Since the 1980s, significant progress has been made in the development of metallurgical machinery-moving toward large-scale, high-speed, high-efficiency, energy-saving, continuous, and automated operations-driven by technological advancements in electrical control systems (based on main rolling mill drives), electrical detection systems (centered on instruments and sensors), and computer systems (utilizing industrial control computers, PLCs, or microcomputers). Examples of continuous processing developments include direct rolling, endless rolling, and combined units for pickling–cold rolling, pickling–cold rolling–continuous annealing, mechanical descaling–cold rolling, and thin-strip continuous casting/rolling–cold rolling. To maximize efficiency, minimize energy consumption, reduce investment and production costs, and boost labor productivity, the metallurgical industry has focused on shortening production flows and innovating or eliminating specific stages of traditional processes, leading to the emergence of "short-process" technologies.
Typical processes in this category include: coke-free, non-blast-furnace ironmaking; ultra-high-power electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking; ladle refining (secondary metallurgy); and thin-slab continuous casting and rolling. Due to the tightening supply of metallurgical coking coal and increasingly stringent global environmental protection standards, the traditional blast-furnace ironmaking process faces a challenge from coke-free, non-blast-furnace alternatives. Many countries are actively developing various coke-free iron and steel production processes and equipment technologies, achieving considerable progress.
By the end of the 20th century, several direct reduction iron (DRI) technologies and a limited number of smelting reduction technologies had been implemented in industrial production. Direct reduction methods include gas-based shaft furnace processes (using natural gas or synthetic gas as the reducing agent) and coal-based rotary kiln processes (using coal as the energy source); these reduce iron ore at temperatures below its melting point into porous solid sponge iron, providing a high-quality scrap substitute for electric furnaces.
Gas-based methods are dominated by the Midrex and HYL processes, with large-scale facilities capable of producing over one million tons annually. Smelting reduction involves reducing iron ore or concentrate into molten iron in a molten state through the combustion of injected coal; the Corex process is the most prominent example of this method. The C-3000 Corex production unit has an annual iron-making capacity of 900,000 to 1.2 million tons, a scale that aligns well with the economic viability of short-process production routes.
Integrated continuous casting and rolling equipment-exemplified by thin-slab continuous casting and rolling lines-enables a seamless, continuous workflow that shortens the traditional production process and features a more compact equipment layout and design; this represents a key trend in metallurgical technology. Beyond high-temperature pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgical processes are frequently employed for the extraction of metals from refractory or difficult-to-process low-grade ores, as well as for certain non-ferrous and rare metals. Key machinery used in hydrometallurgy includes extractors, electrolysis equipment, autoclaves, filters, and centrifuges.
Since the turn of the 21st century, China's metallurgical equipment manufacturing industry has shifted from importing foreign technology toward independent innovation, achieving breakthroughs in domestic technology for major processes such as coking, sintering, ironmaking, steelmaking, continuous casting, and rolling. Technological trends now prioritize intelligent control systems and green, energy-efficient designs, driving the evolution of equipment toward automation, remote monitoring, and enhanced environmental sustainability.