The AIKW is a registered association with the aim of informing its members about current developments in rolling technology and the associated plant technology.

The board of the AIKW works on a voluntary basis and does not receive any remuneration for its work and the organization of the conferences.As the meetings are organized by a small circle of members, it may take some time to respond to inquiries or process business transactions.

Review of the AIKW conference 2023

This year's AIKW conference was held in Slovenia for the first time. The conference venue Rogaška Slatina, near Celje, is a spa town known for its healing water springs and has several large hotels. The Grand Hotel Rogaška Resort and the Atlantida Boutique Hotel had been reserved for the overnight stay.

Lecture event

The lecture event took place on 5 October 2023 at the Grand Hotel Sava Superior. Over 150 participants from many different countries registered for the conference. The lectures were held in English and there was an opportunity to ask questions after the lectures. During the coffee breaks and lunch in the hotel restaurant, there were also many opportunities for personal discussions.

The evening event began with a champagne reception in front of the Grand Hotel Rogaška Resort. The crystal hall of the hotel had been festively prepared for the dinner.

The multi-course gala dinner with Slovenian wines was musically accompanied by a quartet.

Factory tours

On Friday morning, the buses set off for the factory tours in Štore near Celje.

At Štore Steel d.o.o. the continuous SBQ rolling mill was visited. The rolling line consists of 2 reversing duo stands and a continuous rolling line with 6 horizontal and 4 vertical stands. The quick change devices allow frequent programme changes for a wide range of round, square. and flat profiles. The configuration of the rolling line is designed for normalising and temperature-controlled rolling.

At the roller manufacturer Valji d.o.o. in Štore, the entire casting process of a 20-tonne composite roll could be observed. After ramping up the mould to operating speed, two different layers of the roll barrel were produced by centrifugal casting. After the second layer had solidified, the mould was placed upright in a casting pit and the core was cast. The interesting tour became an unforgettable experience for the participants.

The AIKW is a registered professional organization for roll pass designers and rolling mill engineers with a main emphasis in the field of hot rolled long products. The aim of the Association is to maintain and to deepen the members' skills acquired during theit basic training and subsequent practical work and to promote the exchange of experience between members.

In this respect, regular scientific conferences with presentations on specific topical subjects and plant visits make an important contribution. International speakers are invited to these conferences to give presentations on specific subjects of rolling mill technology and adjacent areas of production engineering, plant engineering and organization.

In addition to members, any interested individual working in the steel industry or in the field of mechanical engineering, plant engineering or in the supplying industry, as well as university and polytechnic students and students from technical and master craftspeople schools may participate in the conferences and visits offered.

The Association is a non-profit organisation and does not pursue own financial interests.

AIKW Membership

Only natural persons working as roll pass designers, engineers, technicians or masters in rolling mills or adjacent fields, regardless of their nationality or affiliation to parties or other associations, may become members of the AIKW. For detailed information please refer to our statutes, which are available for download.

AIKW Statutes

The statutes are available for download here:

Application to become a member of the AIKW

The application to become a registered member of the AIKW needs to be submitted in writing using the application form provided. Please download the application form here:

Application form for membership

Please return the completed and signed form to:

• Geschäftsstelle der AIKW
• Herr Dr.-Ing. Lars Detlef Hentschel
• Von-Neuenstein-Weg 9
• D-77876 Kappelrodeck / Deutschland
• e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.