Primetals Technologies says it has implemented a digital assistant for detecting strip cross cracks at thyssenkrupp Hohenlimburg’s medium-wide hot-strip mill in Hagen, Germany.
This digital assistant is Primetals’ first-ever computer-vision-based solution designed for this specific purpose, Kallanish is told by the technology supplier. According to Primetals, the main benefits for thyssenkrupp are a reduction in downtime and wear related to the rolls of the hot strip mill.
When a slab carries a cross-crack, it becomes visible in the roughing mill, and the size of the crack increases after each pass. When the transfer bars then enter the finishing mill, the crack may spread, further increase in size, and create holes in the rolled material. In the worst case, a defect like this can lead to cobbles in the finishing mill, with the risk of damaging the work rolls, backup rolls, and other production equipment, Primetals explains.
To prevent transfer bars carrying strip cross cracks from entering the finishing mill, the cracks must be detected as early as possible in the process. In that way, operators can take action before a crack leads to equipment damage.
In the implemented set-up, a camera located on the exit side of the roughing mill provides the digital assistant with a live video stream. With the help of a machine learning model, which represents technology powered by artificial intelligence, the assistant processes the stream and checks for cracks.
Christian Koehl Germany
