Steel Products

High Steel Offers New HIGHSL Process for Sheet & Plate Steel

February 18, 2013

High Steel Service Center LLC, of Lancaster, PA., recently introduced HIGHSL sheet and plate steel that is panel-flat and stress-free for laser processing. This product is new in the Mid-Atlantic Region and unique in that it helps fabricators eliminate waste, offer higher-quality products, and save cost.

Produced on a new leveling line, the material will not warp or buckle during fabrication like other steel because all the internal stresses have been removed from the metal.

“There is a building awareness among fabricators that they do not have to settle for quality issues and excessive waste,” said Jim Cunningham, vice president, sales and marketing. “And those who have switched over to our HIGHSL brand of flat steel are confirming that their operating costs are being reduced.”

High takes coil steel from mills and processes it for use by original equipment manufacturers, laser processors, sheet metal fabricators, and others who make a wide range of steel parts. In a multi-year market survey, the company had demonstrated that flatness is a top issue in its markets, where internal stresses could cause material to warp during fabrication, reducing customer efficiencies and increasing costs.

The company addressed the market issue by investing $10 million in a Red Bud Industries stretcher leveler and two Bradbury roller levelers, one with eDrive technology, to produce HIGHSL. A unique combination of leveler machines, the state-of-the-art line stretches 100 percent of the material beyond its yield point to completely relieve internal stresses.

The new equipment provides a higher level of flatness when compared with stretcher levelers paired with flatteners or straighteners, temper mills, or tension leveling lines.

“This is a significant issue for fabricators running high-speed equipment such as laser, plasma, and water jet cutters,” says Cunningham. “Suboptimal product at the start of their process can slow down their operations and can damage their equipment, and fortunately we now can offer a much better choice.”