On September 15, 2026, the first hot-rolled section steel smoothly entered the cooling bed, marking the successful completion of the hot test for Masteel's high-performance marine L-shaped steel demonstration line upgrade project. All process equipment across the line is currently operating steadily and reliably, with the first batch of products meeting design standards in dimensional accuracy, mechanical properties and surface quality. The milestone marks significant progress for the project as it officially enters the production ramp-up stage.
While fully preserving the existing product system and production capacity, the project comprehensively optimizes and expands the product matrix: adding the full L200-L450 series of hot-rolled marine L-shaped steel, and upgrading and extending existing channels, H-beams, US-standard thin-gauge sections and other products. Upon completion, it will strengthen Baosteel's overall competitiveness in the marine steel market, enhance its industry standing, address the "bottleneck" issue of high-end shipbuilding materials (National Project 1025), safeguard industrial chain security, and serve the marine power strategy.
Technical Breakthrough: Innovative Processes Solve Industry Challenges
Targeting the industry-wide technical bottleneck of deformation during long-length cooling of asymmetric L-shaped steel sections, the project team conducted specialized technical research based on actual production line conditions. An innovative solution combining intelligent pre-bending device + graded water mist cooling process was adopted, supported by upgrades to the finishing mill equipment, adaptive modification of the cooling bed system and full-process automation enhancement. This solution effectively breaks through the cooling bed capacity bottleneck, enabling stable rolling of L-shaped steel up to 96 meters in length, with overall process technology reaching advanced domestic standards. Notably, the stable mass production capability of FH32-grade low-temperature marine L-shaped steel will effectively fill the supply gap in domestic high-end marine section steel materials.
Coordinated Efforts: Racing Against Time to Meet Milestones
The project involved extensive modifications, a short shutdown window and significant schedule pressure. Throughout project advancement, professional teams coordinated closely and seamlessly with Masteel's owner team. All project participants worked against a reverse-countdown schedule with visualized task tracking, running design, construction and equipment commissioning in parallel. Facing challenges including complex cross-operations and demanding site conditions, all parties united to overcome difficulties and efficiently resolve various bottlenecks, ultimately completing all modification tasks on schedule and firmly securing the hot test milestone—fully demonstrating efficient and collaborative project management capability.
The successful hot test marks another significant achievement in the company's deep cultivation of the section steel rolling field and sustained technological innovation. Going forward, the team will continue to support on-site commissioning, fully ensure the project reaches target production and efficiency, and contribute MCC Huatian's strength to the independent and controllable industrial chain of China's ship and marine engineering equipment through high-quality engineering.
