Automation Migration for Rolling Mills

In today’s industrial landscape, the growing demands on steel and aluminum rolling mills make upgrading automation systems essential to remain competitive, secure, and efficient. Many mills still rely on existing platforms, including software and hardware. This leads to various challenges, including limited spare parts, reduced reliability, and increased risks. Primetals Technologies offers innovative migration solutions to the advanced TIA S7-1500 platform, replacing existing systems such as SIMATIC TDC with state-of-the-art technology. This upgrade ensures enhanced operational stability, superior performance, seamless integration, and adaptability to future advancements. This ensures long-term productivity, efficiency, and cybersecurity.

Standard Upgrade Package:

• Seamless transition with existing logic: preserve and adapt your existing control program logic, ensuring operational continuity
• Cyber security: advanced protection against cyber threats ensures system integrity
• State-of-the-art HMI modernization: upgrade your visualization system to the latest WinCC platform, offering enhanced usability and future scalability
• Integrated upgrade of auxiliary systems: ensure end-to-end compatibility and optimized plant-wide control, reducing system complexity
• Rapid commissioning—minimal downtime: with pre-commissioning tests and efficient engineering practices, most plants are ready for complete handover within 5–7 days.
• Cost efficiency through experience: leverage proven engineering modules and libraries to reduce implementation costs
• Advanced PDA Integration: depending on plant requirements, the solution incorporates tools like ibaBM-PN, UDP, or S7-explorer for precise data acquisition and analysis.

Scalable with Future-Ready Add-ons:

• Process automation Level 2 upgrade: unlock more innovative production and higher throughput with advanced automation capabilities
• Virtualization and infrastructure modernization: leverage a virtualization system, enabling a secure, scalable, and centralized control architecture
• Function packages for performance boost: integrate modules like Contour and Flatness Optimizer, Roll Eccentricity Compensation, and ALEX (Condition Monitoring System) to enhance productivity and quality
• Digital twin integration: simulate and optimize production processes with digital twin technology, ensuring maximum efficiency and reliability.

Benefits of Automation Migration for Rolling Mills

• Fast start-up: rapid system ramp-up due to 1:1 system migration minimizes production delays and ensures a quick return to full operations.

• Improved efficiency: streamline operations with faster processing and reduced manual interventions

• Investment Security: future-proof platform with expandability for integrating new technologies

• Increased Reliability: benefit from robust software solutions that enhance system stability and reduce the risk of failures

• Cost efficiency through experience: decades of project experience allow us to reuse proven modules and engineering libraries.

• Maintenance efficiency: simplified troubleshooting and continuity with familiar software structures

Features of the Automation Migration for Rolling Mills

• Enhanced compatibility: fully compatible with state-of-the-art software and hardware for future-ready operations
• Long lifecycle support: future-proof design with mainstream equipment ensures long-term reliability
• Improved PLC hardware performance: boosted processing capabilities for handling complex tasks and additional functions
• Fallback strategy: always included to guarantee production continuity during migration
• Predictability: a highly predictable conversion process minimizes operational impact and ensures smooth transitions.