isam AG, Gesellschaft für angewandte Kybernetik (com-pany for applied cybernetics) is located in Mülheim, a city inthe Ruhr-region well-known for raw materials and steelmak-ing industry as well as for new technologies. Developing inan environment active and stimulating like this, the compa-ny has become well-known for its turn-key automation proj-ects in industrial applications all over the globe. Accordingly,isam evolved into industry’s partner for automation andprocess optimization. A high-skilled team of specialists inthe fields of information science, physics and engineering isready to create customized solutions. All effort directed tooptimise processes always brings about added value as itmakes best usage of existing rationalisation potentials.Simultaneously, running stable processes means improvedplant availability and product quality. Altogether, this leadsto an increase in efficiency, simultaneously lowering pro-duction costs.

In tackling new problems, our experts are supported byprofound knowledge and wide experience gained in raw ma-terials handling, steel making, metal treatment, aviation andaerospace. This is the best precondition no matter whetherwe have to employ proven methods or to break new grounds.

History. The company was originally founded by JürgenHellmich (a computer science major) in 1983 and has grownfrom 4 employees tomore than 50 highlyskilled engineers,computer scientistsand physicists in thepast two decades.Today, isam is man-aged jointly byJürgen Hellmich asCEO, Bernd Jotzo(Finance and HumanResources) andBernd Mann(Development andTechnology), allthree forming theBoard of Directors.Since the mergerwith German software development firm inma in 1993 thecompany is offering the full range of industrial automationprojects from the field instruments (Level 0), via PLC (Level1) and process control systems (Level 2) to logistics and pro-duction planning systems (Level 3/4). In 2002 isam was con-verted to a stock corporation to secure the necessary funding

for future expansion, however, it is wholly owned by eightprivate investors three of them forming the Board ofDirectors.

Scope of services

The scope of services isam offers to its customers basical-ly covers all kind of industrial automation and data process-ing. Going into more detail, the latter ranges from the devel-opment of company-specific concepts including the genera-tion of customised software over planning and implemen-tation of enterprise networks to the integration of heteroge-neous IT environments. Experience and service as far as in-dustrial automation is concerned cover measurement andcontrol techniques, process visualisation and control, datahandling and, of course, quality assurance, throughout thecomplete hierarchy. Individual image processing and imageanalysis is another matter of concern. Here, genetic algo-rithms provide the basis for material flow control, single parttracking and machine automation control systems.

Scope of activities

For a company rooted in Germany´s heavy industry, espe-cially iron and steel making, it is not surprising that it has

implemented au-tomation in almostany segment of thesupply chain fromiron ore to galva-nized coils.Extending its areaof expertise isamholds a strong po-sition in port au-tomation and bulkmaterial handling,pipe productionand the aerospaceindustry.Additionally, theoperation area hasbeen extended

from Germany all over the world. Today, isam is generatingmore than 80 % of its revenue outside its home market andhas become a globally acting enterprise with projects inIndia, the P.R. China, the United States of America, Russiaand all European countries, as well as with some subsidiariesoutside Germany.

65

from PP&S

STEEL CLIP:Jürgen Hellmich:

isam, making processes run automatically

Fig. 1: Combined stacker reclaimer handling raw materials

STEEL GRIPS 4 (2006) No. 1

Some finished projects proving expertise are listed belowordered according to the supply chain:� automation of unattended stacker reclaimers;� automation of train loading station for bulk materials, such

as coal and ore;� level 1 and 2 automation of steel meltshops;� control and visualisation implemented into a steelmaking

plant from BOF shop to finishing train;� mould level control systems for continuous casting and

thin slab casting plants;� integration of automatic systems for inside, outside and

spiral welding of pipes;

� quality assurance systems for large diameter pipes;� welding robots for laying pipelines;� a control system for welding of air intakes;� digital light arc control and seam tracking systems.

