TPT March 2019

I NSPE C T I ON & T E S T I NG

Innovative safety concept for thyssenkrupp coil inspection line 2 in Germany

AT thyssenkrupp’s dedicated coil inspection line 2 in Dortmund, Germany, steel coils for the automotive industry are inspected, thereby ensuring the maximum quality of delivered materials. As part of an extensive modernisation, Unitechnik Automatisierungs GmbH has now implemented a uniform functional safety concept that covers all subsections. The measures were implemented on the basis of a detailed hazard analysis. The Dortmund installation is of strategic importance for thyssenkrupp Steel Europe: all steel strip undergoes thorough inspection before leaving the facility. The purpose of the installation is to inspect steel strip for faults and defects as well as to detect and remedy flaws. The steel strip can also be edge- trimmed, oiled and cut. All of this is carried out by different machines: coilers are used to wind up and uncoil the up to 40-ton steel coil. From there, the start of the strip is transported to the welding machine, where it is welded to the end of the last coil. At the inspection station, trained personnel using a wide range of measuring technology inspect the 1,700mm-wide strip. The automatic system ensures seamless tracking of material and error detection. Cropping shears and edge-trimming shearscutthestriptosize.Theinstallation also includes an oiling machine as well as devices to automatically mark and strap the coils. When the installation first went into operation in the early 1970s, safety regulations were different. This has necessitated ongoing development to keep the installation state-of-the- art and guarantee its long-term safety. To determine the exact modernisation

The inspection line in Dortmund

(HMI) system. In its 45-year existence the coil inspection line 2 was regularly modernised and new machines added. The challenge Unitechnik faced was in- tegrating components from a variety of manufacturers and different interfaces in the functional safety concept. Auto- mation of what were previously manual work steps was an important key to suc- cess in this process. New measuring technology using laser light barriers, for example, automated the process of placing coils onto the coiler. Using transfer equipment, such as tables and conveyors, the strip is now transported to the welding machine without manual intervention. The straightening of the re- spective beginning and end of the strip in the welding machine is now also fully automatic. thyssenkrupp Steel Europe profits from the modernisation, not only from shorter set-up times and a major reduction in the number of manual work steps, but also from functional safety technology. The modernisation has secured the long-term and efficient operation of the installation. Unitechnik Automatisierungs GmbH is a company of the Unitechnik Group and has been supplying industrial automation and robotics for 25 years. The family business designs and produces bespoke systems for production automation and engineering in various industries.

needs, Unitechnik and thyssenkrupp, along with the Professional Trade Association for the Wood and Metal Industries, conducted a functional safety analysis of the technical installation. Depending on the detected hazard potential and technical needs, the installation was broken down into different safety sections. This served as the basis for Unitechnik’s modernisation concept for coil inspection line 2. Together with the high safety standard to be met, there was another parameter that defined the framework for the potential solution: the modernisation measures were not to have a negative impact on the installation’s performance values. In addition to implementing electri- cal, mechanical and hydraulic safety equipment and devices, the concept included modernisation of all drive and control technology, including a new su- pervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and human-machine interface

Unitechnik Automatisierungs GmbH – Germany Website: www.unitechnik.com

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MARCH 2019