TPT November 2012

Technology News

Eliminating scrap and increasing productivity

excess slab weight for example. This helps guarantee the per metre weight in sheet metal production, for example. Not only do you save material, you refine production in the energy intensive steel industry. “In addition, these savings mean that the LAP measuring systems pay for themselves quickly, as the calculation example shows,” noted Dr Schulz. For more than 25 years, LAP has been providing laser-based systems for the highly precise measurement of geometric quantities such as position, width, thickness, length, diameter and the flatness of products in industrial production. The systems offered by LAP are distinguished by their superior precision under extreme conditions. Hundreds of these systems are proving their usefulness everyday in steel and rolling mills. The customers of the company, which presently employs more than 180 people, include Baosteel, Posco, ThyssenKrupp Steel, Vallourec and Mannesmann and other leading steel manufacturers. LAP also manufactures laser projection systems. These generate points of light, lines, crosses or outlines of any shape such as true-to-scale shapes generated from CAD files. The employees of LAP serve customers throughout the world from company headquarters in Lüneburg and an international network of branches and technical sales representatives.

fabricates laser-supported systems for the contact-free measurement of distance, width, thickness, length, diameter, contour and flatness for the entire process chain from continuous casting to the finished product. LAP laser measuring systems enhance cost-effectiveness by reducing scrap and increasing throughput. “The more scrap is produced, the higher the production costs,” stated Dr Schulz. “Let me give you an example. Let’s assume that you produce 1,000,000 tons of sheet metal a year with sections measuring 5,000mm x 45,000mm x 10mm with an optimisation potential of 50mm on each side when cutting the width. Each ton of steel sheet metal sold yields a profit of €400 per ton with a sales price of €650 per ton and scrap price of €250 per ton. If you could reduce the amount of scrap when cutting to size by just 2 per cent, you could save or earn, actually, up to €8mn. The sensors of the ANTARIS series use a triangulation method. A laser beam is reflected off the surface of the measured object and and is projected by a lens system and deflection mirror

HIGH energy costs can strongly influence competitiveness in the steel industry. In particular, scrap and offcuts in the production of slabs, sheet metal and pipes require a great deal of energy when they are remelted. Using LAP measuring systems significantly increases measuring accuracy. The amount of scrap is reduced almost to zero, and energy costs are permanently lowered. LAP GmbH is a specialist in the development, production, installation and commissioning of laser measuring systems for measuring the dimensions of unfinished and finished products in the metal and steel industry. “Preventing scrap, which takes a lot of energy to melt down, is one of the basic rules of steel production. Our LAP measuring systems are excellent in this regard, especially the ANTARIS SCAN sensors in conjunction with our evaluation software, Slab Check,” noted Dr Axel Schulz, sales manager for the steel industry at LAP. LAP laser measuring systems check the dimensions of long and flat products including slabs, billets and pipes. LAP

onto a light-sensitive target camera. Depending on the distance from the measured object, the position of the point of light changes. The signal processor calculates the distance between the sensor and surface of the steel products from this data. By using LAPmeasuring systems, you avoid

LAP laser measuring systems, especially ANTARIS SCAN sensors, enhance cost-effectiveness by reducing scrap and increasing throughput

LAP Laser – Germany Email: lap@ofischer.com Website: www.ofischer.com

Automated weld monitoring AUTOMATIC welding processes require remote monitoring cameras to be able to properly verify equipment set- up, monitor weld quality and alert the operator to other welding issues before they result in production problems. the XVC-O wide dynamic range view camera, which can be mounted right at the welding tip to allow the operator to remotely view the welding process. Combining sophisticated sensor

including MIG, MAG, TIG, plasma and laser. By delivering clear views of the brightest features of a welding torch tip while still being able to see the weld pool and surrounding darker background, the cameras can improve weld quality, lower the defect rate and improve efficiency.

technology with advanced electronics to provide high contrast, wide dynamic range images, the Xiris XVC-O View Camera for weld monitoring is suitable for a wide range of welding applications

Because it is typically too congested or dangerous to have an operator directly monitor the welding tip while under operation, Xiris has developed

Xiris Automation Inc – Canada Website: www.xiris.com

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N ovember 2012