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BCB
MANUFACTURING
Thermal treatments for monitoring the
manufacture of metal parts
Heat treatment is used to alter the chemical and
physical properties of manufactured metal parts, and
is capable of monitoring their hardness or lack thereof.
A case in which thermography can be really useful is
in the casting processes of steel mills, both in continuous
and mould casting. For iron part manufacturers
in the automotive sector, knowledge of the temperature
of the iron in the casting furnace is fundamental,
as the filling temperature of the mould must be very
precise to achieve the desired physical properties in
the part.
Currently, temperature control in this type of process
is carried out with probes or rods introduced into the
liquid metal bath, which have considerable thermal
inertia, and can overheat when the process starts
from a cold state. So the temperature obtained differs
from that of emptying, which happens 5 to 10
minutes later. However, with thermographic cameras
we obtain instant measurements during the pouring
process, which enables us to operate with a much
greater reaction margin and forego the need for
probes.
Measurement by thermography is not only capable
of measuring up to 1700°C (the pouring point for
certain metals), but also of making this measurement
as safely as possible, at a distance and without needing
to intervene in the process. Repeatability and
measurement quality is also high.
In addition, with a thermography system it is possible
to add functionalities, such as detecting in real
time when the slag appears in the steel stream in
pot filling, to stop it before it falls from the bucket.
A distinction is made by emissivity of the slag against
steel, signalling the slag with red isotherm.
(Top image) Traditional measurement of the temperature of the emptying
oven. (Bottom image) Measurement by thermography.
bcb has developed a series of solutions aimed at the process
control, traceability and quality management of the
manufactured product. bcbMonitor® is a family of products
that integrates multiple combinations of thermographic
sensors, image management software and additional
elements on a single platform, to build a complete
thermographic monitoring solution adapted to the needs
of each particular application. It is also possible to define
regions of interest, record their evolution over time, programme
the selective recording of images or videos with
radiometric data, configure alarms, etc.... and communicate
using the appropriate protocol (MODBUS/TCP-IP,
EIP or others) with the process control system.
Javier Bezares
Founder & CEO
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