Rolling Mill Robot Tool Magazine for Compact Roller Change
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic systems for handling rolling mill cylinders and support roller assemblies are bulky, require significant operational space, and pose safety risks due to swinging components during extraction and insertion, necessitating manual adapter installation for certain components.
Innovation Solution
A robotic system with a tool change magazine and quick coupling system for gripping tools, allowing selective coupling and decoupling of tools without prior adapter installation, enabling efficient and safe extraction and insertion of various mill components using a compact robotic setup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a robotic system is used for extraction and insertion of mill components, then operational efficiency is improved, but the system becomes bulky and requires significant operational space
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system is divided into modular components: a mobile base unit, a manipulator arm, and an interchangeable tool magazine. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high functionality while reducing the footprint of any single component, enabling operation in tighter spaces without sacrificing extraction and insertion capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool magazine is designed as a dynamic, quickly interchangeable component that can be swapped during operation. This dynamic design eliminates the need for a large stationary tool storage system, reducing the operational space requirement while maintaining the ability to handle various mill components efficiently.
2Ease of operation
If manual handling equipment with counterweights is used, then component balance is achieved, but safety risks increase due to swinging movements
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system incorporates automated balancing mechanisms through its control system, which calculates and adjusts counterbalancing forces in real-time based on the detected component mass and geometry. This self-service approach eliminates the need for manual counterweight adjustments and prevents swinging movements by maintaining precise equilibrium throughout the operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical counterweight system with an automated robotic system that uses sensors, actuators, and control algorithms to achieve and maintain component balance. This substitution eliminates the inherent swinging risks of mechanical systems while preserving the balancing function through electronic control.
3Adaptability or versatility
If adapters are manually installed for certain components, then gripping compatibility is achieved, but operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic tool magazine contains multiple specialized gripping tools designed to accommodate different mill component types directly. This universal toolset eliminates the need for manual adapter installation, as each tool is pre-configured for specific component geometries, maintaining gripping compatibility while significantly reducing operation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The required gripping tools are pre-selected and positioned in the magazine before operation begins. This preliminary preparation ensures that the correct tool is immediately available when needed, eliminating any time loss associated with manual adapter installation or tool searching during the extraction and insertion process.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1a~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
This disclosure relates to a metal strip rolling plant comprising a rolling mill (L), having a rolling mill stand and a set of rollers internal to the stand, said plant comprising a robotic system (1) suitable for performing rolling mill roller change operations, and wherein the plant includes a tool change magazine (GMA) comprising, in a storage area: - a first gripping tool configured for inserting and extracting a work roller, - a second gripping tool configured for inserting and extracting the first intermediate rollers, - a third gripping tool configured for inserting and extracting the second intermediate rollers, and - a fourth gripping tool configured for inserting and extracting the roller sets. Abstract Figure: Figure 3