voda schreef op 16 augustus 2017 16:50:
ArcelorMittal replaces aging systems to boost efficiencies at I/N Tek and I/N Kote plants in New Carlisle
NWI Times reported that ArcelorMittal has boosted productivity at its I/N Tek and I/N Kote plants in New Carlisle, where it is replacing 19 automatic guided vehicles that move steel coil around the facilities. Mr Mike Utterback, division manager, cold rolling and annealing said that “The original AGVs were 25-years-old. They were becoming the Achilles heel of the operation, causing numerous shutdowns and interruptions. Replacing them was extremely important to the division.”
The automated vehicles were designed specifically for I/N Tek and I/N Kote, where they move coil from the cold mill to the continuous anneal process line and the continuous galvanize line, and then to a storage area. The automated process is computer controlled.
IT Process Systems Analyst Jack Totten said that “We weren’t buying something off the shelf. Our team designed these vehicles, so that added to the timeline – about two years from start to commissioning.”
ArcelorMittal, one of Northwest Indiana's largest employers, is hailing the project as "one of the most critical upgrade projects ever attempted at the New Carlisle facility." It's a 60-40 joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. from Japan that largely processes steel made at ArcelorMittal's nearby steel mills in Burns Harbor and Indiana Harbor.
The steelmaker is investing USD 5 million in the project, and already has replaced five of the automatic vehicles.
New safety features were added, including audible alarm systems, emergency E-stop button and waist-high laser sensors.
Mr Totten said that “If you get too close, the machine will automatically stop and not move again until someone comes out and manually resets it. It’s a good safety feature."
He said the automated transport system improves safety and efficiency.
Mr Totten said that “We have virtually no coil damage. We know where every single coil is located at any given moment. There’s no writing down where you put a coil and who’s keeping track of the list."
Source : NWI Times