OPD

OPTICAL POWDER DEVICE


Stable mold powder feeding is a crucial requirement in high quality submerged casting. Beyond being poorly reproducible, manual feeding is also potentially hazardous for the operator. To overcome both problems Ergolines developed OPD, a new optical system enabling real-time control over powder thickness and steel level. While a multi-spectral camera monitors powder consumption by dedicated image processing, a laser scanner serves as primary level control device. OPD can be used as a feedback tool to drive Ergolines’ powder feeding machine, enabling reliable and fully automated powder addition and control.


NEEDS

  • Increase operational safety
  • Reproducible mold powder feeding
  • Even powder feeding over steel surface
  • Stable steel meniscus

ADVANTAGES

  • Fully automated powder feeding: no need for manual intervention
  • Fully repeatable, closed-loop powder feeding
  • Homogeneous powder coverage of the liquid bath
  • Improved meniscus stability
  • Reliable steel level control

Some references