Objective The aim of the project is to achieve significant improvement in stripcast quality through an integrated control system and its use in process driving. The production process chosen, continuous casting of A1 alloy strip, shows characteristics particularly suitable for the development / assessment of the control system. A system for the automatic on-line evaluation of strip cast aluminium has been developed. The project programme carried out through the study and development of: vision system, temperature control by IR equipment, thickness measurement by eddy current, expert system, data management and correlation between strip condition and process parameters has been succesfully concluded with the testing on the casting line of Nuova Comsal plant in Portovesme. The system shows good performances being able to detect the defects and the anomalies on the strip surface and to suggest the corrective actions to the casting line operators. Use of the system results in a strictly controlled process reducing the strip defect with an quality increase and cost reduction. Being easy and flexible the system is suitable to be utilized in any existing casting line producing aluminium strip.To achieve this target the following actions are necessary: -continuous assessment of the strip temperature distribution immediately after salification -thickness profile measurement of the strip both longitudinal and transversely -detection of defects and identification of the type, importance and dimension of same. All the above mentioned measurements must be taken non destructively and by non contact method techniques in hostile industrial environments. The detection of the surface defects has to be fulfilled in real time while manufacturing the aluminium strip. The data obtained will be used in a further stage for: -development of the data management system for the collection of data from various measurement devices and for their integration as quality report of the strip -analysis of correlations between the process parameters and the collected measurements -development of an expert system able to drive the casting operation using processed data -final in-field test of the prototype system and evaluation of the improvements achieved. Fields of science engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcontrol systemsnatural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrypost-transition metalsnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligenceexpert systems Programme(s) FP2-BRITE/EURAM 1 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the fields of industrial manufacturing technologies and advanced materials applications (BRITE/EURAM), 1989-1992 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator Alures ScpA EU contribution No data Address Via G. Bovio 6 28100 Novara Italy See on map Total cost No data Participants (4) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Gamma Software Sas Italy EU contribution No data Address Via Giovanni Pascoli 46 14100 Asti See on map Total cost No data Nuova Comsal SpA Italy EU contribution No data Address Strada Paringianu 09010 Portoscuso Cagliari See on map Total cost No data Secad SA France EU contribution No data Address 47 avenue Alsace Lorraine 38000 Grenoble See on map Total cost No data Universidad Politecnica de Madrid Spain EU contribution No data Address Jose Gutierrez Abascal 2 28006 MADRID See on map Total cost No data
