January 15-16 , 2008 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee (RTOC) met on Jan. 15–16 in Decatur, Ala. The status of the RTOC sessions for AISTech 2008 was reviewed, and session chairs were finalized. The committee wants to begin looking further into the future to plan their AISTech sessions, so that they might increase the number of sessions they offer and improve the sessions’ quality. Kalyan Khan provided an update on the paper selected for the “Best Paper Award.” A review of the committee membership was held, along with a discussion of a letter that Joe Kirwin has been using to recruit new RTOC members. Tony Payling talked about his participation in the meetings with AISI Manufacturing Committees and their integration into AIST. There was also discussion on identifying committee members to be liaisons with other AIST committees, such as the Sheet Rolling Operating Committee and the Plate Rolling Operating Committee. The meeting included guests from the Institute of Roll Design (IRD) to discuss the possibility of some collaborative efforts. As an initial step, it was decided to begin listing the IRD meetings on the AIST Steel Calendar, and to consider the possibility of co-locating future meetings. Mike Miller gave a presentation on the Nucor Steel–Decatur tours that would take place the next day. On Jan. 16, the members toured the Nucor Decatur cold mill, including the roll shop, 4-stand cold mill and the temper mill. This was followed by a tour of the hot mill. Mike Quig gave a tour of the NEO Industries plant, which textures and chrome-plates many of the rolls for Nucor Decatur. At NEO, RTOC members had the opportunity to see the electrodischarge texturing (EDT) machine and the chrome depositor. After the tour, the RTOC reconvened for Klaus Guip’s overview of the new roll shop at the Thyssen Krupp greenfield site. This was followed by open discussion pertaining to roll shops of the future.

September 5-6 , 2007 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee (RTOC) met in Hamilton, Ont., Canada, on Sept. 5–6. Tony Payling filling in as the committee chair, welcomed those in attendance, including several new members. Membership chair Joe Kirwin discussed some of the RTOC’s membership initiatives, including attempts to increase membership and participation from cold mill managers. He encouraged everyone in attendance to discuss this when they are making contacts. The RTOC then identified papers and sessions for AISTech 2008, which will be held May 5–8 in Pittsburgh, Pa. It was decided to have sessions on “World Trends in Roll Shop Design and Modernization,” “Roll Inspection and Measurement” and “Roll Performance.” Two papers from AISTech 2007 are being considered for the RTOC Best Paper Award. The idea of future joint sessions with some of the rolling committees was discussed and will be pursued. There were three technical presentations and a short video previewing the theme, “World Trends in Roll Shop Design and Modernization.” Jessica Van Soelen, Karl-Heinz Adamek and Tony Payling gave presentations, and Larry Hiller narrated a video by Herkules. A tour of the Lake Erie Steel hot mill and roll shop followed, and Ms. Van Soelen commented that it would be interesting to compare the roll shop now and after the modernization is completed.

May 8, 2007 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee (RTOC) held a meeting at AISTech in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 8. They reviewed their mission statement: “To improve the understanding of all aspects of rolls, including roll usage, roll metallurgy, roll preparation and roll inspection. The committee will achieve these goals by organizing seminars, symposiums and tours, creating literature, and providing a forum for discussion and networking.” It was determined that the mission statement still meets the committee’s goals. The RTOC membership chair, Joe Kirwin, presented an update on committee membership. He expressed an interest in growing the committee membership and encouraged the members to solicit new members. New officers for the upcoming year were then elected. John Gordon was elected chair; Tony Payling, vice chair; and Kalyan Khan, papers chair. They then discussed and finalized their topics for AISTech 2008, with one theme being “Roll Cracking, Inspection and Performance,” and a technical session and round table theme of “World Trends in Roll Shop Modernization.” The schedule for AISTech 2008 was reviewed, and it was noted that July 31, 2007, is the deadline for submission of abstracts. Future meeting plans were discussed, along with topics for round table discussions at these meetings.

January 16-17, 2007 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee (RTOC) met Jan. 16–17 in Pittsburg, Calif. John LaBelle opened the meeting on Jan. 16 and welcomed everyone. There was a brief discussion regarding the Leadership Conference for AIST Operating Committees and Member Chapters (held in February in San Antonio, Texas). After this, a review of their sessions for AISTech 2007 was conducted. Details were finalized, session chairs were identified and last-minute details were provided for contacting presenters. Topics were also identified for inclusion in the AISTech 2008 Call for Papers. Discussion then turned to a new-member recruitment letter the committee developed to increase committee membership, as well as plans to distribute it. Plans were made for a fall meeting, including a facility to tour, and the topic of “World Trends in Roll Shop Modernization” was identified for a round table discussion. Presentations from this round table discussion are intended to comprise a session and a panel discussion at AISTech 2008. The afternoon consisted of a panel discussion on cut-down rolls.

