply with the specific time-temperature provisions most accurately.

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Your benefits at a glance

  • Highest precision

    The technically and economically optimal production plant is selected for each ring type and size. Our ring rolling mills are among the most modern of their kind in the world.

  • Modern technology

    With our modern ring rolling technology, we can ensure the various requirements for cross sections and dimensions.

Highest precision

The technically and economically optimal production plant is selected for each ring type and size. Our ring rolling mills are among the most modern of their kind in the world.

Modern technology

With our modern ring rolling technology, we can ensure the various requirements for cross sections and dimensions.

  • Economical material usage

    During production, process flows are optimized in such a way that costs are kept as low as possible and resources are optimally conserved.

  • Material-specific heat treatment and processing

    We follow the specific time-temperature specifications of the materials to produce a reliable, robust, and therefore durable product.

Economical material usage

During production, process flows are optimized in such a way that costs are kept as low as possible and resources are optimally conserved.

Material-specific heat treatment and processing

We follow the specific time-temperature specifications of the materials to produce a reliable, robust, and therefore durable product.

Due to our optimized process flows and our modern technology, we can offer our clientele long-lasting quality. In addition, we are constantly optimizing our manufacturing capabilities to meet increasing demands. Together with our customers, we develop solutions that also meet the requirements of tomorrow:  Be it through the use of optimized materials or new process definitions.

Kay Cappelletti
Manager Smart Ring Accounts
Rolling process of the blank

What is a blank or seamless rolled ring?

A blank is a ring that has been upset from an ingot, punched and seamlessly rolled axially and radially with the aid of open-die and closed-die forging.

With the aid of modern ring rolling mills, it is possible to produce seamless rolled rings with a wide variety of diameters (300 mm to 8,000 mm outside diameter). The most common materials are processed in various dimensions. These include ESR materials, non-ferrous metals, and common aluminum alloys.                    

Man stands in heat protection suit in the plant at a glowing ring

Why is heat treatment and the selection of the right material type so important?

Heat treatment is used to produce the various mechanical properties required of the ring blanks. In addition to normalizing, quenching, tempering, and soft annealing, program-controlled processes for all (special) materials allow specific time-temperature specifications to be met with maximum accuracy.

With a wide variety of material grades and manufacturing processes, such as ingot and continuous casting, electroslag remelting and forging, we can meet customer requirements of any kind.

Our blanks prove themselves every day as robust, reliable, and durable components in all industrial sectors. The process of seamless rolling (radial-axial rolling mill technology) offers the best conditions for this.

An extract from our materials

Quenched and tempered steelC 22, C 45, C 55 E/R, 34 CrMo 4, 51 CrV 4, 40 CrMnNiMo 8-6-4 and more
Unalloyed structural steelsS 185, S 235 J2, S275 JR, S 355 J2, S355 J0, E 335, E 360 and more
Aluminum alloys3.0515, 3.3315, 3.3555, 3.3211, 3.1305, 3.4334, 3.4335 and more
High-alloyed steelsX 6 Cr 13, X 38 Cr 13, X 5 CrNi 18 10, X 2 CrNiMoN 17 13 3 and more

The production process of a blank

A steel ingot is being sawn

Step 1: The high-quality raw material is sawn.

A red-hot bloom

Step 2: The customized basic material is heated.

Upsetting of the bloom

Step 3: The basic material, heated up to 1,200 degrees, is compressed into a disk by a press.

Annealing Disc
The annealing disc is perforated

Step 4: The pressed disk is punched with the utmost precision.

Blank is placed for heating

Step 5: The punched disk is heat-treated again in an oven.

Annealing blank is stacked on top of each other
Annealing blank is rolled

Step 6: The disc is seamlessly rolled to the desired size.

A blank is rolled
The ring is cooled in a water tank

Step 7: The ring is then cooled in water or polymer.

Blanks stacked on top of each other

Last step: The final seamless rolled ring

160 years of quality

160 years of expertise in steel forming, machining, open-die and drop forging have enabled the optimum implementation for the production of seamless rolled rings.

Blanks have been produced for decades on state-of-the-art ring rolling mills by our companies in Germany, the USA and China. With a wide variety of material qualities and manufacturing processes, such as  ingot and continuous casting, electroslag remelting and forging, we can meet customer requirements of any kind.

