Producing coated products presents steelmakers with a serious challenge when it comes to achieving the highest quality, productivity and operational cost performance.
Lusosider aims to reduce the zinc usage of its continuous galvanising line, which has an annual capacity of 275,000 tonnes.
Improved coating performance
The project includes installing an air knife based on a performance contract. This digital solution, developed by the Steel Digital Factory at Fives, fully automates the adjustment of wiping process conditions, optimises zinc consumption, and improves surface quality. The digital model can control wiping parameters during transitions, steadily adjusting the coating weight to prevent overcoating and reduce zinc consumption.
“Lusosider plans to install an effective solution that will optimize the operation of the equipment in the zinc pot zone during transitional periods. This solution will significantly reduce zinc consumption and prevent quality issues,”
says Rui Gonçalves, Maintenance & Investments Manager at Lusosider Aços Planos.
“The air-knife model is based on our metallurgical know-how and process expertise. This solution can be adapted to any strip processing line thanks to its plug-and-play system and can also be integrated with other digital systems to optimize the line’s overall performance,”
says Maxime Monnoyer, Product Line Leader at the Steel Digital Factory, Fives.
Fives has already modernized the line in recent years to increase operational safety and facilitate maintenance. The latest project will enhance Lusosider’s overall performance by enabling automated zinc control and reducing production costs.
(Source: Fives Group)