Further projects successfully carried out affect subjectssuch as pure cost accounting systems and operational dataacquisition systems, management information systems, shothole drill carriage, tip height measurement and, automatic

cutting-off/bevelling machines. It is obvious that only a fewapplications are left which isam has not yet automated. In thefollowing, some projects of exemplary nature explicitly il-lustrate what isam can do for you.

Experience in raw materials

Iron ore and coal. Taking a closer look at specific projectsfor the steel industry we start at the very beginning of the

production chain, i.e. raw materials supply, espe-cially iron ore and coal. As the European steel in-dustry imports most of its iron ore, coal and coke,the major steel producers and their port operatorsneed advanced automation systems to lower han-dling costs and increase capacity. The bucketwheel stacker reclaimer, especially if running au-tomatically, proves a very economical means forbulk materials handling from pellets through fineore to coal and coke. isam redesigned the electrical

engineering of such a handling device resulting in the firstunattended stacker reclaimer for iron ore and coal, fig. 1.

A real-time terrain model is created based on the 3-dimen-sional time-of-flight laser scan technology and satellite basednavigation, fig. 2a, b. The high precision of this model isachieved by the high scanning rate of 28000 pixels/s and thehigh-speed GPS receiver, both allowing for intelligent equip-ment operation. This further results in high and constant con-

66

from PP&S

Fig. 3: Fully automated waggon loading station for bulk materials, such as coal and ore at Hansaport HafenbetriebsgesellschaftmbH, Hamburg

Fig. 2: View of the stockpiling at Hansaport

b) false colour image of stockpile altitude

a) real environment

STEEL GRIPS 4 (2006) No. 1

veying rates. Thus, manpower can be reduced significantlywithout overloading the equipment.

The model works with an accuracy of ± 5 cm, and is beingkept up-to-date automatically. The only thing the operatorhas to do is to click on a stockpile and select the amount ofmaterial required. Thereafter, the combined stacker reclaimerwith a capacity of up to 6000 t/h is automatically positionedin the stockyard and the desired material is reclaimed with-

out any further user intervention. One single operator caneasily control up to 6 devices, thus significantly increasinghandling efficiency. Furthermore, in maintaining a more ho-mogeneous material flow this automated and, thus, smoothoperation leads to a reduction in wear occurring onthe mechanical parts, and to a substantial increasein overall throughput.

Dual-channel design of the equipment overloadprotection allows the classification in accordancewith DIN EN 954-1 Safety Class 3 as it preventsequipment from being damaged even if major sys-tem components fail.

Two applications are in operation at HansaportHafenbetriebsgesellschaft mbH Hamburg, with 12million t/a the largest German site for loading andunloading of bulk goods, and Emo Rotterdam, thelargest bulk material trans-shipment center in theworld as far as import is concerned with over 40million t/a.

Transport. On its further way to the blast fur-nace coal and iron ore are loaded onto trains by alikewise automated train loading station in which2-dimensional laser scanners track each waggon.The hydraulically operated shunting robot as wellas the entire loading process is controlled automat-ically based on this data, fig. 3. This system run byHansaport Hafenbetriebsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg com-prises the following main features:� automatic shunting of the waggons in the station by using

remote controlled shunting robots;

� administration of all data including capacity in terms ofvolume and mass for all types of waggons;

� automatic scan of arriving waggons to detect any residualquantity and, accordingly, potential fill volume;

� volume-flow controlled loading taking into account mate-rial state and weather.Integrating train loading station, conveyor belts and stack-

er reclaimers the whole trans-shipment process can be run 24hours a day/7 days a week with a minimum ofmanual user intervention.

Experience in steel making

As already mentioned, isam once started its au-tomation service in the iron and steel industry.Here, some of the latest projects are presented il-lustrating the automation of steelmaking opera-tions during melting, casting and solidification aswell as forming.

Melting. isam has recently implemented thecomplete level 1 and level 2 automation into a newsteelmaking facility in Asia. An electric arc furnace(EAF) of Conarc design serves for melting a mix-ture of scrap, DRI and hot metal. The distinguish-ing feature of this application is the combination ofmelting and blowing in the same vessel. An inte-grated process model jointly developed with thecustomer is employed to govern steelmaking oper-ation. It allows the prediction of steel composition

and temperature at different process sequences. An appropri-ate electrode synchronization model ensures optimum usageof the transformer which, speaking in terms of the process,always keeps one shell subject to arcing, fig. 4.

