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French welding system supplier Railtech Schlatter Systems recently collaborated with Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) to design a state-of-the-art rail welding facility. SDI plans to build the facility near its structural and rail steel mill in Columbia City, Ind.

To be operational in second-quarter 2006, the facility will produce 1,600-foot continuous-welded rail (CWR) strings forged from 240- or 320-foot rails produced at SDI’s Columbia City mill. The longer rail will enable SDI to produce CWR with as few as four welds.

The facility will feature Railtech Schlatter’s GAAS 80 stationary rail welder and automated rail selection and transportation, web and rail-end polishing, welding, controlled cooling, finish grinding, underbase grinding, straightening, testing and loading. The plant also will include an automated laser measuring system for finish-grinding and rail-pressing operations, and a computerized quality control system.

The facility’s design includes space for adding a second parallel welding line in the future.