Device for treating flat metal products, such as slabs or like, and corresponding treatment method

Abstract

Apparatus (10) for processing flat metal products (50), comprising at least one optical scanning station (11) for scanning the metal products (50) and a moving unit (12) for selectively moving the metal products (50) as a function of the result of the optical scanning performed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a corresponding method for surface treatment of flat metal products, in particular thin slabs with a thickness even less than 200 mm, coming from a continuous casting machine. The apparatus and method according to the present invention are applied to detect surface defects of the slab even at high temperatures (e.g., above 850 °C) and to correct such defects. Background Art

[0002] In the iron and steel industry for rolling flat metal products, it is known that high-quality steel strips without surface defects can be produced.

[0003] Specifically, this type of steel strip has advantageous industrial applications in so-called "exposed steels", i.e., those products used to produce "exposed" surfaces, such as in the automotive industry, also in the production of household appliances or other industries where it is important to have a defect-free surface for commercial acceptability.

[0004] However, such steel strips can also be used for similar products for different purposes, such as those products used as structural steels with complex chemical compositions in the automotive industry, such as peritectic steels, etc.

[0005] Known solutions for producing high-quality steel strips starting from continuously cast thin slabs are to continue surface finishing or scarfing of the slab itself in the areas with surface defects. This known solution proposes to arrange an oxygen torch between the continuous casting machine and the subsequent rolling section, by means of which several millimeters of the product surface are removed in order to eliminate the detected defects.

[0006] Obviously, not all slabs have surface defects, so quality control and screening are required before scarfing and sending for rolling.

[0007] In this regard, two solutions are known, namely visual control by an operator and an electronic observation system based on a camera or a thermal camera. However, it has been proven that the resolution of the latter is insufficient to identify different types of defects on high-temperature slabs from continuous casting.

[0008] Therefore, these known defect detection systems are not always reliable, especially when the slab temperature is above 800 / 850 °C. The reduced reliability leads to a corresponding reduction in the surface quality of the product at the end of rolling.

[0009] In addition, since the scarfing step is potentially longer than the time for casting a new slab, this operation is difficult to perform on the production line. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the slab to be scarfed from the main line in order to bring it to a parallel loop by means of a movable section or a shuttle device, possibly arranging it in a storage area, and then gradually removing it from the storage area and subjecting it to scarfing.

[0010] Another disadvantage of flame cleaning is its high environmental impact.

[0011] In fact, the oxygen nozzles used produce CO2 when burning; in addition, the material to be removed oxidizes, making it difficult to recycle, and the fumes must be properly trapped and filtered with dedicated pipelines before being released into the atmosphere.

[0012] Equipment for treating surface defects of metal products is known in the prior art, such as the equipment described in patent application WO-A-2004 / 041457, etc., where an alternative treatment system for flame cleaning is provided. However, even this type of known equipment still relies on operator control or camera-based observation for preventive defect identification, thus suffering from the above-mentioned disadvantages related to the high temperature of the slab, resulting in a reduction in product quality at the end of rolling.

[0013] Other known solutions for detecting and eliminating defects in flat metal products are described in documents US2021 114 072A1, US 4 601 762 A, and US 6 184 924 B1.

[0014] Therefore, there is a need to improve an equipment for treating flat metal products (such as slabs or the like) that can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0015] To this end, it is necessary to solve the technical problems of minimizing surface defects of the cast slab before the conventional rolling step, even attempting to eliminate them, and minimizing the cost, time, and environmental impact of the surface treatment of defective slabs.

[0016] Specifically, an object of the present invention is to accurately identify surface defects of continuously cast thin slabs even at high temperatures and intervene in a targeted and effective manner to perform the required surface treatment on the slab itself, thereby improving the quality of the final product.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is to perform an effective surface treatment on the identified slabs in an alternative way to traditional flame cleaning, so as to limit environmental impact and the generation of fumes, and promote the recycling of waste materials so that they can be reused.

