EUROPEAN STEEL TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATION DAYS 2017 - ESTAD 2017

Today’s steel producers face the dual challenge of ensuring on-time delivery and ever demanding product requirements while also running a lean operation. Every day the management of a long rolling plant requires continuous optimization of both operating and business practices. Utilizing the evolution in technology (data collection, communication, internet of things, control techniques and intelligent sensors) there is more information available than at any other time, utilizing this information and monitoring the plants performance will revolutionize the control of Long rolling mill plant worldwide, this will lead to the optimization of the entire value chain along with advanced flexible production. New concepts are being developed to improve the operational management of the critical areas within the long rolling mill. Using existing installed technology combined with smart sensors like non-contact measurement devices, vision systems, intelligent temperature measurement, RFID for product tracking, all these devices will provide real time data with this information a higher level of automation can be achieved that will substantially improve: Product Quality, Rolling process, Rolling Flexibility, Operating Costs, Maintenance costs, Operation set up, Operator Intervention in the rolling process and Product Storage and logistics. This paper describes how the digitalization of the information collection and distribution will lead to a revolution in long rolling mill control systems. The benefits of adding intelligent sensors are highlighted because they are critical to enhancing the mills performance in all areas.