Steel Processor, Feralloy Realizes A Win-Win Situation By Installing Heavy-Gauge Stretcher Leveler

Remember the 1970’s toy, Stretch Armstrong? Kids loved this action figure because its limbs could stretch and then return to their original form. With heavy-gauge steel, however, stretching permanently reshapes the metal, which is why advanced stretch levers are now essential to eliminate coil memory, wavy edges, center buckle, and crossbow before material ever reaches downstream processing.

Feralloy Corp., a Chicago-based toll processor and large-volume distributor with eight plants across the U.S. and Mexico, has seen tolerance requirements tighten dramatically in recent years. To meet that demand, Feralloy installed a state-of-the-art stretch leveling cut-to-length system in Huger, South Carolina—its second Butech Bliss stretcher-leveler and third Synergy leveling platform integrated into modern stretch leveling cut-to-length lines. The new line processes hot-rolled and hot-rolled pickled and oiled material up to 3/4-inch thick and 74 inches wide, operating at speeds up to 150 feet per minute with exceptional flatness control.

What separates this installation from conventional rolling mills and traditional flattening methods is its proprietary roll configuration and independent drive technology. The Synergy platform combines high-precision hydraulic roller levers for shape correction with stretch leveling that removes residual stress from the steel. This allows Feralloy to process a wider range of gauges without changing cassettes, increasing uptime and throughput compared to legacy hydraulic plate levers and conventional roller-leveler systems.

With older hot rolling mills and conventional leveling, heavy-gauge plate often left the line with bow or crossbow, causing major problems for laser cutting and fabrication. By contrast, the Synergy system first corrects shape using precision rollers and then stretches the sheet between two heads to permanently eliminate internal stress, delivering memory-free steel ideal for high-tolerance downstream processing.

“The stationary head holds the material in place while the movable head pulls it to relieve every bit of residual stress,” says John Nagle, commercial manager for Feralloy’s Huger plant. This approach allows one leveling head to handle all gauges without downtime, unlike older equipment that required multiple cassettes or parallel systems across coil-processing cut-to-length lines.

Al Waigand, vice president of sales and marketing for Butech Bliss, explains that the Synergy roller leveler preconditions the steel before stretching. In advanced production environments, this combination enables manufacturers to run everything from roller leveling cut-to-length lines and temper mill cut-to-length lines to full stretch leveling cut-to-length lines on a single integrated platform.

Butech Bliss is one of the few equipment manufacturers capable of delivering complete processing systems that include push-pull pickling lines, slitting lines, and multi-blanking lines—allowing steel producers and service centers to clean, flatten, slit, and blank coil with exceptional consistency before fabrication.

For Feralloy, the new system dramatically increased capacity and yield. Before the upgrade, the Huger plant processed up to 1/2-inch material; the new line now handles up to 3/4-inch plate with higher throughput, reduced scrap, and improved flatness. Thanks to integrated trim handling and scrap choppers and side trimmers, the operation also minimizes waste while maximizing usable sheet.

“Lights-out customers love this,” Nagle says. “They aren’t getting weekend calls because the steel lays flat, cuts clean, and bends correctly.” Laser shops can now nest parts closer to the edges of each sheet, reduce tabbing, and improve yields—benefits that cascade throughout the supply chain.

The Synergy Leveling System at Feralloy’s Huger plant processes hot-rolled and hot-rolled pickled and oiled steel, grades 50 through 80, delivering flat, stress-free material to manufacturers of agricultural equipment, truck trailers, and heavy construction components.

For more information visit Modern Metals website.