To meet the high quality standards of South Africa's successful automotive industry, which manufactures vehicles for local use and export, Ispat Iscor has invested R20 million in a new high-tech, high-speed inspection line at its Vereeniging factory. This inspection facility, designed and manufactured by H. Rohloff, is believed to be the most modern of its kind in the world.
Inspection of all Ispat Iscor's solid bar and square steel billets for automotive component manufacturers has been done manually until now, but from the end of September the new line will be fully commissioned. Not only will production speed increase dramatically, but billets will also be inspected both externally and internally to eliminate any defects greater than 0,3 mm. With passenger safety being critical to motor manufacturers, any component defect could be hazardous, so it became essential for Ispat Iscor to ensure all its steel products were thoroughly tested with a verifiable written report.
The new inspection line, with a carrying capacity of 2t, has three sections. The main section is 64 m long, and the two sub-sections for grinding and bundling are each 32 m long. The main section incorporates a surface inspection area comprising four infrared cameras and an ultrasonic scanner for internal inspection. All test results are recorded on a central scada computer system linked to Ispat Iscor's network. Any defective billets or bars are either repaired or rejected entirely.
The fully automated inspection line moves at a speed of on average 1,0 m/s. The conveyor system is operated by 12 banks of eight W75 gearboxes with Bonfiglioli flange-mounted 525 V electric motors. Each bank is controlled by a variable-speed drive that which allows the speed to be altered to suit different materials. The transfer conveyor at the end of the line is controlled by three large Bonfiglioli A Series helical bevel drives and one planetary front-end loader drive with clutch brake unit for loading the steel onto the end-feed tables.
The line is capable of handling up to one million tonnes per annum, which allows for extra capacity on Ispat Iscor's present output of 600 000 t/annum.
This is the second system of this nature designed and manufactured by H.Rohloff, but it is substantially larger than the one installed at Macsteel's Bright Bar factory. "We specified Bonfiglioli drives and motors for the line, and their excellent performance during the inspection of 4,5 million bars over a two-year period led us to choose them again for the Ispat Iscor project," said Pieter de Lange, H. Rohloff's marketing director who is responsible for all projects. "We were also impressed with the ease of installation and the company's after-sales service."
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