[0018] Another object is to prevent the production process from slowing down and the need for auxiliary equipment to move the slabs.

[0019] The applicant has designed, tested, and implemented the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and achieve the above and other objects and advantages. Summary of the Invention

[0020] The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe further features of the invention or variants of the main inventive concept.

[0021] For the above purposes and in order to solve the technical problems disclosed above in a novel and original way, and also to achieve a considerable advantage compared to the prior art, the device for processing flat metal products according to the present invention comprises at least an optical scanning device configured to scan at least one surface of the metal product.

[0022] The optical scanning device can advantageously be positioned operatively continuously and along a common feed axis between a continuous casting line and a rolling line.

[0023] Unlike normal human or electronic inspection observations, optical scanning is not affected by high temperatures (even above 850 °C) because it physically detects the surface of the metal product and can identify surface defects of the metal product by actual structural changes rather than by visual recognition. Therefore, the visual deformations usually caused by the heating of the contour of the metal product are not important for the purpose of detecting actual surface defects.

[0024] This advantageous solution according to the present invention allows the identification of substantially all surface defects that may occur on the surface of the metal product, thus facilitating the precision of processing and the quality of the final product.

[0025] Furthermore, integrating the device for processing flat metal products between the casting line and the rolling line significantly increases the overall productivity of the production line by reducing inefficiencies and machine downtime and ensuring continuous flow of the material towards the rolling line.

[0026] Advantageously, the optical scanning device is equipped with laser technology, such as using a three-dimensional laser scanner, for performing optical triangulation on the upper and lower surfaces of the metal product.

[0027] Thanks to this technology, surface defects such as dents, wrinkles or other surface deformation elements can be detected and compared with defect models present in an appropriate database in order to identify and classify the defects, thus enabling the elimination of these defects in subsequent steps.

[0028] According to one aspect of the present invention, the device further comprises at least one control and command unit configured to perform an electronic comparison between the scans performed by the optical scanning device and a plurality of feedback images, said plurality of feedback images containing known errors or defects derived, for example, from qualitative parameters or market requirements (i.e., know-how).

[0029] In this way, each detected defect is compared with a reference image and classified by type according to certain identification parameters and programmed or programmable potential processing interventions.

[0030] In addition, with the scanning of the surface of the metal product and since the scanning is carried out within the command and control unit, the position and extent of the defects can be accurately identified, optimizing the subsequent processing steps, which is conducive to saving the necessary time and cost.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present invention, the control and command unit communicates at least with a mobile device; the mobile device is included in the equipment and is adapted to selectively move the metal product according to the feedback result. Specifically, the mobile device is configured to move the metal product into a position misaligned with respect to the feed axis.

[0032] Obviously, by doing so, the intervention time and cost for processing defective metal products are reduced.

[0033] According to one aspect of the present invention, wherein the metal product is produced by means of a continuous casting line, the command and control unit is advantageously connected to the continuous casting line such that, according to the comparison result, the operating parameters of the casting line itself can be selectively modified and the detected defects can be prevented from forming upstream.

[0034] In this way, by correlating the detected data with the production data during the formation of the defective metal product, the potential situations that statistically lead to the observed defects can be corrected preventively.

[0035] In the case of this advantageous solution according to the present invention, in addition to having higher precision and reliability in defect detection, even at high temperatures, the casting parameters can be intervened in a targeted manner in order to reduce the number of possible defects. Obviously, this aspect of the present invention allows the optimization of the production of metal products and further improves the quality of the products thus produced.

[0036] According to one aspect of the present invention, the equipment includes at least one station for dressing the surface of the product that has been identified as defective and moved by the mobile device, in particular but not limited to by grinding. Advantageously, the command and control unit can also be connected to the grinding station in order to optimize its operating parameters according to the result of the electronic comparison, such as the extent, type or position of the specifically detected defects, etc.

[0037] This advantageous solution allows the implementation of a localized grinding process in order to minimize both the environmental impact and the generation of fumes, and also encourages the recycling of waste materials, so that the waste materials can be reused.

