Automatic Alignment System Project (10 K € in Prizes)

This company is looking for an automatic alignment system to assure the correct placement of a spoon during the pouring down of fluxed steel. 

Background

Our client is a company specialized in the manufacturing of steel products.

The Challenge

This is the process our client follows to produce steel tubes or beams: a spoon is placed over a filling sprue, acting as an elevated funnel in which the steel is poured down to fill up the ingot molds. This process is intuitively performed by the crane operator. Once the small hole at the bottom of the spoon is placed over the ingot molds’ filling sprue, the hole slightly opens and the steel casting is poured down.  If the position is correct, the pouring can continue by opening completely the hole at the bottom of the spoon. However, if the spoon is wrongly placed over the sprue, part of the casting will be poured out of the sprue and the spoon will need to be centered again to complete the filling process. Said process is performed 3 to 6 times per hour. Both the sprue and the ingot molds are placed on top of a thick steel platform called “assembly plate” using a bridge crane, adding ceramic channels at the bottoms to link the ingot molds with the sprue. This entire system must be assembled before each casting and disassembled right after.

What the client is looking for

Our client is looking for an automatic or semi-automatic alignment system that places the spoon over the sprue which eliminates any hazard. Besides, and regardless of the previous system, the client wants to re-apply the technology for that solution to create an alignment system that places the ingot molds over the “assembly plates”, which will semi-automate the assembly process with the bridge crane.

Evaluation Criteria

• Technical solution
• Feasibility evidence
• Lower estimated costs

Timeline

This is a 3 round challenge with the following timings 1^st round – 6 weeks+ 2 weeks for evaluation 2^nd round – 4 weeks + 2 weeks for evaluation 3^rd round – 2 weeks + 1 week for evaluation