The variety and manufacturing process of rolls are constantly developing with the progress of metallurgical technology and the evolution of rolling equipment. Low strength gray cast iron rolls were used in medieval rolling of soft non-ferrous metals. In the middle of the 18th century, Britain mastered the production technology of chilled cast iron rolls for rolling steel plates. In the second half of the 19th century, the progress of European steelmaking technology required the rolling of larger tonnage ingots, and the strength of gray cast iron or chilled cast iron rolls could not meet the requirements. Carbon content of 0.4%~ 0.6% ordinary cast steel roll was born accordingly. The emergence of heavy-duty forging equipment has further improved the strength and toughness of forging rolls with this composition. The use of alloying elements and the introduction of heat treatment in the early 20th century significantly improved the wear resistance and toughness of cast and forged steel hot and cold rolls. The addition of molybdenum to cast iron rolls for hot-rolled strip improves the surface quality of the rolled material. The core strength of the casting roll is obviously improved by the compound pouring with flushing method.
The extensive use of alloying elements in rolls is after the Second World War, which is the result of the development of rolling equipment towards large-scale, continuous, high-speed, automation, as well as the improvement of rolling strength and increased deformation resistance. During this period, semi-steel rolls and ductile iron rolls appeared successively. After the 1960 s, the powder tungsten carbide roller was successfully developed. In the early 1970 s, the centrifugal casting technology and differential temperature heat treatment technology of rolls, which were widely popularized in Japan and Europe, significantly improved the comprehensive performance of strip rolls. Composite high chromium cast iron rolls have also been successfully used in hot strip mills. In the same period, forged white iron and semi-steel rolls were used in Japan. In the 1980 s, Europe introduced high-chromium steel rolls and ultra-deep hardening layers of cold rolls, as well as special alloy cast iron rolls for small steel and wire finishing. The development of contemporary steel rolling technology promotes the development of higher performance rolls. The core produced by centrifugal casting method and new composite methods such as continuous casting composite method (CPC method), spray deposition method (Osprey method), electroslag welding method and hot isostatic pressing method is forged steel or ductile iron with good toughness, composite rolls with high-speed steel series and metal ceramic rolls with outer layer have been applied to new generation profile, wire and strip steel rolling mills in Europe and Japan respectively.
China has been producing casting rolls in batches since the 1930 s, but there are very few varieties. In the late 1950 s, China's first professional roller factory was established in Xingtai, Hebei. In 1958, Anshan Iron and Steel Company first trial-produced and used large ductile iron rolls for 1050 preliminary rolling in the world. In the 1960 s, it successively manufactured cold-rolled work rolls and large forged steel rolls. In the late 1970 s, Taiyuan Iron and Steel Company and Beijing Iron and Steel Research Institute jointly successfully trial-produced centrifugal cast iron rolls for furnace rolling mills and hot continuous rolling wide strip steel mills, and Xingtai Metallurgical Machinery Roll Co., Ltd. successfully trial-produced semi-steel working rolls for hot wide strip steel mills and cold rolling wide strip steel mills. In the 1980 s, China has successively developed new varieties such as large forged steel support rollers, forged semi-steel and forged white cast iron rollers, powder tungsten carbide roller rings, and high chromium cast iron rollers. By the 1990 s, China's roll production has basically met domestic needs and some exports, but the variety needs to be increased and the quality needs to be improved.