Kamensk-Uralsky Metallurgical Works J.S.Co. (KUMZ) is one of the town-forming enterprises of Kamensk-Uralsky, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia.[2][3] KUMZ was founded especially for supplying of aerospace industry with semi-finished products in aluminium and magnesium alloys. Currently, the plant produces aluminium alloy billets, forged and rolled plates, roll bondheat exchangers, extruded rods, bars, tubes, drill pipes, profiles, die-forgings.
History
Central pass-through of KUMZMain office building
The History of KUMZ starts with Decision of Government of the Soviet Union No. 513-99C dated June 3 of year 1939 regarding building of the Works No. 268 for magnesium alloy products. The construction started in May 1940. During World War II the plant has received casting and rolling production equipment of Stupino metallurgical works evacuated from Moscow region. First aluminium alloy slabs were produced in February 1942.[4]
First forged and extruded products were produced in the autumn of 1943. On May 5, 1944 in Pravda newspaper the report about the launch of the plant was published. This date is considered as birthday of the KUMZ. In 1945 new equipment for rolling production was installed. In 1949 KUMZ began the production of aluminium cookware.
In the 1950s the plant increased its production capacity and products range. New workshops were built: forging-extrusion (1951), casting (1958), extrusion (1959). In 1958 KUMZ has made first export delivery which included 2952 metric tons of aluminium alloy rolled products. In the same year for the first time magnesium rolled products were produced.[4]
While initial production of aluminium alloy light weight drill pipes started at KUMZ in the 1950s.[5] In 1972 KUMZ has built a new specially meant workshop.
In March 1966 the first mechanized line for roll bondheat exchangers production was launched at the plant. From that moment KUMZ supports high quality household refrigerators production.[4]
In December 2007 green-field project for heat treatment of plates was launched.[6]
In December 2011 KUMZ has entered in contracts for construction of new rolling mill complex comprising cold rolling mill, hot rolling mill and heat treatment of sheets. The total investments are estimated as 550 million euro.
In May 2012 unique vertical 300 MN forging press was launched after modernization.
The raw material for the shop are pure aluminium purchased from smelters, alloying components and aluminium scrap. KUMZ has a number of furnaces: electric, gas, coreless type induction, electric vacuum holding; and equipment for cutting and scalping. This allows KUMZ to supply its own workshops with high quality wrought aluminium alloy billets, ingots, slabs produced in situ. About 70 aluminium alloys per Russian standards, more than 20 per international standards EN, DIN, ASTM and own Al-Li alloys are mastered.
Rolling production
KUMZ has one hot-rolling mill and two cold-rolling mills “Quarto”. Hot-rolling mill was recently modernized in several steps.[7][8]
Beside the flat surface products tread plates and sheets are produced with diamond pattern by means of special rollers. Such product is used for floors of bus, trucks, rail cars, drill towers.
In 2012 KUMZ installed water jet cutter. It allows pattern cutting of rectangular plates to blanks with desired complex shape.
KUMZ Rolling production serves needs of aerospace industry. Specially treated aluminium plates and sheets are used by Boeing and Bombardier[10] companies in their production of airplanes.
KUMZ has 39 horizontal hydraulic extrusion presses with power from 500 to 12000 tons. They are situated in four buildings. With help of tools shop KUMZ produces more than 20000 kinds of aluminium profiles, 550 different sizes of bars and rods, 850 kinds of tubes.
Equipment includes hydraulic vertical die-forging presses from 1250 to 30000 ton-force, hydraulic forging press with capacity of 6000 ton-force, radial ring forging press.
1500 items of die-forged products, 1200 items of forged products and 1600 types of rolled rings from 0.1 kg to 3000 kg are already available.
Special production
KUMZ produces closed-cell aluminium foam plates which are used as energy and sound absorbing material for automobile industry, building and interior design, aerospace, shipbuilding, railroad transport.
On-site Laboratory
Tensile specimen-round and flat
KUMZ has its own laboratory on-site which can perform different testing of aluminium alloy semifinished products in order to evaluate strength, ductility, chemical composition, uniformity of material:
Nowadays main part of products produced by KUMZ is meant for export. Aluminium semi-fabricated products are delivered to 46 countries of the World – in Europe, North and South Americas, Asia, Africa, Oceania.
Big number of large industrial enterprises in Kamensk-Uralsky resulted in lack of personnel and struggle for both workers and qualified engineers from the beginning of the 1950s. Solving the problem of housing was the main argument. Near the KUMZ site a new micro district has grown. It was named after Valery Chkalov. Ordinal habitation building pace in the 1980s was about 11000 m2 per year. Company looks after of kindergartens, medical care and leisure of the staff:[4][12]
In 1964 the House of sports «Metallurgist» was built.
In 1966 works polyclinic launched, in 1967 KUMZ launched policlinic for children in Chkalov microdistrict.
In 1967 boating station on Iset river started its work (now it is the only working boating station in town).
Every year on the eve of New Year on the square in front of Palace of culture «Metallurgist» KUMZ builds Chkalovsky town of ice and snow. Ice-hills, snow and ice figures of famous fairy tales characters and Ded Moroz with Snegurochka, New Year's trees with colored garlands are opened for all townsmen.
Ecology
KUMZ as well as any of metallurgical enterprises harms the environment. In 2014 the contribution in atmosphere pollution of the plant was not marked as considerable in comparison to other enterprises of the region.[13] KUMZ share in the discharge of sewage into the Iset River was 11.6% (3rd place in the town).
^ abcdeKotlov A.N. Kamensk Uralsky Metallurgical Works: 60. — Kamensk Uralsky, 2004. — 300 p. — ISBN5-7525-1213-1. (Котлов А. Н. Каменск-Уральский металлургический завод: 60. — Каменск-Уральский, 2004. — 300 с. — ISBN5-7525-1213-1.)
^Gelfgat, M. Y.; Basovich, V. S.; Tikhonov, V. S. (2003). "Drillstring with aluminum alloy pipes design and practices". SPE/IADC Drilling Conference. Society of Petroleum Engineers. doi:10.2118/79873-MS.