[0038] The surface dressing station is advantageously arranged in a position misaligned with respect to the feed axis and it cooperates with the mobile device.

[0039] According to one aspect of the present invention, the mobile device includes at least a first slider, which is adapted to pick up the metal product identified from the continuous casting line and selectively move it towards the grinding station. The first slider is generally arranged downstream of the optical scanning device in the feeding direction, and it can selectively move transversely to the feeding direction so as to transfer the metal product towards the surface finishing station.

[0040] The slider is a movable section or shuttle device of a heat-insulating and / or heating tunnel furnace located downstream of the continuous casting machine.

[0041] According to some variants of the inventive concept, this movement can be directed towards the grinding station in order to perform a "hot" surface treatment, or towards a cooling member, such as a lateral transfer device, etc., which allows cooling of the metal product in order to perform a "cold" surface treatment.

[0042] According to some variants, regardless of whether a hot surface treatment or a cold surface treatment is performed, a storage warehouse for the metal product can be provided upstream of the grinding station in order to decouple the grinding time from the production time and also allow the supply of metal products from other casting lines or more generally from other production lines.

[0043] Similarly, according to other advantageous variants of the present invention, another storage warehouse can be provided downstream of the grinding station, which is conducive to the supply of metal products to different production or finishing lines.

[0044] According to another aspect of the present invention, the mobile device includes at least one heating member, which is arranged at the outlet of the grinding station or other possible storage warehouses in order to heat the treated metal product to a determined temperature and send it to a subsequent processing line, such as a rolling line, etc.

[0045] Advantageously, for this purpose, the mobile device can at least include a second slider, which is adapted to send the metal product from the heating member to the subsequent rolling line.

[0046] According to another aspect of the present invention, the heating member includes a heating furnace, the length of the heating furnace is at least twice the length of the slab, the heating furnace is composed of at least two induction modules, each induction module is preferably 6MW, and at least two induction modules are mainly arranged in the central area of the heating furnace so as to enable the slab to first pass upstream of the induction module and then pass downstream of the induction module in order to fully heat the head edge and the tail edge as well. The heating member is designed to perform effective heating and make the treated slab reach a temperature of approximately 600°C - 650°C.

[0047] According to another aspect of the present invention, the heating member includes a soaking furnace arranged at the outlet of the heating furnace. The soaking furnace is configured to store 10 to 20 slabs arranged one above the other, and the slabs wait to be sent to the rolling line according to the operation time of the rolling line. The heating member is designed to keep the slabs at a temperature of about 1000°C - 1050°C.

[0048] According to another aspect of the present invention, a heating and homogenizing buffer furnace is provided downstream of the soaking furnace. The heating and homogenizing buffer furnace allows at least three slabs arranged in a line to be accommodated, and then the at least three slabs are sent to the rolling line in sequence. The heating buffer furnace is designed to increase the temperature of the slabs to up to about 1150°C.

[0049] The present invention also relates to a method for processing flat metal products.

[0050] The method is carried out after the continuous casting process of the metal product and before the rolling process. The metal product advances along a common feed axis between the continuous casting line and the rolling line. The method includes: at least one optical scanning step, in which at least one surface of the metal product is scanned by means of an optical scanning device; at least one processing step, in which an electronic comparison is made between the scans and a plurality of feedback images performed in the scanning step by means of at least one control and command unit; at least one moving step, in which, according to the feedback result, the metal product is selectively moved by means of a moving device electronically communicating with the control and command unit; and at least one surface finishing step, such as a grinding step, in which at least the metal product moved by the moving device in the moving step is surface-treated by means of a surface finishing station.

[0051] Therefore, the method of the present invention is advantageously integrated into the traditional continuous casting and subsequent rolling processes to fully benefit production continuity and overall efficiency.

[0052] According to another aspect of the present invention, the optical scanning step is carried out using laser technology for optical triangulation on the surface of the metal product.

