Page 26 - ITA_Journal_3-2019

Member News
Danieli S.p.A.
Fully automated slab handling for inventory management
Ternium Pesqueria hot-strip mill adopts advanced Danieli materi- al- ow technology
Ternium chose Danieli to supply an inventory management system and fully automatic handling equip- ment that will feed 4.1 Mtpy of slabs to a green eld hot-strip mill at Pesqueria, Mexico. The purpose is to optimize incoming slab ow by applying arti cial intelligence for the Slab Yard Management System (SYMS), in direct connec- tion and communication with the downstream process of the Hot- Strip Mill.
A complete handling system - including 10 EOT cranes, seven transfer cars and two destackers - will receive slabs from the mill and to distribute and transfer these products through the intermediate and nal storage areas.
The Slab Yard Management System (SYMS) calculates the task for all operating equipment according to the forecast production mix sub- mitted by the Plant MES; opti-
mizing the movements and the relocation of each slab; and thus in real-time tuning the mission to the actual needs determined by the product mix and equipment status.
Slabs are moved by autonomous transfer cars from the arrival bays to the RHF charging bays.
Slabs in the charging bay are stored according to the RHF charg- ing sequence, in order to optimize the crane cycles during the loading phase, to reduce the loading cycle time and increase the exibility in case of any change in the produc- tion schedule.
Properly sequenced slabs are stacked below two destackers, which continuously load slabs on a 50-m long roller table, and feed them directly into the HSM furnace, according to the produc- tion mix and required schedule.
The SYMS is installed on a central server, and includes the main intel- ligent functions for yard manage- ment, such as:
Yard Storage optimization
Crane movement optimization
Multi-crane bay coordination
Crane downtime and mainte- nance management
Other functions for cranes-to- transport-device handling also are hosted.
Worker safety in the slab yard is signi cantly improved, avoiding hazards related to human pres- ence, and isolating machine oper- ations within fenced units.
The fully automatic solution is leading to an estimated 20% uti- lization of the previously required Ternium workforce in the yards, maintaining human supervision only for the material arrival on trains and furnace charging.
Unmanned slab handling, inte- grated and coordinated with the main process line, leads to improved exibility, continuous optimization and predictability of Ternium plant. This identi es this solution as the new benchmark for the latest industrial revolution in the material management of an integrated plant.
Danieli S.p.A.
Via Nazionale 41 33042 Buttrio (UD) Italy
Tel: +390226245358 Fax: +390226245322
s.bettinelli@danieli.it www.danieli.com
ITAtube Journal No3/October 2019
26