Overview
Experience Forged in Foundries
Producing metal is typically a harsh industry, especially in the foundries where the environment of heat and airborne contaminants make any kind of measurement a challenge. Exiting the foundry, the metal produced continues to be inspected through the subsequent rolling, forming, and other processes.
As with all processing, there are opportunities to improve production speeds, control flow processes and measure the results of the forming processes for thickness, width and/or diameter. For example, detecting a small defect in an aluminum billet that is several meters thick before being rolled into aluminium foil for cans where the impact of that defect is magnified into a huge hole or other irregularity.
LMI Technologies has been supplying measuring systems to the metals business including the harsh world of casting for many years. Our unique line of products measure the casting levels of molten aluminum for billet casting controls. These sensors are being used by world class suppliers of casting equipment.
Applications
Casting Measurement for Level Control Systems
Foundries are harsh industrial environments for most sensor technologies, especially 3D measurement systems. There is a significant need for level controls in these applications. Discrete capacitive or inductive sensors do not provide the accuracy or robustness to meet these requirements. LMI technologies has solved this with various laser measurement technologies designed for specific applications.
This example demonstrates the ability to measure the surface level of a casting as it is being filled, optimizing material flow and ensuring the proper amount of metal goes into the casting. Too little and the casting needs to be rejected. Too much and there is overflow and a loss of material, as well as the possibility of a lost casting.
The sensors have the ability to detect the surface even though the metal is molten. Fill level prediction is used to optimize the casting cycle time by opening the pour gate just as the new casting is arriving at the pouring station. This feature is accomplished by relying on a 3D measurement system that is both accurate and fast to enough detect the levels and respond before too much metal is poured.