[0053] According to another aspect of the present invention, at least one step of producing a metal product by means of a continuous casting line is provided upstream of the optical scanning step. According to the result of the electronic comparison performed in the processing step, the operating parameters of the continuous casting line are selectively modified to adjust the subsequent steps of producing the metal product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments given as non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0055] - Figure 1Schematic view of an apparatus according to the present invention for processing flat metal products, associated with a continuous casting line and a rolling line;

[0056] - Figure 2 is Figure 1 schematic three - dimensional view of details of the apparatus;

[0057] - Figure 3 is Figure 1 partial plan view of a first embodiment of the apparatus;

[0058] - Figure 4 is Figure 1 partial plan view of a second embodiment of the apparatus;

[0059] - Figure 5 is a block diagram of a method for processing flat metal products according to the present invention.

[0060] It must be clarified that in this specification, the wording and terms used, as well as the numerical symbols in the figures as described, have the sole purpose of better illustrating and explaining the present invention, and they serve to provide non - limiting examples of the present invention itself, since the scope of protection is defined by the claims.

[0061] For ease of understanding, wherever possible, the same reference numerals are used to identify the same common elements in the figures. It should be understood that the elements and features of one embodiment can be conveniently combined or incorporated into other embodiments without further clarification. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0062] Referring to Figure 1 , an apparatus 10 according to the present invention is applied to the surface treatment of flat metal products. In this example, the flat metal product is a thin slab 50( Figure 2 ), that is, with a thickness less than 200 mm, especially for forming a steel strip to be used, preferably but not limited to for "exposed" uses in the automotive, household appliance or similar industrial sectors.

[0063] In this case, the apparatus 10 is interposed between a continuous casting line 110 and a rolling line 120. The thin slab 50 is manufactured by means of the continuous casting line 110, and the treated slab 50 is rolled in the rolling line 120 until the desired rolled metal strip is obtained. The continuous casting line 110 and the rolling line 120 can be of a substantially conventional type, and thus will not be described in detail and are only schematically shown in the figures.

[0064] The continuous casting line 110 can for example include a continuous casting machine, a feeding device for advancing the cast metal product, and a holding and / or heating tunnel furnace 14 located downstream of the continuous casting machine.

[0065] The device 10 according to the present invention generally includes an optical scanning device (in this example, the scanning station 11), a moving device (in this example, the moving unit 12), and a surface finishing station (in this specific example, the grinding station 13). The device 10 is also provided with a command and control unit (the processing unit 15 hereinafter), configured to command, control, and coordinate the functionality of the stations 11 and 13 and the moving unit 12.

[0066] The scanning station 11 is advantageously arranged between the continuous casting line 110 and the rolling line 120. More specifically, the continuous casting line 110, the scanning station 11, and the rolling line 120 are advantageously arranged along the common feed axis X of the slab 50.

[0067] The scanning station 11 is advantageously arranged upstream of the tunnel furnace 14 of the continuous casting line 110.

[0068] Conversely, the grinding station 13 is preferably arranged off-line (i.e., away from the feed axis X). In this way, the feeding of the defect-free slabs 50 can continue without interruption or slowdown during the process, while the slabs 50 to be processed continue along a preferred path different from the path of the slabs 50 directly entering the rolling line 120.

[0069] With particular reference Figure 2 , the scanning station 11 includes: a structure arranged substantially across the imaginary transport axis of the slab 50, manufactured as a gantry 16 in this example; and a plurality of sliding rollers 17 on which the slab 50 is transported in a guided manner. In any case, the structure can be flag-shaped, robotic arm, articulated, or other structures.

[0070] The transport axis can advantageously coincide with the feed axis X of the slab 50. Thus, each slab 50 at the outlet of the casting machine of the continuous casting line 110 can be continuously transported through the scanning station 11 and then selectively finished in the surface finishing station (in this example, the grinding station 13).

