Automated Coil Scheduling for Electrogalvanizing Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual coil scheduling process for electrogalvanizing lines in the steel industry faces challenges in ensuring smooth transitions of coil width and thickness, leading to reduced productivity, increased equipment adjustments, and compromised product quality due to complex constraints and numerous coils involved.
Innovation Solution
A coil scheduling method and system that uses a mathematical model to minimize production switching penalties, width, and thickness changes, optimizing the selection and scheduling of coils to ensure stable operation, improved productivity, and enhanced product quality by automating the coil selection and scheduling process based on specific constraints and penalties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual coil scheduling is used to handle complex constraints and numerous coils, then flexibility in adjusting schedules is maintained, but the ability to select coils and make processing schedules in reasonable time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical scheduling system with an automated computer-based system that uses mathematical models and algorithms to automatically select coils and generate processing schedules, thereby dramatically increasing scheduling speed while maintaining operational flexibility through software-configurable parameters
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the scheduling approach by changing from manual parameter adjustment to automated parameter optimization using mathematical models that consider multiple constraints (coil specifications, production requirements, equipment capabilities) to generate optimal schedules efficiently
2Adaptability or versatility
If the thickness and width of adjacent coils are changed frequently, then the ability to meet diverse product specifications is improved, but the stability of production and operating efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-planning the entire coil processing schedule using mathematical models that predict and optimize the sequence of coils to minimize thickness and width changes, thereby maintaining production stability while meeting diverse specifications through advance optimization rather than reactive adjustments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the scheduling parameters by using mathematical models to determine the optimal sequence of coils based on thickness, width, and other specifications, thereby reducing frequent changes while still meeting diverse product requirements through intelligent parameter sequencing
3Adaptability or versatility
If post-processing liquid is replaced to match different post-processing modes of adjacent coils, then the ability to process various coil types is improved, but the operational continuity and product quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses preliminary action by pre-optimizing the coil sequence in the scheduling model to group coils with similar post-processing requirements together, thereby minimizing liquid replacements and maintaining operational continuity and product quality while still accommodating various coil types through strategic sequencing
4Adaptability or versatility
If equipment speed is adjusted or operation is stopped to process the latter coil in accordance with post-processing mode, then the ability to meet different processing requirements is improved, but the productivity and product quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-optimizing the coil sequence to minimize speed adjustments and stops, thereby maintaining high productivity while meeting different processing requirements through strategic coil grouping and sequencing determined by the mathematical model
Data Source
AI summary
A coil scheduling system and a method for electrogalvanizing line in steel industry are disclosed. In addition to considering the minimum changeover of physical parameters such as post-processing mode, width, thickness between every two adjacent steel coils, the method of the present invention further considers the influence of selecting coils on the production system stability due to the changeover of post-processing mode, width and thickness, and, thereby less adjusting the production equipment. Thus, the coils are smoothly produced, and more reasonable production process is obtained. The result of comparing the coil production schedule controlled by coil scheduling system for electrogalvanizing line in steel industry of the present invention with that of the production schedule determined manually shows that the number of changeover is reduced by 31.51%, and the adjustment of the production equipment is effectively reduced. Thus, the product quality is improved, and the enterprise benefit is increased.