ABB Outokumpu Stainless in Avesta, Sweden has successfully installed Millmate Roll Force systems in their roughing and steckel mills

ABB Outokumpu Stainless in Avesta, Sweden has  successfully installed Millmate Roll Force systems  in their roughing and steckel mills

Background

Outokumpu Stainless in Avesta, has built up  a continuous process when it comes to service  and check-ups of roll force measurement load cells  in the roughing and steckel mills. In order to carry  through pro-active maintenance and secure quality  Avesta follows a load cell rotation schedule where  the roll force load cells are checked and serviced  on a regular basis.

In order to avoid possible future problems there is  in the roughing mill 1 set of spare load cells and in  the steckel mill there are 2 sets of spare load cells.  These backup units (load cell packages) are needed  in case of unpredicted events in the mill.  

The most important factor is to keep the standstill  time to an absolute minimum level. The cost for  rolling mill standstill is very high in comparison  to keep load cell spares available 24/7.

What is the main benefits with ABB’s Millmate  Roll Force systems and what has been achieved?

We ask Mr. Kristian Wikström, Automation Engineering  and Mr. Ulf Jansson, Electrical Technician Automation  (both working in the roughing and steckel mills)  who concordantly express their opinion about the  ABB Millmate Roll Force System installations: ”ABB’s Millmate Roll Force Systems (MRF) have been working very well over the years and the MRF load cells  together with the electronics Millmate Controller  400 (MC400) is an unbeatable combination.  The MC400 is very user-friendly and easy to operate.”

“Despite the tremendous heat and harsh environments  in the roughing and steckel mills the MRF roll force  measurements are accurate and stable and you always  feel secure that the load cells are doing the job.  Further, the load cell packages are excellent and work  very well in the load cell rotation schedule we have  successfully maintained in Avesta Works.”

Outokumpu Stainless

Outokumpu is a global leader in stainless steel  with the vision to be the undisputed number one.

Customers in a wide range of industries use their  stainless steel and services worldwide. Being a fully  recyclable, maintenance-free, as well as very strong  durable material, stainless steel is one of the key  building blocks for a sustainable future. Outokumpu  employs some 10,000 people in more than 30 countries.  Main production plants are Tornio and Kemi in Finland,  Avesta (steel melting shop, hot and cold rolling),  Nyby and Degerfors in Sweden, Krefeld, Dillenburg  and Dahlerbrück in Germany, Sheffield in the  UK and Calvert and Richburg in the US.

Outokumpu’s main products are hot and cold  rolled stainless steel sheets, plates and strips that  are used in numerous applications – such as the  construction industry, the automotive industry and  equipment for the process industry.

Wide and thick individually rolled quarto plates are  used in the energy sector, to transport chemicals and  to extract salt from sea water. They are also widely  used in the process industry in pressure cylinders,  tanks, thickwalled tubes, bridge structures and  process equipment.

Outokumpu’s customers include the processing  and construction industries, the energy sector, the  transport sector, the food and electronics industries,  and the producers of household and industrial  machinery around the world.