Brock Solutions supplies fully automated tube mill control for both Greenfield and retrofit customers. Our
solutions encompass all control aspects of the mill from uncoiler to
stacker including the looper/floop, forming/fin/sizing sections and carraige
cut-offs.
The Challenge: : A leading
NA fabricator’s main mill, controlled by an out-dated MG
set with a generator feeding a common DC bus,
required an upgrade. Setup was done manually through individual field rheostats
for each motor making set-up time consuming, inefficient, and inconsistent. Also,
the generator limited the maximum material gauge and line speed and the
control devices were obsolete.
The Solution: : Together, the
customer and Brock’s design team decided the system would by upgraded by
integrating the existing Uncoiler, Looper, Welder and Normalizer with a
new system based on AC motors and drives. The scope of work
included:
-
Upgrade old DC motors & Controls to a new AC·
-
A user-friendly HMI for machine set-up &
repeatability of Settings
-
A full diagnostic package & remote monitoring
capabilities
-
Elimination of encoders to reduce
maintenance
Brock implemented a digital SAFphire, a complete
distributive control system (see SAFphire.com), which provided all of the
necessary control loops in software. The SAFphire controlled ABB ACS600
drives through high-speed fibre optic links. This combination offered real
time torque control while line coordination was performed through an
Allen-Bradley PLC.The solution was the first Tube Mill in North America to
be fully powered by AC motors and drives.
The Results:
- Initial production increases are estimated to have
increased from 58,000 tons/year to 84,000 tons/year due to electrical
upgrade only
- User-friendly operation and simplified set-up
capabilities result in a consistent product
- Significant reduction in maintenance costs