Typical applications of raw rings

Excavator in action, sunset in the background

Excavators

Four red cranes, lights are on, dark blue sky with clouds

Cranes and lifting devices

Front of a tunneling machine

Tunnel engineering

Five construction machines outside, background is a blue sky

Construction machinery

A truck driving over water on a bridge, sunset and birds in the background

Automotive engineering

Onshore wind tubines

Wind energy

Spoil pile and conveying equipment

Maritime applications

Maritime applications

Smelting works engineering

Smelting works engineering

Packaging and filling machines

Packaging and filling machines

Gear manufacturing

Gear manufacturing

General engineering

General engineering

Military engineering

Military engineering

Scanners

Scanners

Machine tools and production technology

Machine tools and production technology

 We do not just think globally, we think to infinity and beyond! We think regionally and act globally!

Thanks to our EN9100:2018 certification for aerospace products, our rings don't have to stay on the ground - they can even leave the earth. Thanks to our EN9100: 2018 certification for aerospace products, our rings do not have to stay on the ground - they can even leave the earth.

That is why our blanks are the best solution for your application

Labeled raw material blocks

Productive

All the required resources are available at the Rothe Erde plants. In addition to materials for all possible dimensions and quantities, this also includes experienced employees who ensure efficient processing.

Sawing process of the raw material

Flexible

The most common materials are available at all times in a wide variety of quantities and dimensions. This enables us to respond flexibly and quickly to our customer’s wishes. Long-term relationships with manufacturers worldwide help us to procure materials at short notice.
Heated raw material is swaged

Individual

Using modern, continuously tested equipment and machinery, we manufacture blanks with outside diameters from 300 to 8,000 mm. For custom designs, we also offer additional finishing processes, such as nitriding for additional hardening.
A blank is rolled.

Qualitative

Our products are manufactured under the highest quality, labor, environmental and economic aspects. In order to continuously improve and ensure the best possible quality, regular inspections are carried out in short cycles. Our quality certifications are: DIN EN ISO 9001, and DIN EN 9100.
Blank is cooled down.

Universal

Typical areas of application for our blanks include: wind power plants, high-power gears, mechanical engineering, offshore technology, rings and supporting rings for slewing, bearings, turbines, generators, transformers, hydraulic motors, large valves, pipelines, textile machinery, tanks/pressure vessels, gear rings, aerospace and spaceflight, bulk-feed presses, steel mills.
Seamless rolled rings stacked.

Sustainable

Rothe Erde develops innovative product solutions that not only secure long-term success, but also make a positive contribution to sustainable global development. We make decisions that are influenced by ecological concerns. Among other things, we ensure pollution prevention.

Faster delivery times for our raw rings thanks to an investment in a 6,000 t press

The press enables us to produce raw rings with a unit weight of 400 kg up to 25 t. The maximum diameter of the forged discs is 2,500 mm and their height is up to 830 mm. This production spectrum makes it possible to shorten the production time significantly, because the pre-forging on an open-die press is not necessary and therefore the forged disc is further processed directly on the ring mill.

The press offers many advantages, including:

  • High manufacturing precision

  • Shortening of production times

  • Increase in energy efficiency

  • Ensured product quality through degree of automation

  • Production of various materials (steel, aluminum, Ni-based, titanium, etc.)

Another advantage is that the press operates fully automated. The programmed sequence and the continuous process monitoring ensure the usual Rothe Erde product quality and throughput of the forged rings. With us, you have a reliable partner on your side.

The investment also takes us a step closer towards sustainability. Our mission is to manufacture our products with as few emissions as possible. The two swivel arms of the press are equipped with hydraulically operated scrapers. This means that we can forego the usual use of propellants such as charcoal. In addition, there are hardly any dust emissions from the press.

How does the 6,000 t press work?

The raw material is upset at up to 50 mm / s. The press ram presses the raw material together with a delivery volumeof 730 l / min hydraulic oil and a pressure of up to 400 bar.

The preform for our ring mill is produced on the press in 4 strokes:

  • Step 1 - Pre-upsetting: A punch presses the raw ring into a disc.

  • Step 2 - Pre-punching: A hole is pressed into the now flat disc with a mandrel, the ends are arching.

  • Step 3 - Completely compress: The bulge from step 2 is leveled.

  • Step 4 - Perforation: the disc is perforated.

It is still extremely exciting to see how large, glowing steel blocks are shaped like toy clay into the shape of a disk. You can well imagine how great the forces must be that are used here.

Dr. Thomas Reip
Plant Manager Dortmund