3D measurement responds to steel making challenges

QUAH Beng Chieh, Head of Marketing (Asia Pacific), FARO Technologies

By: Kathryn Gerardino-Elagio

Steel making industry has experienced significant changes in the last thirty years. It became necessary to meet the growing demand for producing high-grade steel and to restructure the production process by reducing the number of blast furnaces.

Therefore, new technologies have been actively developed and introduced to drastically improve the productivity and the steelmaking technologies. These measures enabled manufacturers to streamline the production facilities and to establish a highly-efficient steelmaking process which can offer a wide variety of high-grade steel.

Quality control is paramount in the steel manufacturing industry as lapses in quality can lead to serious performance and safety impairments. Measurement methods range from ensuring key dimensions are within tight specifications to other criteria, such as checking surface finish and grain/crystal size which can be vitally important since they can have a dramatic effect on quality and performance.

However, the added value of inspection activities is often questioned, and metrology in particular is sometimes considered only as an unnecessary expense. Documented quantification of economic benefits of metrology is generally not available.

FARO 3D Laser Scanner optimises erosion inspection of high-temperature materials for steel industries. Mr. QUAH Beng Chieh, Head of Marketing (Asia Pacific), FARO Technologies shared with International Metalworking News for Asia (IMNA) how the company’s 3D scanners can overcome the challenges in steel making inspections.

IMNA: What are the main challenges that the steel making industry in South East Asia is facing now? What technological developments do you feel would be effective to answer some of the current challenges being faced in steel plants?

Mr. QUAH: As with any manufacturing industry, ASEAN steelmakers grapple with dynamic market forces, digitalisation, and sustainability. When viewed in relation to advances in metrology, there are several ways that technology can help steelmakers overcome some of the challenges they face today.

FARO is a visionary and leading provider of 3D measurement, imaging and realisation technology. Our portable CMMs, such as laser trackers and measuring arms, enable foundry and metalcasting companies to take quick measurements and perform dimensional analysis on patterns, moulds, and dies directly on the foundry floor. Through implementing suitable inspection tools, steelmakers can expect shorter product lead times for customers and the completion of entire manufacturing runs with minimal scrap and rework.

IMNA: How true is it that FARO 3D laser scanners can help improve inefficient practices?

Mr. QUAH: Indeed, the FARO^® Focus^S Laser Scanner is an ultra-portable laser scanner that is purpose-built to address common measurement needs so as to eliminate manufacturing inefficiencies. The Focus^S is capable of acquiring straightforward and accurate measurements of complex objects and buildings with the touch of a button. It features an intuitive touch-screen, a built-in 8-megapixel HDR-camera captures detailed imagery easily while providing a natural colour overlay to the scan data in extreme lighting conditions. In addition, its lightweight, small-sized, and 4.5-hour battery runtime per charge makes the Focus^S Laser Scanner truly mobile for fast, secure, and reliable scanning.

IMNA: Given FARO’s expertise in inspection, do you think the 3D laser scanner can help in cost reduction measures for steel-making?

Mr. QUAH: In the steel-making processes, many containers are used for carrying, transporting, and smelting. These containers are constantly in contact with materials like molten steel, slag, and furnace gases, and are subjected to the effects of long-term physical, mechanical, and chemical erosion.

Traditionally, most steel mills depend on manual or rudimentary measurement methods to carry out erosion inspection. Technicians wait for the temperature of the furnace to lower, and the convexity and concavity of the furnace is observed by visually inspecting the changes of the refractory materials, or by extending an iron rod into the interior of the furnace to find a few fixed angles. The erosion is then calculated by comparing the changes. These methods relied heavily on the experience of the workers, and there was no way that anyone could verify the accuracy of the data obtained. In addition, exposure to the high levels of thermal radiation at the inspection site also posed serious health risks to inspection personnel.

IMNA: Share an example of how 3D laser scanning technology is used in steel-making.

Mr. QUAH: The application of 3D laser scanning technology in Hot Forging Dimensional Inspections is still relatively new to many in the steel-making industry. Hangzhou Pucheng Teddy Industrial Co., Ltd. (PUTEDY) — an advanced technology enterprise that supports the metallurgical industry — was one of the first in China to have established a complete set of dimensional inspection systems.

Using the FARO^® Focus^3D X 130 Laser Scanner, PUTEDY inspects steel and iron ladles, regular monitoring of any changes to the refractory materials, and to determine when material filling is necessary. The company developed a long-range 3D scanning system that can carry out non-contact measurement of high-temperature objects. With the simple click of a button, operators can perform scans, data analysis, and calculation, obtaining beautiful displays of scan results and automatic storage management at the same time. This is a tremendous improvement over the original inspection workflow, which was deemed inefficient.

Before the inspection is carried out, the staff will halt production and adjust the angle of the furnace in preparation for the inspection. The 3D scanning system is then moved to the front of the object for inspection, where 2 to 3 sets of data are collected through scans from different angles. Generally, the objects that the team works with on-site are cylindrical in shape, ranging from 3 to 5 meters in diameter, with a wall thickness of 0.6 to 1 meter.

Capable of recording 976,000 points per second, the FARO scanner’s fast scanning speed allows it to complete inspecting the inner surface of a container within minutes. This improves the working efficiency of the inspectors at the site, and more importantly, ensures all the relevant important data is fully recorded. As such, it ensures that all useful information is properly recorded and prevents any omission. In addition, time, manpower, and money can be saved through this improved inspection process.

IMNA: Do you agree that inspection merely separates good and bad items, and that it is no way to prevent the production of bad items?

Mr. QUAH: The inspection process does serve to separate high-quality products from poorly manufactured ones, but that is not its only goal. Inspection is also the starting point for manufacturers to adjust and make meaningful changes so that overall quality improves, allowing a greater proportion of products to eventually pass quality checks.