August 29-30, 2006 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee met in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Aug. 29–30. Their first item of business included an update and review of abstracts available for their programming for AISTech 2007 in Indianapolis, Ind. They are currently planning three sessions, including a panel discussion on roll management systems. Chairs and facilitators for the sessions were also identified. An update was provided on a benchmarking report being developed by the committee, and after further discussion it was decided to postpone this activity. An update was also given on the awards activities and recommendations for this year’s winners. A membership letter was approved that will be used to solicit participation on the committee. Plans were discussed for sending it to potential candidates. Following a period of open discussion, Giovanni Bavestrelli (pictured above center), from Techint/Pomini, made a presentation on roll shop management systems. This was followed by a round table discussion. The following morning, the group toured WHEMCO Steel Castings Inc. in Midland. Pa.

May 3, 2006 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee met in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 3 during AISTech 2006. Committee officers were elected for the upcoming year. This was followed by a discussion regarding presenters who do not submit papers or who do not show for their presentation. A few solutions were discussed for the upcoming year, including having an Operating Committee member more actively involved with each presenter. The theme of “roll management information systems” was proposed for the committee’s AISTech 2007 sessions. A tentative theme of “roll failures and defects caused by roll failures” was also proposed for AISTech 2008. The committee’s membership chair reported on a letter that committee members can use to solicit new members. Plans were made for their next meeting to include a tour of a roll manufacturer.

January 9-10, 2006 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee held their meeting in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., on Jan. 9–10. A program for AISTech 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio, was finalized with the addition of two sessions and the indentification of session chairs. An update on the status of the roll performance benchmarking questionnaire was also provided. A technical paper was identified to be the best in their sessions, and it was submitted for a Technology Division award. Several guests attended the meeting. During the report of the membership committee, the guests were encouraged to join the committee and become active participants in the committee’s activities. After an open discussion period, technical presentations were provided by Mike Peretic of SMS Demag on roll cooling and bite spray headers, Bernie Forster of Lechler Inc. on headers and nozzles, and Jim Murphy of Quaker on rolling oil systems. The second day involved a tour of the hot mill and roll shop areas of Nucor Steel–Berkeley (S.C.).

September 27, 2005 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee met in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Sept. 27 in conjunction with MS&T’05. They reviewed the sessions they had developed for the conference. They then started planning their sessions for AISTech 2006. An update was provided on the status of their benchmarking study and plans to make it available to all who respond. They also discussed a proposal for their Technology Division awards, and this will be pursued with the other Operating Committees in the division. A discussion on membership on the committee followed, and plans were made for their next meeting.

May 24-25, 2005 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee held a meeting May 24–25 in Hamilton, Ont., Canada, and elected a slate of officers for the upcoming year. Programming for AISTech 2006, and ideas and topics for this conference were discussed. The committee reviewed the status of a benchmarking report they are developing and some methods to handle the dissemination of the information. Plans were discussed for a best paper award and the coordination of activities with the other Operating Committees in their Technology Division to identify the division awards. There was also some discussion on the importance and activities of a membership subcommittee, and this was settled upon as an option worth pursuing. The format of the committee meetings held so far was reviewed, with the general consensus that the current method is working very well. A round table discussion on roll and roll shop tolerances followed the business meeting, with presentations and open discussion. Testimonies were given on the value some committee members received from participating in these meetings that resulted in a savings for their company. The following day, a tour of the Dofasco hot mill and roll shop was held.

September 28, 2004 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee held their meeting in New Orleans, La. at MS&T 2004 on Sept. 28. The committee discussed whether their program fits better with the AISTech or MS&T format, and a plan was developed to make any necessary transitions. Members provided updates on some of the committee activities related to benchmarking, awards and membership. They also reviewed their previous activities and discussed formats and locations for future meetings.

April 13, 2004 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee met April 13 in Valparaiso, Ind. A tentative mission statement was presented for discussion and was then approved by the members. The members also discussed awards and benchmarking before finalizing their plans for their sessions at MS&T 2004 in New Orleans, La. Discussion then focused on initial plans for 2005 and the possibility of offering a course on Rolls for the Metal Working Industry. After the meeting, attendees toured the ISG Burns Harbor facility.

January 22-23, 2004 - The Rolling Technology Operating Committee held their meeting on Jan. 22-23 in Birmingham, Ala., with a tour of U. S. Steel-Fairfield Works. After an update on the AIST Technology Division and Operating Committee structure, recommendations for awards for the new organization were discussed. The committee also worked to identify potential new members. There was discussion relative to which conference they would participate in, and the general consensus was that they would hold their papers sessions at MS&T in New Orleans, La. The meeting concluded with discussion on benchmarking and paper topics for 2005.

January 19-20, 2004 - The Roll Technology Operating Committee held their first meeting of 2005 on January 19-20 in Fontana, Calif. They discussed their programming plans for future AIST conferences and will be programming for MS&T 2005 in Pittsburgh, Pa. They plan on offering a short course as part of this programming. They also discussed how they wanted to handle some benchmarking issues within the committee and methods to solicit participation in these surveys. Member participation in the committee meetings was reviewed and an update on awards was provided. A review of their meeting format indicated that their approach of scheduling technical presentations and roundtable discussions in conjunction with their AIST business meeting and a plant tour provided value to those attending the meetings. The afternoon included technical presentations by producers and suppliers on roll inspection techniques with plenty of time allotted for questions and answers. A plant tour of California Steel Industries was held with a focus on the roll shop.