In 2005, level 2 was extended to the complete steel melt-ing shop including ladle furnace, vacuum degassing and al-loy optimisation. Pre-defined standard operating proceduresprovide the basis for a continuous production quality inde-pendent of the operator, who is automatically guided through

67

from PP&S

Fig. 4: Visualisation of the steel making sequences as they may occurin an EAF shop

Fig. 5: EAF control. Screenshot illustrating the operator´s view of one ofthe steelmaking periods performed in an electric arc furnace

STEEL GRIPS 4 (2006) No. 1

all production steps. A single level-2 system is available tointegrate the whole steel melting shop with associated labo-ratories. Supporting the operators in day-to-day operation italso ensures 100-% documentation of production.Nevertheless, the end of the flagpole has not yet beenreached, as far as level-2 automation is concerned. An onlinecost calculation and optimization module is currently beingdeveloped to take advantage of charge mix flexibility.Incorporation ofsuch a tool into ameltshop automa-tion will reduce pro-duction cost and in-crease yield basedon the respectiveavailability of rawmaterials and ener-gy. Energy avail-ability is especiallyimportant consider-ing the Conarc oper-ation with twoshells. An exampleof application, i.e.one vessel whichisam equipped withlevel 2 and all thePLC and HMI systems, is already in production, fig. 5. Asimulation environment of the complete control system wasset up based on the knowledge gained with the level 2 au-tomation of another Conarc EAF. Application of this envi-ronment resulted in a total hot commissioning period of lessthan 5 days from end of IO test to actual production.

The system architecture as already employed with an EAFmodule already in operation can com-pletely be redesigned for furthershells. Level 1 allowing for the controland visualisation of the double vesselEAF is now based on five SiemensS7-400 PLCs and an Intouch HMIsystem with fully redundant serversand eight operator stations. For thefirst time, all auxiliary systems such asgas cleaning plant and cooling sys-tems are also included in the centralHMI providing the operator with a ho-mogeneous user interface with identi-cal look-and-feel.

Casting. Further following the routeof steel making, the next productionstep is casting and solidification. isamexecuted several projects on these is-sues. Only a few years after its start-up the company deliv-ered its first complete level 1 and HMI for a slab caster basedon the then brand-new Siemens S5 and Coros LSB. The sys-tem already included a dual automatic mould level control(for Bertold and NKK) as well as dynamic spray cooling.Additional jobs include the first automatic start of casting atHKM Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann, Duisburg, controland visualisation of a resonance mould, a break-out preven-

tion system for carbon steels and peritectic grades atSalzgitter AG, Germany, as well as implementation of sever-al mould level controls. One of these operates on the contin-uous slab caster at Essar Steel, India, another, again, atHKM, Germany. The latter also awarded isam with an orderto equip their thin-slab caster with a mould level control sys-tem, which was succesfully adapted to the special demandsof this latest technology plant.

With all these projects, isamalways relies on joint compila-tion of control algorithms anddesign of open and closed-loopcontrol software under step 5.

Rolling. The first processdata management system forhot rolling mills was developedfor Salzgitter AG, Germanyand implemented into theirroughing and finishing train,fig. 6. It is designed to handlefar more than 2500 channelsand to integrate the full pro-duction line from furnace todowncoiler with sampling ratesof more than 1 kHz for eachchannel.

For the first time, one single system provided process engi-neers and maintenance staff with an integrated view of all con-trol system and production data, and, note that this happens atsampling rates required by the very fast hot rolling processes.Long term storage of each and any coil data allows the con-tinuous improvement of production quality. Furthermore, adetailed analysis performed after one year of operation

showed that productiondowntime had been reducedsignificantly.

