Automation Techniques for Fully Automated Coil Transport

摘要

Kawasaki Steel started the construction of an automatic steel stripcoil transportation system in the 1980's. Presently, most of the in-planttransportation of hot-rolled or cold-rolled coils are automated. For establishingthe automatic transportation, there were developed various technologies, such as,the optimum handling technology using artificial intelligence, the technology ofpreventing additional piling of coils on existing coils by using an ultrasonic waveand a laser beam. Through the improvements of these technologies, a full-automated transportation system has been achieved and the system hascontributed substantially toward product quality assurance and cost reduction.This paper gives the changes in the automation technology of coil transportationand transition in the automation of No.3 finishing hot rolling mill, now havingthe latest automatic system, in Chiba Works.