Transporting hot materials (ex. steel slabs) from one location to another via a walking-beam is common place in steel manufacturing. In the past, rotary encoders have typically been used to provide the precise feedback of rotary movement for these types of applications. However, optical encoders are prone to failure in harsh environments. Steel mills utilizing walking-beams for material handling have plenty of dirt and particulates in the air as well as produce high shock and vibration. All of these would contribute to an overall harsh environment which would shorten the life of an optical encoder.
Precise position checking and the continuous adjustment of rotational movements are extremely important on the walking-beam. Inclination Sensors are ideally suited for these exact tasks. With contact-free angle measurement, they guarantee maximum precision when the slabs are being transported. Inclination Sensors do not need mechanical coupling in contrast to rotary encoders, are compact and robust, and measure the deviation from the horizontal on an axis of up to 360°.
Downtime at a Steel Mill can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars per hour. The next time you need you have an angular measurement application in such harsh environments, you may want to consider an Inclination Sensor. It will surely be up to the task!
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