Experience in weld-ing

Tube and pipe welding.Automation activity for pipemill applications, fig. 7, be-gan in 1998 both for hotrolled seamless tubes aswell as for longitudinallyand spirally welded pipes.

The development of thefirst digital arc controllerfor multi-wire submergedarc welding (SAW) in 1999and its application to all

production facilities at Europipe´s Mülheim site, fig. 8,marks isam´s breakthrough in welding and pipe mill au-tomation. Characteristic features of this control system cov-er digital closed-loop control of both welding voltage andcurrent, acquisition and real-time display of measured data,as well as long-term archiving. Soon, other spiral pipe man-ufacturers, such as Salzgitter AG, made use of this system,too. In the meantime it was extended to MAG welding at

68

from PP&S

Fig. 6: Hot rolling mill at Salzgitter Stahl (photo: Salzgitter AG)

Fig. 7: Welding head joining tubes (photo: Salzgitter AG)

STEEL GRIPS 4 (2006) No. 1

variable speeds to supportthe helical two-step (HTS)pipe process. Today, all op-erating two-step helicalpipe mills use isam controlequipment and, thus, thecompany has become thepreferred automation sup-plier for new spiral pipemills, such as Corinth PipeWorks, Greece and PSL’snew facility in Varsana,India.

The first entirely digitaljoint tracking sensor wasdeveloped as part of thepipe welding automationsystems. It is based on ad-vanced laser scan technolo-gy and features sophisticat-ed image processing which,nowadays, is state-of-the-art in pipe manufacturing,see e.g. Europipe´s longitu-dinally welded pipes andSalzgitter´s spirally weldedpipes.

Quality assurance. Another project on pipe welding af-fects the quality assurance of large diameter pipes. Here, thecontractor, then MFI, research institute of Mannes-mannröhren-Werke AG (today SZMF, Duisburg) even leftthe design of the necessary hardware to isam. The softwarefor the complete system created based on a VME bus systemwas integrated into the existing data processing system.

Combination of image processing and welding. In the steelprocessing and manufacturing branch, much experience hasbeen gained with control systems for arc welding, no matter

whether these employed shielded or submergedarc, with automatic detection of the optimumwelding path (see already fig. 10b) seam trackingsystems for different weld geometries, as well ashandling of image data for quality assurance.Thus, it is not surprising that image processing andwelding were key factors for isam’s step into theaerospace business. This industry branch is syn-onym for the highest quality requirements at all.Including high-profile programs like the A380large passenger aircraft and the European FighterAircraft EFA 2000, fig. 9, isam has been involvedin the development of production processes em-ploying laser beam and electron beam welding aswell as in the processing of new composite mate-rials. For one thing, automatic guidance of thelaser beam, fig. 10a, ensures the high precision re-quired in welding air intakes simultaneously al-lowing the automatic detection of the optimumwelding path for the joint, fig. 10b. Image pro-

cessing for the detection of workpieceand laser focus has thus proven indispen-sable for achieving sound and repro-ducible results.

Conclusion

With all these applications and differentcustomers isam has always stuck to thebasic principle which allowed the compa-ny to grow so far: keeping up with quali-ty. To our experience, this ultimate ambi-tion can be obtained by recognizing own

key competence and understanding the processes of our cus-tomers. All this must be supported by continuous innovationbased on feedback from operational production. As far as thelatter is concerned, one more aspect may tip the scales: withisam, no Chinese Wall separates development from commis-sioning. Customers all over the world appreciate that who-ever developed a system at isam´s is on the customer´s site toimplement it, wherever this application may be.

69

from PP&S

Fig. 8: First digital arc controller for multi-wire submerged arc welding(SAW) at Europipe

Fig. 10a: Automatic guidanceof the laser beam in weldingcomponents, such as air intakes

Fig. 9: Eurofighter

Fig. 10b: Image processing for automatic detection of thewelding path

Dipl.-Inf. Jürgen Hellmich,CEO

iSAM AG, Gesellschaft für angewandteKybernetik

Mülheim, Germany

STEEL GRIPS 4 (2006) No. 1