Success Story Predictive Maintenance

Metals

The production of steel, copper, nickel or their intermediates from ores is a highly complex process. Raw materials of the highest quality are produced, which later find their way into batteries, cars or razor blades. The processing steps are as diverse as the end products. Some of the steps take place independently of each other, but previous process stages still influence subsequent processing steps. In order for the processing plants to achieve its maximum availability, thousands of process parameters must be combined and monitored in near real-time.

The Case

• In the production of pure metals from raw products, thermal, chemical and mechanical processes must be combined
• In the case of pneumatic transport of raw materials, pipes must be pressurized at a certain rhythm to ensure a continuous flow of material
• Due to a defective valve, this case, the pressure surges were no longer synchronized and offset. This resulted in a material jam until the plant would have eventually come to a standstill