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Fitting camera inspection system in a steel rolling mill

Situation

Due to the globalization of steel production, steel production in the Netherlands can only flourish by working safely and efficiently and consistently delivering high quality. Only by incorporating more and more innovative and high quality technology into existing production processes can the Dutch steel industry stand up to international competition.

One of our clients wanted to implement improvements by installing a Surface Inspection System (SIS) in an existing installation. The inspection of steel coils could thus be automated and the quality of the inspection improved. Previously, the visual inspection was performed by the human eye. However, this had two disadvantages. Firstly, the human eye does not see every deviation. And secondly, a produced roll of steel had to be unwound each time to be able to perform the inspection, and then rewound. The new system carries out the inspection with cameras during production and therefore the steel coil no longer needs to be unwound and rewound. A major challenge here was the integration of the SIS camera system into the existing production environment, because there was almost no space. In addition, the camera placement had to be extremely accurate, because the reliability of the inspection is of paramount importance here.

Solution

The steel producer called in the help of KH Engineering to fit the system into the existing rolling mill. To this end, our client supplied a 3D model of installation. KH Engineering devised a concept in which the cameras would fold away at the top of the production belt, and could be pushed into a drawer system under the belt at the bottom. After all, it is important that faults or defects on the cameras can be remedied without having to shut down production.

Subsequently, the basic and detailed engineering was carried out, ensuring that the cameras are fixed in exactly the right place by actuators when the drawer is retracted. In addition, a way was devised to hang the cameras vibration-free, so that a sharp image is always available. All control of the moving parts is done from the control room of the rolling mill, which also required instrumentation and control in the design. KH Engineering carried out the concept, basic and detail engineering of all required parts according to agreement, after which the SIS could be installed in the rolling mill.

Advantage for the customer

The client can now identify at once whether there are any imperfections in a roll of steel and, if present, where they are located. In this way they have an even higher quality product, and if an imperfection is unexpectedly found, it can be removed with little effort. The cumbersome unwinding and rewinding is a thing of the past. This saves the client time and allows him to work more efficiently.
KH Engineering has been working on this client’s site for decades and therefore has a lot of knowledge of the installations, but also of the client-specific requirements, wishes and regulations. By calling on KH Engineering, the client has made use of the available knowledge and experience. But we have also been selected by the client because of our expertise in the field of complex and challenging engineering assignments; where flexibility as well as ingenuity is one of our plus points.

Activities KH Engineering

– Concept engineering
– Basic & Detail engineering
– Calculations with among others Finite Element software
– 3D engineering
– Mechanical, Electrical & Instrumentation
– Process Control
– Piping work for cooling the light bars

Project Manager: Joris Wolthers