The combination of hot working technologies with a thermal path, under controlled conditions
(i.e., thermomechanical processing) provides opportunities to achieve required mechanical properties
at lower costs. The replacement of conventional rolling plus post-rolling heat treatments by integrated
controlled forming and cooling strategies implies important reductions in energy consumption,
increases in productivity and more compact facilities in the steel industry. The metallurgical challenges
that this integration implies, though, are relevant and impressive developments that have been achieved
over the last 40 years. The development of new steel grades and processing technologies devoted to
thermomechanically-processed products is increasing and their implementation is being expended to
higher value added products and applications
