Autonomous systems are taking the metalworking industry by storm
Robotics and automation have long been standard practice in steel and non-ferrous metal companies, foundries, forges and metal forming plants. Driven by digitalisation and artificial intelligence, the metal industries are on the cusp of their next wave of innovation with autonomous systems and drones. XPONENTIAL Europe – the new platform for autonomous technologies and robotics, taking place in Düsseldorf from 18 to 20 February 2025 – will provide fresh impetus. As the leading forum for unmanned systems and robotics across all areas of autonomous technology, XPONENTIAL Europe complements the “Bright World of Metals” alongside the quartet of trade fairs comprising GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST.
From core production through melting to the finished cast part, robots have become indispensable in numerous foundries. Innovative light-metal foundries, such as BMW’s in Landshut, produce housings for electric motors using automated casting systems such as Fill’s Robocast V vacuum dosing system. Robotics for the low-oxidation handling, manipulation and dosing of molten aluminium guarantees maximum casting quality whilst saving on recycled material.
Foundries and steelworks – robots are standard
Robots have long been an integral part of foundries. On automatic die-casting machines, robots retrieve the castings, carry out subsequent inspections, feed them into deburring presses and perform the subsequent processes. In iron foundries, robust robots adapted to the harsh foundry environment carry out the grinding and deburring of castings, whilst in the core shop, industrial robots handle core handling, core assembly and finishing.
The situation is no different in the steel industry. At Mannstaedt, for example – the global market leader in special sections – industrial robots stack hot-rolled steel parts weighing up to 2.5 tonnes. At the steel trader Kloeckner Metals Germany in Bremen, a robot-based system carries out the deburring of steel flame-cut parts weighing up to 750 kg for shipyards, shipbuilding suppliers and mechanical engineering firms. Whereas the deburring of large and heavy steel parts previously had to be carried out manually, this physically demanding and dangerous task is now handled by the robotic system – in a more time- and cost-efficient, safer and more precise manner, as Kloeckner assures us.
Drones collect data in hard-to-reach areas
Drones deployed in steelworks promise to take the inspection of blast furnaces, cooling towers and other critical components to a whole new level. Multicopters such as the Flyability Elios 3, equipped with a 4K camera, thermal imaging and LiDAR, capture precise data in hard-to-reach areas such as chimneys and high-bay warehouses. The technology promises early damage detection, saves time and ensures maximum safety for inspection personnel.
It comes as little surprise that major metallurgical plant manufacturers such as SMS and Primetals have long included robotics in their product ranges to enhance safety and productivity.
Robotics – an integral part of metallurgical plant engineering
SMS, for example, has developed the X-Pact Sampler, a robotic application designed to replace the dangerous manual measurement of temperature and the taking of samples from a molten steel bath. The sampling robot is capable of performing tasks ranging from simple functions to fully automated cycles, which include removing cartridges from the magazine, cutting and dispensing samples, scraping out used cartridges, compensating for lance deformation and managing lance changes.
Primetals also aims to improve safety and health and safety at the steelworks with its robotics solutions. The so-called LiquiRob robot system, for example, carries out several hazardous tasks at the Thai steelworks of steel producer Siam Yamato Steel, including operating the oxygen lance, taking measurements and samples from the distributor, and feeding powder into the distributor.
Autonomous robots ensure safety in steelworks
Driven by digitalisation and artificial intelligence, the metal industries are on the cusp of the next wave of innovation with autonomous systems and drones. Outokumpu, for instance, is the first company in the steel industry to utilise AI and autonomous robots in safety management. To this end, the global market leader in stainless steel has signed a partnership agreement with the Swiss robotics company ANYbotics in 2023 to develop autonomous robot solutions. The ANYmal robots support Outokumpu’s ambitious safety strategy and its goal of creating the safest working environment in the steel industry.
XPONENTIAL Europe – the new platform for autonomous technologies and robotics
XPONENTIAL Europe, taking place in Düsseldorf from 18 to 20 February 2025, will provide further impetus for the use of autonomous technologies and robotics in the metals sector. This new leading forum for unmanned systems and robotics across all areas of autonomous technology is part of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH and complements the “Bright World of Metals” – comprising the four trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST – with new autonomous technologies. Sandvik Osprey, for example, plans to showcase the potential of digital production processes and new technologies using metal powders at XPONENTIAL Europe. According to the company, it is the world’s leading manufacturer of metal powders for metal injection moulding and additive manufacturing.
Source: Messe Düsseldorf