[0071] The gantry structure 16 is adapted to support a plurality of laser scanners 19 only schematically shown in the drawings, and the plurality of laser scanners 19 are arranged and configured to perform three-dimensional triangulation on the outer surface of the slab 50. The scanners 19 generally form an optical scanning device.

[0072] Advantageously, the scanners 19 are arranged to scan substantially all the surfaces of the slab 50 passing through the gantry structure 16 so as to be able to inspect all the surfaces of each slab 50.

[0073] By definition, this kind of laser scanning performed by the scanners 19 is not affected by the high temperature of the slabs 50 leaving the casting line 110 at temperatures above 850 °C.

[0074] In fact, each scanner 19 inspects the slab 50 by scanning its surface and detecting any depressions, wrinkles or other surface elements, without having to identify its image.

[0075] The data thus detected is sent to the processing unit 15, which performs a comparison with its internal database that contains thousands of images corresponding to predefined errors / defects or errors / defects that can be implemented.

[0076] This operation mainly allows the defects on the surface of the slab 50 to be accurately located, so that their coordinates X, Y, Z can be identified, and also allows the type of defect to be classified.

[0077] In this way, by being able to understand in which area of the slab 50 the defect is located, the grinding station 13 can be programmed to perform a specific treatment only in the identified area, thus saving time and the material removed.

[0078] In addition, the classification of the defect type helps to determine the source of the defect.

[0079] In this way, by recording the casting parameters of each slab 50, when a specific type of defect is detected on a specific slab 50, the parameters for producing the slab 50 can be traced back, so as to search for the cause of the defect and make appropriate corrections to the casting line 110 so that this will not happen in the future.

[0080] According to an advantageous solution of the invention, the processing unit 15 is programmed with a self-learning algorithm that estimates and predicts the quality of the resulting slab 50 based on the correlation between the parameters and the duration of casting.

[0081] In this advantageous solution according to the invention, scanning the product thus allows the prediction to be further verified, thereby further optimizing the management of the process parameters and subsequent predictions.

[0082] In Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the device 10 according to the invention is suitable for performing a cold surface treatment on the defective slab 50, i.e., at a temperature between about 100 °C and the ambient temperature (which can typically be around 20 °C).

[0083] In this embodiment, the moving unit 12 includes a first slider 20, which forms a movable section or shuttle device of the holding and / or heating tunnel furnace 14 located downstream of the continuous casting machine. The first slider 20 picks up the defective slab 50 from the scanning station 11 and transports it to the inlet of the lateral transfer device 21, thereby unloading it onto the lateral transfer device 21. The first auxiliary slider 20', which is usually offline, replaces the first slider 20 so as not to leave a vacant position and to provide continuity to the tunnel furnace 14, thus allowing the unprocessed slabs to be transported towards the rolling line 120. When the first slider 20 has to pick up another slab to be processed, the first auxiliary slider 20' gives way to the first slider 20 again.

[0084] The size and function of the transfer device 21 are such that the slab 50 is cooled from a temperature of about 870 °C - 950 °C to a temperature of about 20 °C - 50 °C, for example by means of controlled cooling.

[0085] Furthermore, in this case, a first storage warehouse 22 for storing the slabs 50 can be provided immediately downstream of the outlet of the transfer device 21. This warehouse also allows previously stored slabs 50 or slabs 50 from an external source relative to the casting line 110 to be taken out for processing.

[0086] By means of the first slider 20 forming part of the moving unit 12, the slabs 50 stored in the warehouse 22 are successively guided towards the grinding station 13.

[0087] The grinding station 13 preferably includes a rotary disk grinding machine 25, which is of a generally known type and is only shown schematically in the drawings. Compared with the scarfing operation, the advantage of the rotary disk grinding machine 25 is that it does not burn the steel, thus causing its oxidation. This means that no smoke and CO2 emissions are generated, and the waste can be recycled and reused as waste during the smelting process.

[0088] Furthermore, since the slab 50 is at almost ambient temperature, the grinding machine 25 can operate on the slab surface in the area indicated by the processing unit 15 without problems, based on the data provided by the scanning station 11.

