Hot Rolling I-Beams (IPE / IPN) on Universal Mills
How structural I-sections are rolled from beam blanks using universal mill stands that shape the web and flanges simultaneously.
I-beams cannot be rolled with simple grooved rolls. They require universal mills — combined horizontal and vertical roll stands that simultaneously work the web and the flanges to produce the precise I-section profile.
1. Beam Blank Casting
Instead of square billets, beam blanks are continuously cast in a dog-bone cross-section that already approximates the final I-shape. This dramatically reduces the rolling passes required and improves dimensional consistency.
2. Reheating
Beam blanks are reheated to ~1250 °C and conveyed to the breakdown mill.
3. Breakdown & Universal Roughing
A two-high reversing breakdown mill makes the first cross-section reductions, then the section enters the universal roughing group: a horizontal stand rolls the web while a paired vertical stand rolls the flanges simultaneously.
4. Universal Finishing Stand
A universal finishing stand and an edger work in tandem to bring the flange width, web thickness and overall depth to final tolerance — typically meeting EN 10034 dimensional standards for IPE and IPN.
5. Cooling, Straightening & Cutting
The hot beam is air-cooled on a walking bed, passed through a roller straightener to remove camber and sweep, then sawn to length (typically 12 m), stencilled, and bundled for shipment.
I Beams (IPE / IPN)
Standard structural I-sections for load-bearing frameworks.
