Steelmaking involves conditions that are both extreme and dangerous, for example the need to transport and transfer molten steel at temperatures of 1,500 °C and more in and from giant crucibles. To protect humans, systems and the material itself, every movement must be performed in a precisely controlled and monitored process. Moreover, it is essential that potential overspeeds are detected rapidly and stopped immediately with an emergency brake.
Moving huge weights with the ladle crane hoist
The task of moving the crucible, which often weighs several tons, is handled by the hoist on the ladle crane. It lifts and lowers the ladle containing the molten steel and positions it over the distributor or the continuous casting mold, depending on the system, before pouring out the molten steel. The more precisely and smoothly the required movements are performed, the safer the process is. However, many steelworks still use old cam limit switches, which are relatively inaccurate and prone to error.
Modernization with an additional function
Our customer asked us to modernize a ladle crane with outdated technology with the aim of increasing operational reliability and improving positioning accuracy. After a detailed analysis of the system at the steelmaking facility, our specialists came up with a fitting solution. It includes an electronic position switch with much higher accuracy. The U-ONE modular universal encoder system selected for the job was additionally fitted with an electronic overspeed switch, which activates an external emergency brake where required. The solution also features fiber-optic signal transmission to prevent EMC interference. To find out precisely which products were used in the solution and for concrete details on how it was implemented, take a look at our case study: “Hoist / Supporting Structure: improving operating reliability and positioning accuracy on a ladle crane”.