[0089] Advantageously, a second grinding machine 25b can be provided, in which case the second grinding machine 25b is separated from the grinding machine 25 and is adapted to intervene in the specificities on the second surface of the slab 50.

[0090] It is not excluded that, by means of a tilting machine or other components not shown, the same grinding machine 25 can process all the defective surfaces of the slab 50, or, similarly, the two grinding machines 25 and 25b can be mounted opposite each other so as to simultaneously intervene in different surfaces of the same slab 50, or two or more grinding stations 13 are used to perform different grinding interventions or to perform different grinding interventions on several slabs 50 in parallel.

[0091] A second storage warehouse 26 can be provided downstream of the grinding station 13, and the processed slabs 50 can be selectively stored in the second storage warehouse 26, such that the slabs 50 can be sent to the rolling line 120 at a second moment, and also slabs 50 even from external sources (possibly purchased or processed in other areas) can be introduced into the rolling line 120.

[0092] The moving unit 12 further includes a heating furnace 27, which is arranged downstream of the second warehouse 26 and the grinding station 13, and is configured to be able to receive the processed slabs 50 and alternately move the processed slabs 50 therein, so as to heat it to a temperature close to the temperature suitable for rolling along its entire length.

[0093] Advantageously, the applicant has experimented that the length of the heating furnace 27 must be at least twice (preferably at least 3 times) the length of the slab 50 in order to perform effective heating and make the processed slab 50 reach a temperature of about 600 °C - 650 °C. Preferably, the heating furnace 27 can have 2 to 3 induction modules 27' or simply said inductors, each inductor preferably being 6 MW, and the induction modules 27' are mostly arranged in series in the central region of the heating furnace 27, so as to be able to make the slab 50 pass through the upstream of the inductor first and then through the downstream of the same inductor, so as to completely heat the head edge and the tail edge as well.

[0094] According to the thickness of the slab 50 and the difference between the temperature at the inlet and the desired temperature at the outlet, the heating cycle can have a variable duration. Therefore, in the case of a cold cycle, the heating cycle can have a duration of about 1 hour.

[0095] In a preferred embodiment, taking advantage of the reduction in the thickness of the slab 50, the heating furnace 27 uses a transverse flow induction module 27', or according to a variant, uses a longitudinal flow module, or a combination of both.

[0096] In addition, the heating furnace 27 can also provide an active power supply by means of electric heating elements, which are preferably made of a metal alloy called Resithom alloy (FeCrAl).

[0097] In a particularly advantageous solution shown in the drawings, a storage furnace 29 is provided at the outlet of the heating furnace 27. The processed and heated slabs 50 are stored in the storage furnace 29 and maintain their temperature, waiting to be sent to the rolling line 120 according to the operation timing of the rolling line 120. The heating furnace 27 can store 10 to 20 processed and heated slabs arranged one above the other, and maintain them at a temperature of 1000 °C - 1050 °C.

[0098] Additionally, the heating and homogenization buffer furnace 30 is advantageously arranged downstream of the accumulation furnace 29. The heating and homogenization buffer furnace 30 allows at least three slabs 50 to be accommodated in a line and allows the temperature of the slabs themselves to be increased to up to approximately 1150 °C before the slabs are successively fed to the rolling line 120.

[0099] The heating and homogenization buffer furnace 30 heats the slabs 50 by means of 3 to 4 induction modules 30' arranged in series in the outlet terminal section, and each induction module 30' is preferably 6 MW.

[0100] Downstream of the heating buffer furnace 30, the moving unit 12 includes a second slider 31. The second slider 31 is substantially similar to the first slider 20 but has a substantially opposite function, that is, to pick up the processed slab 50 heated to the rolling temperature in order to place it back into the production line supplying the rolling line 120. A second auxiliary slider 31' can be provided. The second auxiliary slider 31' is similar to the first auxiliary slider 20' and ensures the continuity with the tunnel furnace 14 during the offline period of the second slider 31.

