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Real Time Inventory Control The OPTIMAT inventory control facilities enable the maintenance of up to the minute information on current metallic raw materials stocks. Receipts of materials are recorded using screen input, direct interfacing to weighbridges and/or portable hand held data terminals. Bar coded labeling systems are utilised as appropriate. Materials consumed at the furnaces which have been reserved by OPTIMAT charge and melt adjustment calculations are automatically deducted from stock upon confirmation by furnace operatives. Current raw material status can be displayed or printed in report form at any time. Comprehensive current inventory and inventory movement reporting is provided. Furnace Charge Optimisation OPTIMAT calculates the least cost optimised combination of scraps, pure metals, oxides and ferro-alloys to produce a melt to a given weight and chemistry specification. Due account is taken of the current availability of raw materials in stock and any constraints on the usage of specific materials or groups of materials as required by technical or production considerations. In the case of materials arising at a specific weight, such as a scrap ingot, drums of Mo oxide or premelt pigs, then these materials will occur in the calculated charge in multiples of their specific weight. The charge calculation facility is highly interactive and places the operator completely in control of the calculation. If a heel practice is operated then OPTIMAT will include the heel weight and composition into the calculation. Weighlogs are printed for use by charge preparation operatives. A detailed calculation report is printed for each charge calculated. Alloy Additions Calculation - Melt Correction Immediately upon receipt of a bath analysis via the interface to the laboratory analytical equipment, the least cost optimised alloy additions required to meet the appropriate specification is calculated. If dilution is required which cannot be achieved within the capacity of the furnace, then the optimised weight to be tapped off and subsequent additions will be calculated. An additions weighlog is printed for the furnace operatives and a detailed calculation report is produced for each cast. Laboratory Instruments Interface OPTIMAT is interfaced to laboratory analytical instruments to enable immediate transmission of bath sample results to the furnace terminals and to collect data for generation of test certificates. |
Optimised Physical Properties When physical properties are specified in addition to chemistry limits OPTIMAT will determine for each cast the least cost optimised charge/additions to achieve the required physical properties within the chemistry specification. This can be applied to hardenability, tensile strength, ferrite fraction and any other property where the relationship to chemistry is known. Data Logging All process times, power data, delays, gases and water flow data, roof sidewall and bottom lives, ladle and nozzle data, secondary steelmaking casting parameters can be included in the comprehensive data logging facilities. Appropriate interfaces are provided to PLC control equipment. Together with the raw materials data, this data is recorded for each cast in the cast records database. PLC Furnace Control The application of Programmable Logic Controllers to melting furnace control yields reductions in energy, electrodes and refractories costs, together with improved productivity. These controllers are interfaced to the main OPTIMAT computer to enable downloading of control parameters and the transmission from the PLC of power input and process time data. Technical Databases The Materials Database contains comprehensive data on every material in current or past use covering composition, costs and physical characteristics. The Specifications Database contains full data on working specifications and procedures for melting and finishing together with comprehensive customer and standard specification data. Management Information Reporting Detailed reports are produced for every cast showing raw materials usage, process data, process times and production data. Cost reports are produced on a cast, week, accounting period and annually. These reports give detailed cost analysis and can include variances from standards; they are available immediately upon completion of the cast or time period enabling corrective action to be taken rapidly when appropriate. Enquiry screens enable the display of individual full cast records for several years past production. Technical reports covering productivity, yields, refractory consumptions and lives are available as required. |
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QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS Experience over the years has shown that the use of OPTIMAT leads to improved consistency of composition control in finished products. Fewer casts are scrapped for being out of specification and fewer customer concessions are sought. OPTIMAT provides full materials traceability. Favorable comment is frequently made by customer and inspection authority quality auditors arising from OPTIMAT contribution to ensuring adherence to quality procedures, materials control, process data recording, cast history record retrieval and elimination of errors in test certification. The traditional 'Specification Book' is replaced by the Specification Database which is accessible at all OPTIMAT terminals. |
OPTIMAT SYSTEMS OPTIMAT Systems are provided on a turnkey basis configured to the specific needs of the client company. Multon undertake full responsibility for the project covering
Systems range in extent from single user to systems having many terminals and interfaces distributed throughout the plant. |