STEEL & METALLURGY :: Abstract for March 2008 Issue

View of March' 2008 Issue
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Advanced automation systems for plate mills
Rudolf Pichler, Siemens-VAI

ABSTRACT
Increasing demands for better product quality, higher productivity and a wider range of products, as well as technological developments in plate mill rolling, have focused attention on the need for more advanced systems of automation. Plate producers need to improve drastically their product quality to meet these demands, while reducing their production costs. Important factors in attaining these goals include furnace combustion control, millstand modernisation and automation, online temperature measurement, and optimisation of hot levelling.

Integrated Mini Steel Plant
By Our News Bureau

ABSTRACT
Steel as defined in Encyclopedia Steel is an Alloy whose major component is Iron, with Carbon content between 0.02% and 1.7% by weight. A more recent definition is that steels are iron-based alloys that can be Plastically formed (pounded, rolled, etc.)

Laser-based dimensional measurement of slabs
Michael Schwantzer, LAP Laser Applications Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Shanghai / Singapore

ABSTRACT
The installation of a Laser-based width and edge profile measurement of slabs at the roughing mill of Handan Iron & Steel, China, (via TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION, Japan) underlines a new trend in hot rolling: Not only the width of the slabs is measured online but also of their width profile. Thus the complete dimensional data of the entire cross section of the slabs are known in real time. This allows for direct feedback in the process control system and real time adjustments of the rolling process.

Using the data it can be determined for each slab before hot rolling if the strip will meet the target width over its entire length and what side trimming needs to be done. The system at Handan is scheduled for start-up in June 2007.LAP GmbH Laser Applications of Lueneburg/Germany uses scanning Laser sensors to measure the edge profile. They measure from a safe distance and are protected against heat, dust, water and vibration.

Planning and Scheduling challenges in steel service centers
Wafa Rezig, Project Manager, AIS, Luc Van Nerom, Technical Director, AIS

ABSTRACT
A steel service center buys steel products (coils) in large quantities from producing mills and holds the material in inventory until sold to a customer. To sell its own steel products, the steel service center will perform any processing the customer requests, load the steel and deliver it to the customer. Service centers usually offer varying degrees of material “pre-processing”. Pre-processing involves surface coating such as galvanizing and painting, or cutting services, such as sawing, shearing, slitting, or finally re-shaping the flat steel into certain shapes such as pipes, tubes

The Indian Scenario
B. Muthuraman, Chairman, CII National Committee on Steel and Non Ferrous metals

ABSTRACT
The Indian Steel Industry is now Integrated with the global steel industry – after the government has dismantled trade barriers like licensing, QR and high tariffs – and, therefore, is impacted by global developments and market conditions.

Still situation in India is somewhat different as the growth in the economy is generating greater demand and there is need for more capacity to be set up before the phase of consolidation begins. As the per capita consumption grows from the current level of 35 kg to 150 kg, which is the current world average, India will need to produce and/ or import a total of around 200 million tones. At a level of 250 to 300 kg, which is the consumption of developed countries, India will need around 300 to 400 million tones of steel.