Level 1 Systems

The heart of process control is the Level 1 system.  Here devices are moved, positioned, sequenced, weighed, measured, sped up, slowed down, raised, lowered, heated, cooled, cut, dimensioned, carried, marked, or any of a number of operations required to convert a hot band coil into a cold rolled commodity.  How well each operation is performed is important to safety, quality, and productivity.

The mark of a well-designed Level 1 system is its ability to aid the operation and the operator.  It should increase throughput, not impede it.  It should be operator friendly, allowing for manual, semi-automatic, and automatic operation.  The operator should be permitted to intervene and then resume the sequence, or allow complete automatic unattended operation, provided all prerequisites and interlocks have been met.  Intrinsic safety for the operator and equipment must be inherent in the design.

Regardless of the application - from a rewinding inspection line to an integrated tandem mill and pickling line combination (CDCM) – the design of the automation to charge, remove, set-up and process the steel product is germane to safety, quality, and productivity.

IPACT has extensive experience in the design of Level 1 systems using a variety of different manufacturer’s hardware.  We have experience in a variety of applications through out the cold strip mill.  We can work with your choice of mechanical and machinery suppliers to add, replace, or upgrade your mill equipment to meet your needs.

Drive System Experience

Included with Level 1 systems are the DC and AC motor drive systems.  Modern DC and AC motor control is through microprocessor based thyristor power supplies, interfaced directly over PLC data highways and similar control technologies.  These self-contained units have integral regulation and safety features to protect and control the motor application.  IPACT can furnish and interface with several different manufacturers of motor power supplies.  We can access maintenance information stored within the drive for local and remote troubleshooting and data analysis.

IPACT has experience with modern as well as older motor-generator and Ward Leonard motor control.  We can evaluate the control’s capability and determine the feasibility of re-using or upgrading the existing control system.

The Roll Shop

Often overlooked, but certainly a key player in cold mill productivity and quality is the roll shop.  Automation of the roll grinders is necessary to finish work rolls, intermediate rolls and back up rolls suitable to produce high quality steel sheet surfaces.  Level 1 grinding automation to direct roughing and finishing passes and crown the roll body without introducing traverse lines or chatter is vital.  Older grinders are being modernized to upgrade their capabilities by adding measuring devices, sensors, drive systems, and Level 1 automation.

Connections to a higher-level computer system allow the grinder automation to have access to previous grind history and roll chemical composition.  Grind profile, roll hardness, and finish grind diameter can be archived by a higher level system and sent automatically to the tandem mill or shared with another grinder at the conclusion of the rolling campaign.

Certainly the roll shot blaster, EDT machine, and chrome plating are roll shop processes benefiting from Level 1 automation.

IPACT has extensive experience in modernizing roll grinders.

Automatic Gauge Control

One of the most important cold mill product attributes is its thickness.  Precise and effective gauge control is important to customer and supplier alike.  For the customer, who pays for the product by weight, it’s more pieces per lineal foot when the thickness is closer to the ordered minimum.  It’s also a more consistent product coil after coil, requiring fewer adjustments to his manufacturing process.

To the supplier, better gauge control is improved process yield on heads, tails and at butt welds.  A good AGC system maintains mill stability and adjusts conditions dynamically to changes in incoming material.  This helps prevent strip and weld breaks.

On a batch tandem mill, the AGC system needs to be integrated with product tailout and threading to compromise between off-gauge and good operating practices. In a continuous operation, the AGC system needs to work with the dynamic or flying gauge change to minimize off-gauge during a product transition.

IPACT engineers have experience with cold mill automatic gauge control systems, both six-high and four-high mills, with motor driven screwdown or hydraulic force application cylinders.

Integrated Process Automation & Control Technologies