Width and Mult-Width control

Vision based solutions

✔ Width

✔ Shape

✔ Mult-width on each slitted band

✔ Thermal distribution

✔ Cut coordinates for shear control and crop optimization

✔ Squareness of edges

Width Control

Our width control solutions are optical and vision based; they represent the state of the art of non-contact width and shape control on hot and cold strips and slabs, but also on long products such as billets and pipes. The dimensional control of width and shape is of particular importance to facilitate subsequent processing by having immediate information on non-conformity and for the purposes of the waste optimizing. In fact, they have always been used online to determine the perfect cutting coordinates and promptly communicate them to the shears and online cutting systems. The advanced analytic software ( AAS) give access to a wide range of information which may drive the quality optimization purposes. Bar details are presented in the data tables to the right of the images. Typical data displayed includes the Bar ID, Thickness, Optimization Criteria (i.e. customer defined strategy), overall width, cut line, cut length, cut status (to cut or not), crop area, crop weight, etc. Other parameters can also be displayed based on customer configuration details.

The head and tail images have been colour enhanced to illustrate relative thermal variations over the surfaces. This enhancement is based on correlating camera pixel values to the colour spectrum and we assume a linear relationship between the pixel value and the defined colour spectrum.

• Generate views of physical and thermal gradients

• Calculate operational parameters such as deviation from center, overall width, camber, hook, etc.

• Raise an alarm in case of excessive conditions, such as excessive hook

In cooperation with

3D and2D shape inspection

Our solutions are able to reconstruct by software the 2D and 3D shape of the part with extreme precision, and at the same time mathematically calculate and make available the physical coordinates of the areas that present defects or discrepancies from the expected. This type of systems are quite complex and and require a lot of time and testing to develop. Companies capable of carrying out this type of in-line control, especially on hot metals are currently quite rare not being solutions that can be improvised without considerable practical experience in the field. The process of developing a system of this kind requires several years of extensive field testing and therefore it is not possible to improvise with last-minute solutions. Our group has thirty years of experience in this type of application which we gladly put at your disposal. Features such as stereoscopic visions to minimize the effects of vertical bumping or the adoption of particular frequencies and wavelengths make our solutions the most precise and reliable among the available on the market.

✔ 2D width and shape monitoring on flat products (strip, slab, plates)

✔ 3D width and shape monitoring on long solid products (billets, rods, wires)

✔ 3D width and shape monitoring on long hollow products (pipes and boxed profiles)

Feedback from the crop optimization software can be used by the Vision System to compare the ideal, optimum cut point with the actual cut point as reported by the shear. These values can be used to calculate the ideal weight of the cropped head or tail and also the actual weight (indirectly calculated). All of the calculations can be organized and displayed on Crop Loss Report (CLR).

Digital,flexible, connected

All of our solutions are totally digital, with few interconnection wires and almost plug and play. They can be easily integrated into existing process automations by taking advantage of numerous protocols already integrated in the standard software version.  If the in-line shape and width control are a priority for the efficiency of your production process, our solutions represent a valid operational support capable of having a very fast ROI in terms of time and product quality. We have faced different scenarios and situations which over time have allowed us to propose complete solutions that offer practically immediate process optimization, right from the first in-line use. Our latest solutions are totally digital, multiplatform, open and with great flexibility. In fact, data management based on PLC, PAC and PC is available, meeting the user's maintenance needs by adopting the platforms most suitable for him. The shape control system can be optionally equipped with a self-learning software tool: at the beginning it will starts its operations without having any pre-set rejection criteria and therefore it will require the decision to be taken by an operator; the decision-making case will be inserted into the system which, once it recognizes a similar behaviour as known, and it will automatically take the same decision of the previous events. Usually the system will be able to operate autonomously after 6 months of operation, depending by the line’s type.

Crop Loss Report

Adopting a crop optimization solution on your process line would consistently reduce / minimize the crop loss. Even the Crop Loss is a necessary loss, which cannot be totally eliminated, hence holding this loss to a minimum level becomes the primary target for the process efficiency. The vision system would lead to a significant increase in Yield through the crop optimization algorithm. It can be used to create accurate 2-D images of the plate/bar/strip and calculate the most convenient crop option case by case. The system can be used at the exit of the caster for example, or anywhere else on a hot mill, cold mill, or even to a cold process line. Additionally if it is positioned at the exit of a Rougher Mill, the Vision System can captures head and tail images to be used not only for the theoretical crop optimization but also to the actual shear control drive.

✔ Calculate operational parameters to obtain the best crop option

✔ Raise an alarm in case of excessive conditions

✔ Generate 2D views of the bar/slab/strip

Mult-Width on slitting

Our vision solutions allow you to measure in line and with very high accuracy the width of each single band resulting from the slitting process. This operation is done directly during the process and without interference with the processing being performed. It does not require invasive modifications and can be installed in a very short time. The benefits are many, for example it is adopted in the production process of pipes which require particular accuracy of the cutting dimensions.

• Mult-width on slitted bands

• Squareness of edges