Steel Industry Glossary
L
Lace
Area where the strip is joined together (with wire, bands, etc.) after being broken.
Lacquer
A coating composition which is based on synthetic thermoplastic film forming material dissolved in organic solvent and which dries primarily by solvent evaporation during stoving operations.
Lagging
Slack in the strip.
Laminations
Imperfections resulting from the presence of foreign inclusions, laps, or blisters typically aligned parallel to the worked surface or rolling direction of the metal.
Lap Weld
Done at Platers; coil ends are "lapped" over one another and welded; it doubles the thickness of the steel at the weld and is marked by a hole punch.
Lead-Time
Delivery time for an item of inventory to be moved from a source location to a destination via a specific route. Detail is specific to the level of the location. Also the time to produce a customer’s order from order placement to shipment.
Leveling
The process by which a leveling machine flattens metal strip, coil, or sheets by bending it up and down over the interrupting arcs of upper and lowers sets of long, slender work rolls. Machines generally employ 17, 19, or 21 relatively small diameter rolls whose deflection under load is controlled by additional back-up rollers and a rigid frame.
Leveling Rolls
A set of five adjustable rolls that flatten or level the front end strip of steel when running through the #1 and #2 feeders.
Light Gauge (Defect)
Product with a thickness below the customer’s minimum gauge tolerance.
Light Special Treatment
A surface treatment of dried-in-place chromate for Weirton Steel’s electrogalvanized product (Weirzin) which provides corrosion resistance. A lighter film weight is applied as compared to special treatment. (See Special Treatment)
Line Marking
Lines are used as the identifying marks on the heavy Tin coated side of the strip to identify it to the customer.
Line Speed
Speed at which the coil is processed through the line; Platers may run 1800+ feet per minute.
Lineal Footage Counter
Electronic device used to count lineal footage of a coil.
Location
A coding system that defines the physical placement of materials, usually to a high degree of specificity.
Lock Out / Tag Out
Terminology used to describe the process of securing an energy source so that work may be done. This is accomplished by locking out all the energy sources pertaining to the device, tagging out the resources, and trying out the device to make sure that it is de-energized and safe for work to be done.
Lockseam Test
A test performed on a galvanized product to evaluate the adherence of the zinc to the steel substrate.
Logistics
The science of identifying, maintaining, and transporting materials.
Loop Tower
1. Area where the strip accumulates enabling the line to continue running while making a weld. 2. Collecting unit used for storing steel. This enables the Entry or Delivery End of the line to stop without stopping production.
Loose Wrap
A coil that is not wound tight. Using too little tension when winding causes this condition.
Lot No.
Identifies groups of coils for a particular customer order to be processed at a certain time; identifies a particular group of coils to load.
Low Carbon Grade
At WSC, steel with carbon content of less than .08%. See Medium Carbon Grade and High Carbon Grade.
Low Coating
A condition that occurs when the coating thickness is less than customer or UL specifications.
Lowboy (or Stabilizer Roll)
Submerged roll in the pot used to stabilize the strip as it exits the pot before entering the dies.
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