
Emergency Support Call and Upgrade of Steel Mill Line Controls
After a steel mill client experienced a flooded basement and damaged equipment, E Tech upgraded the obsolete drives, PLC, and HMI, as well as an automatic tension control mode.
Project
A leading steel company hired E Tech Group to increase throughput and safety on the customer’s six-stand cold mill line. Additional project goals were to reduce head and tail off gage, reduce inner stand strip breaks, reduce electrical downtime, and improve safety.
Solution
E Tech Group conducted a mill drafting study to determine HP and speed limitations, reviewed the mill model, and set up proper procedures. We conducted an equipment audit to determine the failure rate and root causes, before implementing the audit’s recommendations. E Tech implemented monitoring and tuning of the inner stand tension, an MG set stand, one custom 12 pulse drive to fit on existing gen base, and a screw-down clutchless control. We also regulated the voltage to the speed reg. Our engineers performed a safety study and implemented recommendations. We performed installation, startup, and commissioning of all relevant systems.
Results
This successful project reduced head and tail off gage, reduced strip breaks, WR, and BU roll wraps by 50%, improved strip shape, increased annual tonnage, and reduced electrical downtime by 50%, resulting in a quick ROI for the customer.