Iron and steel

SPM has been involved in the iron and steel industry since the beginning of the 1970s, and we continue to contribute to improved plant reliability for main manufacturers around the world.

Condition monitoring is a cornerstone in the asset management of iron and steel plants. Having control of the operating condition is a must to optimize plant profitability. Maintaining availability, maximizing forewarning time, and avoiding secondary damages are the main reasons for applying condition-based monitoring in these industries.

Typical applications are conveyor belts, raw material handling machines, ship unloaders, stack reclaimers, continuous casters, cranes, rolling mills, annealing machinery, galvanization plants, and also, for example, pumps, fans, and gearboxes. On many of these applications, it is difficult to determine the operating condition due to low rpm, rpm variations, short time window to collect relevant data, mechanical disturbances, and harsh environment. To handle these challenges, SPM has developed methods, functions, and hardware that meet these demands.

"Our choice of Intellinova was quite simple; it was the only option that could manage measurement in our hot strip mill."

Kent Engelcrona, Technology coordinator, SSAB Borlänge

Condition monitoring for converter drive trains

Taking full advantage of patented HD Technologies, SPM offers a complete and reliable solution for condition monitoring of converter drive trains to optimize process efficiency and minimize downtime.

Providing exceptional prewarning times, the SPM solution enables the easy and reliable condition monitoring of:

  • Motors
  • Gearboxes
  • Main bearings

Technical Solution: Converter drive train

Condition monitoring solutions for iron and steel

SPM HD® measuring technique handles low RPM and suppresses mechanical disturbances, while HD Order Tracking takes care of RPM variations up to 50% during data acquisition. High-end vibration measurement units and advanced software functionality combined make routine condition monitoring and analysis tasks simple and efficient.

Post trigger is available for both SPM HD and vibration analysis; this makes the monitoring of the drive train on rolling mills easy and reliable. Transducers for harsh environments, extremely sturdy connectors, and industrial cable protection ensures trouble-free operation and low life cycle cost.

Portable instrumentation

Our range of handheld instrumentation includes equipment for shock pulse measurement, vibration severity measurement, and vibration spectrum analysis.

Intellinova online systems

With Intellinova, our unique HD condition-monitoring technologies can be fully utilized to successfully provide earlier warning of mechanical problems than any other monitoring technology.

Condition monitoring in explosive environments

Our high-performance portable and online equipment are also available for potentially explosive environments.

HD Technologies

High-definition condition monitoring technologies provide exceptional pre-warning times, maximizing the planning horizon for maintenance and repairs. In turn, this enables fully utilizing asset life, cutting repair costs, and minimizing the consequences of unplanned downtime.

Case studies

Bearing cage failure in a wire rolling mill

Thanks to its online condition monitoring system, the Austrian steel wire manufacturer averted what could have resulted in significant production stoppage in the nick of time.

Rolling element damage in charging crane

Aiming to improve equipment reliability, a Russian steelworks initiated a pilot project where the Intellinova online system was installed to monitor the mechanical condition of a production-critical charging crane.

SSAB: bearing condition on continuous casting line

SSAB, Swedish steel manufacturer of hot and cold reduced strip, recently has equipped its Continuous casting line 5 with online condition monitoring using Intellinova Compact and the SPM HD measuring technique.

News

Norwegian manganese smelter Eramet Norway Sauda upgrades online monitoring of production-critical exhaust fans

Manganese producer Eramet Norway is set to update the monitoring of production-critical exhaust fans by upgrading to SPM's most advanced online system, Intellinova Par...

SSAB monitors process cranes with online systems from SPM Instrument

Swedish rolling mill SSAB in Borlänge has invested in the online system Intellinova Parallel EN to monitor the condition of a production-critical process crane in the...

voestalpine Wire Rod monitors roll stands with patented HD technology

Steel manufacturer voestalpine Wire Rod Austria GmbH is now investing in the advanced and multifunctional online system Intellinova Parallel EN to monitor the conditio...

SSAB Borlänge upgrades online monitoring in hot-rolling mill to Intellinova Parallel EN

From Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB, SPM has received an order comprising four units of the online system Intellinova Parallel EN for the replacement of existing unit...

Case study: Outer race bearing damage in autogenous mill

At Bulgarian copper production plant Aurubis, early warning of developing mechanical problems related to the autogenous grinding mill is essential. Since the mill is p...