[0101] In Figure 4 the embodiment shown, the device 10 according to the present invention is adapted to perform heat treatment on defective slabs 50, that is, heat treatment at a temperature below 800 °C so as not to damage the grinding wheel or shorten its service life.

[0102] In this embodiment, the first slider 20 of the moving unit 12 is adapted to pick up the defective slab 50 at the outlet of the scanning station 11 and transport it directly towards the grinding station 13. In this case, the operating function of the first slider 20 is, for example, to moderately cool the removed slab 50 before feeding it into the grinding station 13.

[0103] Then, the slab 50 is surface-treated as described above, preferably on the upper and lower surfaces and also on the edges, and then sent to the heating furnace 27 to bring its temperature close to the temperature suitable for rolling. In this embodiment, starting from the slab 50 with a higher temperature, the heating cycle can last for about half an hour.

[0104] Although not specifically shown in Figure 4 it, storage warehouses 22 and 26 can also be provided upstream and downstream of the grinding station 13 in this embodiment.

[0105] Different from the previously described solution of the cold cycle, in this case, the storage warehouses 22 and 26 can be appropriately insulated or heated by means of active electric heating elements of a substantially known type.

[0106] At the end of heating, the slab 50 can be sent to the soaking furnace 29 and then from the soaking furnace 29 to the heating furnace 30 of the type already described, to ensure that the slab 50 reaches a temperature of about 1150 °C suitable for rolling.

[0107] Referring Figure 5 to the block diagram shown in, the operation of the previously described device 10 corresponding to the method according to the present invention includes the following steps.

[0108] First, the thin slab 50 is manufactured by means of a normal continuous casting process.

[0109] Once the casting step is completed, each slab 50 is subjected to laser scanning, by which any surface defects can be detected, without being affected by the high temperature of the slab 50 at the outlet of the continuous casting.

[0110] Based on the comparison between the performed scan and the feedback image provided by the processing unit 15, the moving unit 12 is started or not started.

[0111] In fact, in the absence of defects, the slab 50 is sent for rolling in order to produce the desired coil.

[0112] On the other hand, in the presence of defects, the slab 50 is moved towards the grinding station 13 to correct the defects. At the same time, the casting parameters are commanded to be modified to prevent or at least limit the occurrence of the same defects.

[0113] At this time, once the defects have been corrected, the slab 50 is sent for rolling in order to produce the desired coil.

[0114] According to an advantageous variant of the main inventive concept, at the end of rolling, an additional automatic qualitative verification by means of an optical system can be provided to verify the possible persistence of some defects.

[0115] In this case, a system different from the laser scanning system can also be used, for example based on a camera, since the rolled steel strip is substantially cold.

[0116] This verification allows the errors present on the finished product to be compared with the scan of the initial slab 50 to determine whether the defects originate from casting. In fact, when there are no defects in the scan downstream of casting but defects appear in the scan downstream of rolling, it can be inferred that some parameters of the rolling itself must be modified in order to prevent the occurrence of unwanted defects.

[0117] Obviously, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims, modifications and / or additions of components or steps can be made to the device 10 and the method as described above.

[0118] It is also evident that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, those skilled in the art will be able to implement other equivalent forms of the device for processing flat metal products (e.g., slabs or the like) and the corresponding processing methods, which have the characteristics as set forth in the claims, and thus all fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims.

[0119] In the following claims, the sole purpose of the reference in parentheses is to facilitate reading and should not be regarded as a restrictive factor for the scope of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus (10) for processing flat metal products (50), characterized in that, The device (10) at least comprises: an optical scanning device (11) which can be operatively and continuously positioned along a common feed axis (X) between a continuous casting line (110) and a rolling line (120) and is positioned along said common feed axis (X), and is configured to scan at least one surface of the metal product (50); at least one control and command unit (15) configured to perform an electronic comparison between the scan performed by the optical scanning device (11) and a plurality of feedback images, and to communicate at least with a moving device (12) in order to selectively move the metal product (50) into a position misaligned with respect to the feed axis (X) according to the result of said feedback; and at least one surface finishing station (13) arranged downstream of the optical scanning device (11) and adapted to perform surface treatment on at least the metal product (50) moved by the moving device (12).

