Temperature Measurement for Steel Forming Processes

After steel has been mined, processed and cast, it undergoes further cutting and forming to convert it into finished products.

Shear Cutting Operations

Once molten steel is cast and cooled by water jets, it exits the spray chamber via the withdrawal straightener line and continues to the shear cutting area. A high temperature plasma torch cuts the metal to a predetermined length. A pyrometer or thermal imaging camera from Process Sensors Corporation (PSC) is used to determine the billet or slab temperature is within specification so it is not too rigid or too soft before entering the roughing stands.

Hot Rolling Mill

Once the metal billets or slabs have cooled enough to hold shape, they are run through a series of heated rollers (roughing stands). These roughing stands squeeze the metal to a desired thickness and length.  At the end of the roughing stands another cutting operation cuts the metals to a preset size. The metal must be solid, but pliable, so as to not destroy the machinery and halt the flow of production. Throughout this process, infrared (IR) temperature sensors and thermal imaging cameras from PSC are used to ensure the metal is at the correct temperature.

Laminar Cooling Line

Once properly shaped, the metal is put through the cooling line where it is sprayed with water one final time before being coiled and shipped out. PSC pyrometers are recommended to determine if the product has cooled enough for handling and to detect any imperfections that were missed by other processes.

To learn more about how PSC can optimize your steel forming operation, please fill out the contact form below.

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