BUTLER TWP — AK Steel heated its first batch of steel Friday in the new 175-ton capacity electric arc furnaces at the Butler Works.

Alan McCoy, AK Steel spokesman, said Tuesday this was an important milestone after several years of work on a $180 million project that also included a new metallurgy furnace and ladle. That furnace also began processing molten steel on Friday.

Part of the project included updates to the Zanesville, Ohio, plant, but about $150 million was spent in the Butler Works.

The new electrical arc furnace is capable of melting 1.4 million tons of steel annually, about 40 percent more than the previous three-furnace operation built in the 1960s.

McCoy said steel scrap is loaded into the arc furnace and melted at about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The electrical arc is generated through graphite electrodes touching the metal, “like a giant welding rod.”

Once the metal is melted, it is transferred to the ladle metallurgy furnace where it is kept at the right temperature while the chemical make up of the steel is adjusted, allowing the arc furnace to return to the work of melting more metal.

The new furnaces are the largest capital investment made by AK Steel in a number of years. They give the Butler Works flexibility in adjusting production levels and product mix of electrical, stainless and carbon steels.

Because of this, the company will be able to react easily to market conditions and demands.

In a news release Monday, James Wainscott, company president and CEO, said, “The new furnaces will enable us to lower production costs, increase steelmaking capacity and improve the quality of all of Butler Works’ products.”

McCoy said other than the temporary employment of construction workers, no additional hires have been made at the Butler Works because of the new furnaces. Employment is at about 1,375 Butler workers.

The project will be completed in a few months.