Throughout history, the steel industry has played an integral role in building modern society, from sky-scrapers to railways to the industrial equipment that runs the world. For over a century, Xtek has been proud to serve the steel industry by developing equipment components that are strong enough to meet the rigorous demands of steel production.
Steel Industry Answers the Need for Stronger Metals
The modern steel industry emerged from the demand for stronger and more easily produced metals. The steelmaking process experienced technological advances during the latter part of the 19th century, which played a pivotal role in creating modern economies built on railways, automobiles, bridges, girders, and other steel products and structures.
During the 1850s, new processes allowed the mass production of low-cost steel and made it easier to use domestic iron ores. By the late 1800’s, increasing demand for steel rails made the United States the world’s largest producer.
Tool Steel Process (TSP) Introduces a New Generation of Steel
In the early 1900’s, a Chicago bicycle shop owner named Russell Bloomfield developed a new process that would change steel and also give birth to a new company.
Bloomfield developed the Tool Steel Process (TSP), a steel surface hardening method while attempting to find a way to harden the ball bearings used in bicycles to extend their life. Eventually he took this process to Cincinnati, Ohio and applied it to the development of gears, co-founding the Tool Steel Motor Gear and Pinion Company. This company would eventually become Xtek.
Xtek and Today’s Steel Industry
Some 110 years later, Xtek still serves the steel industry with dependable components developed using the Tool Steel Process (TSP). Steel mills in particular benefit from TSP treated gears, which have provided a solution to chronic component failure issues that had seriously hindered productivity. TSP components were found to be especially beneficial for the machines used to flatten and roll steel into sheets, since the high force required to perform the rolling would rapidly wear out the gear teeth. TSP treated gears were found to last approximately two years compared to the previous gears, which lasted about two months.
Answering Steel Industry Needs Now and Into the Future
The steel industry continues to demand components that provide dependable service in heavily loaded applications while operating in abrasive environments. With a full range of products and services, Xtek services strip, plate and structural mills worldwide.
XTEK develops custom gearing, gearboxes, gear couplings, universal joints, pinch rolls, cold mill rolls and crane wheel products that perform exceptionally in the most challenging applications. XTEK TSP components stand up to impact loading and have been proven to reduce the overall cost of operation.
XTEK stands ready to design new or upgrade the components of your mill. Our engineers can provide failure analysis, reverse engineer or recommend specific improvements for upgrading the performance of your mill.