Chinalco Southwest Aluminum (Group) Co. (SWA) has awarded SMS group a contract to supply a two-stand tandem cold rolling mill for its new aluminum facility near Xipeng.
The order follows a 2025 contract for a new aluminum hot strip mill at the same site, also supplied by SMS group, and extends the long-standing cooperation between the two companies.
The new cold rolling mill is designed to process a wide range of products, including can stock and automotive sheet. The mill will handle strip widths of up to 2,350 millimetres and produce material down to a minimum final gauge of 0.1 millimetres. Rated annual capacity is approximately 460,000 tonnes.
According to SMS group, the installation will support the production of both highly formable AA5xxx-series alloys used in inner automotive body parts and AA6xxx-series alloys for exposed vehicle components.
The mill will be equipped with two six-high stands featuring CVC®plus (Continuously Variable Crown) technology, combined with roll bending and shifting systems designed to improve strip profile control and surface quality. Additional technologies include multizone cooling and inductive edge heating to support precise roll-gap control.
A strip cooling system positioned between the two mill stands will reduce strip temperature before the second rolling stage, enabling higher rolling speeds and improved mill productivity.
The tandem cold rolling mill is scheduled to start operations at the end of 2027.