Vesuvius has been awarded with a turnkey project by thyssenkrupp CSA (Brazil) for the installation of Robotic Casting Technology on both slab caster ladle platforms.
The Vesuvius Robotic Casting Technology (RCT) is offering a solution that automatically carries out all tasks and supervision necessary on the casting platform. It improves safety as the operators can be reassigned to process supervision tasks in a safer, remote working place. Moreover the Vesuvius RCT provides enhanced operations traceability, increased productivity, better reliability and consistency for all casting operations.
Robotic Casting Technology is an industry breakthrough that paves the way towards a fully automated monitoring of the steel continuous casting process. OEM Hyundai was one of the first companies to install the RCT technology at their high performance steel casting plant in Dangjin, Korea.
The project has been developed with CSA during the last two years including several customer visits in the Hyundai reference plant as well as in Vesuvius’ Systems Technology Center in Ghlin Belgium. CSA is setting high expectations in operational safety and process repeatability on its continuous casting ladle and tundish casting platform with this robotic installation. The decision to include a ladle tube changer (LTC) was motivated by improved process safety as well as improved stability of casting conditions, especially for operations like ladle shroud handling and oxygen lancing of the casting channel.
At times when the major steel companies develop extremely demanding ultra high performance grades, RCT brings a critical step change in the quality performance of the continuous casting process. These include improved steel quality protection through increased tightness between the ladle and tundish, as well as the possibility to perform safely the ladle opening with the ladle shroud submerged in the tundish steel bath.
The unique LTC concept has been proven during operation of the first generation, however the CSA project as such is an important milestone.
In the CSA RCT layout for the ladle casting platform, two industrial robots will collaborate to perform the following tasks:
• Ladle shroud transport and connection on ladle tube changer
• Ladle shroud cleaning and inspection
• Oxygen lancing of the casting channel
• Tundish powder distribution
• Temperature measurement in the tundish
• Steel sampling
• Hydrogen measurement
For more information, visit www.vesuvius.com. CSA can be found online at www.thyssenkrupp-csa.com.br.