Rolling Mill

A rolling mill is a machine that passes metal stock between pairs of rotating rolls to reduce its thickness, make that thickness uniform, or impart a desired shape or mechanical property, producing structural steel, bars, rails and other finished metal products. The earliest rolling mills were slitting mills introduced from Belgium to England around 1590, and the ironmaster Henry Cort patented grooved rolls for rolling iron bars in 1783, a development that earned him recognition as a father of modern rolling; John Birkinshaw established the first rail rolling mill in 1820 at the Bedlington Ironworks. Hot rolling in mills of this kind processes more tonnage of metal than any other manufacturing process, making the rolling mill central to modern steel and metal production.