Modernisation of the DC drives of cutting line L2150

ArcelorMittal ESP

Twee-Molensstraat 8, 2440 Geel, Belgium

2022

ArcelorMittal ESP in Geel is part of the Downstream Solutions of this international steel giant. Their cutting line L2150 cuts coil material with a thickness of 2 mm to 16 mm into sheet material with a maximum length of 12 metres and a width of 2.15 metres.

To ensure the continuity of their main line, a necessary replacement of the DC drives was in order. The obsolete ABB drives, with more than 20 years on the clock, hugely increased the risk of an unforeseen long downtime. CPA Next ensured the complete replacement of these drives with recent DC drives from Siemens.

It was functionally challenging because of the rigidity of the material, which involves the necessary reaction forces. A correctly adjusted tension control of the unwinder is essential to ensure proper quality. In addition, if problems do arise, it is essential that the correct diagnosis can be made quickly. By displaying the necessary error messages directly from the drive on the operator screen, more targeted action can be taken in case of unforeseen stoppages.

In such projects, two things are extremely important: maintaining (or improving) previous functionality and delivering high reliability for decades to come. An expected age of 25 to 30 years is absolutely no exception. It is a small investment to ensure production security for years to come.