Existing load cells paired with SIWAREX DB junction box and
SIWAREX WP231 weighing module mean increased the reliability and diagnostics in
steel manufacturer
Cogne Acciai Speciali’s
(CAS’s) system. This combination solved the company’s ongoing maintenance issues
while ensuring quality measurement of casting speeds during production.
Drive
across Hong Kong’s Stonecutter Bridge—the third longest cable stay bridge in
the world—and you will see massive cargo ships cruising the channel along with city
lights from the busy urban centers.
What
you won’t see—but will fully appreciate—are the kilometers of strong, stainless-steel
bar used to reinforce the bridge’s concrete below your vehicle.
A
world leader in the production of long stainless steels like wire rods and round
bars as well as nickel alloys,
Cogne Acciai Speciali in
northwestern Italy has been supplying quality metal products for projects like
this since 1911.
With
market sectors that include automotive, aerospace, architectural and
construction, the company’s more than 1,000 employees are dedicated to consistently
expanding into new opportunities.
But
before new markets can be tapped, product quality in CAS’s manufacturing plant is
critical.
Casting reliable measurements
In the production facility’s steel and forging shops, an electric arc furnace heats raw materials to temperatures of 2,800 °F, melting steel and then casting it using presses weighing in the thousands of tons.
During this process, a casting crane tips a massive ‘ladle’, pouring molten steel into the casting equipment. Accurate measurements during this spill phase are critical to product quality:
- If flow rates are too fast, casting won’t be able to keep up;
- If the flow is too slow, product could cool too quickly or the company might not be able to meet production quotas.
CAS had been experiencing some difficulties with its weighing system in this application—instruments didn’t have the reliability technicians required, maintenance was becoming a regular occurrence, and parts of the system had reached obsolescence from instrument vendors.
Enter SIWAREX weighing technology.