2. The device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optical scanning device (11) is equipped with laser technology to perform optical triangulation on the surface of the metal product (50).

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The optical scanning device (11) is a three-dimensional laser.

4. The device (10) according to one or the other of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The surface finishing station is a grinding station (13).

5. The device (10) according to one or the other of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The control and command unit (15) is electronically connected to the continuous casting line (110) in order to selectively modify its operating parameters according to the result of said electronic comparison.

6. The device (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that The control and command unit (15) is electronically connected to the grinding station (13) in order to selectively modify its operating parameters according to the result of said electronic comparison.

7. The device (10) according to one or the other of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The moving device (12) at least comprises a first slider (20) which is at least adapted to pick up the metal product (50) from the continuous casting line (110) and selectively move the metal product (50) towards the grinding station (13).

8. The device (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that, The moving device (12) includes at least one cooling member (21) interposed between the first slider (20) and the grinding station (13).

9. The device (10) according to one or the other of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The moving device (12) includes at least one heating member (27, 29, 30) arranged at the outlet of the grinding station (13) and capable of bringing the treated metal product (50) to a determined temperature.

10. The device (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that, The moving device (12) at least comprises a second slider (31) which is adapted to at least bring the metal product (50) from the heating member (27, 29, 30) to the rolling line (120).

11. The device (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that, The heating member (27, 29, 30) includes a heating furnace (27) the length of which is at least twice the length of the slab (50), the heating furnace (27) being composed of at least 2 induction modules, each induction module preferably being 6 MW, the at least 2 induction modules being mainly arranged in the central region of the heating furnace (27) so as to be able to make the slab (50) pass first upstream of the induction module and then downstream of the induction module so as to fully heat also the head edge and the tail edge.

12. The device (10) according to claims 9 and 11, characterized in that, The heating member includes a soaking furnace (29) arranged at the outlet of the heating furnace (27), and the soaking furnace (29) is configured to store 10 to 20 slabs (50) arranged one above the other, and the slabs (50) wait to be sent to the rolling line (120) according to the operation time of the rolling line (120).

13. The device (10) according to claims 9 and 12, characterized in that, A heating and homogenizing buffer furnace (30) is provided downstream of the soaking furnace (29), and the heating and homogenizing buffer furnace (30) allows at least three slabs (50) arranged in a line to be received, and then the at least three slabs (50) are sequentially sent to the rolling line (120).

14. A method for processing a flat metal product (50), characterized in that, The method is carried out after the continuous casting process of the metal product (50) and before the rolling process. The metal product (50) advances along a common feed axis (X) between a continuous casting line (110) and a rolling line (120), and the method includes: at least one optical scanning step, in which at least one surface of the metal product (50) is scanned by means of an optical scanning device (11); at least one processing step, in which an electronic comparison is carried out between the scan performed in the scanning step and a plurality of feedback images by means of at least one control and command unit (15); at least one moving step, in which, according to the result of the feedback, the metal product (50) is selectively moved by means of a moving device (12) in electronic communication with the control and command unit (15); and at least one surface finishing step, such as a grinding step, in which at least the metal product (50) moved by the moving device (12) in the moving step is surface-treated by means of a surface finishing station (13).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The optical scanning step is carried out using laser technology so as to perform optical triangulation on the surface of the metal product (50).

16. The method according to one or the other of claims 14 and the following claims, wherein, Upstream of the optical scanning step, there is provided at least one step of producing the metal product (50) by means of the continuous casting line (110), and it is characterized in that, according to the result of the electronic comparison performed in the processing step, the operating parameters of the continuous casting line (110) are selectively modified in subsequent production steps.

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