Partner:

Reinguss

Challenge:

Before the implementation of this automated solution, operators had to handle shrouds of 82 kg and around 1,6 m – either manually or using a body hugging mechanism. The device for shrouding the ladle was operated manually as well.

ArcelorMittal decided for an automated solution to minimize manual interference and thus increase safety and quality by reducing mistakes.

Solution:

PhoXi 3D Scanner

Reinguss provided a robot to shroud the ladle, which requires very little manual interference. The last step of the procedure is to find the collector nozzle and connect the shroud to it. This step required the operator to use a joystick and perform the operation. During this step, the operators were making mistakes as the location was underneath the ladle, with limited visibility from the operating platform. To automate this process, a PhoXi 3D Scanner has been deployed. The scanner performs a scan, finds the collector nozzle and sends the coordinates to the robot.

The robot brings the ladle shroud to an area within centimeters of the collector nozzle and the 3D scanner performs a scan. After analyzing the data, the exact coordinates of the location of the collector nozzle are transmitted over to the robot to perform the final mating.

Discussion:

Automation of this process led to the reduction of manual intervention and operational errors. Thanks to the high scanning speed of the PhoXi 3D Scanner, the total cycle time was reduced by 20% on average.

Would you like to know more about Photoneo technology and how it can benefit your applications?

Contact us