Steel-strip production apparatus

A steel-strip production apparatus adapted to produce a hot-dip-plated steel strip and a cold-rolled steel strip, the steel-strip production apparatus comprising:

• a continuous annealing furnace;
• a snout connected to the continuous annealing furnace;
• a contact seal plate device and a noncontact seal roll device that are arranged on the entry side of the snout along a transfer direction of the steel strip in this order, the contact seal plate device being configured to contact the steel strip during use of the steel-strip production apparatus;
• a hot-dip-plating tank that is movable;
• bath equipment including a sink roll, the sink roll being configured to turn the path direction of the steel strip after the steel strip passes through the snout;
• and
• a deflector roll configured to turn the path direction of the steel strip after the steel strip passes through the snout,
• wherein:
• when the steel-strip production apparatus is configured to function as a hot-dip-plated steel strip production unit that produces the hot-dip-plated steel strip by bringing the steel strip continuously annealed in the continuous annealing furnace into the hot-dip-plating tank, the bath equipment including the sink roll is installed such that the sink roll is installed at a predetermined position, and
• when the steel-strip production apparatus is configured to function as a cold-rolled steel strip production unit that produces the cold-rolled steel strip by transferring the steel strip continuously annealed in the continuous annealing furnace without causing the steel strip to pass through the hot-dip-plating tank, the bath equipment including the sink roll is removed and the deflector roll is installed at the predetermined position.