Premiere Automation

Steel Manufacturer

A steel manufacturer's equipment was out of sync, causing damage to both product and equipment. Premier Automation designed around temperature obstacles to synchronize the customer's rollers and motors, sharply reducing repairs and wasted material.

The Problem

A large steel product manufacturer produces seamless tubes. As the hot steel was forced through a progressively smaller pipeline, it picked up speed and struck the rollers waiting to catch and move the product forward. The motors running the rollers did not match the speed of the steel leaving the pipeline, resulting in scrapes on the fresh steel and constant equipment repairs.

The Solution

Premier Automation first developed a system of measurement to calculate the speed of the steel in relation to the speed of the rollers. Because the temperature of hot steel makes it nearly impossible to use traditional sensors, our engineers monitored spikes in the electrical current required to move the steel. Using this side channel to tune the motors, Premier Automation successfully reprogrammed the customer’s Siemens PLC and drives for synchronized speed.