As a supplier to the automotive, electrical, and construction industries – as well as many other markets – the steel industry is one of the world’s largest economic sectors and it faces intense price pressure due to global competition. Even though blast furnaces, continuous casting lines, and rolling mills remain at the heart of steel production, the digital transformation has also taken hold in this long-established industry.
Beckhoff’s open automation platform provides the ideal foundation for horizontal and vertical integration in steel mills. Collecting, analyzing, and correlating energy and plant data captured in real time enables precise process control and helps identify opportunities for savings in the production process.
What advantages does Beckhoff offer the metal processing industry?
- comprehensive automation platform for horizontal and vertical integration
- quick order and product changeovers due to flexible PC-based control technology
- transparent process and energy data for efficient production
- integrated measurement technology and condition monitoring for preventive maintenance
- redundant control systems for high plant availability
Our technologies for metal processing
The control system for process automation
Beckhoff calls on a comprehensive modular range of components and deep-rooted, cross-sector expertise to create open automation systems using PC-based control technology. All control functions, such as PLC, visualization, cloud connection, explosion protection, safety technology, and measurement technology, are integrated on a universal platform. For the steel industry, we offer comprehensive solutions for communication from zone 0/20 all the way to the cloud – whether you need to automate new plants or retrofit existing systems.
PC-based control for steel production:
- universal platform for the automation of all processes and plants
- safety functions, explosion protection, and measurement technology in a single system
- high level of interoperability due to open interfaces in hardware and software
- control and cable redundancy for increased plant availability
- PC-based control technology is established worldwide across all industries
Ideal for metal processing: the open EtherCAT fieldbus
As a universal and open high-speed fieldbus, EtherCAT is suitable for all areas of application – from PLC and drive technology to sensors and measurement and safety technology. With EtherCAT, you only need one communication technology for your steel mill and you can also benefit from the safety and optimum performance of the comprehensive EtherCAT architecture. The EtherCAT-based control is also open with regard to integrating third-party EtherCAT devices and other fieldbus systems.
Advantages of EtherCAT for the steel industry:
- fast troubleshooting through diagnostic functions
- cable redundancy for high plant availability
- implementation of flexible topologies
- Extended Distance technology for communication between distributed plants
- lean plant cabling through remote I/O
TwinCAT: the control platform for metal processing
With its TwinCAT automation software, Beckhoff offers a central platform for control tasks in steel mills. In addition to classic process control in the PLC program, algorithms written in C++, MATLAB®, and Simulink® can also be executed in real time. The scope of application of PC-based control for process automation is extended with the comprehensive integration of specific process technology protocols and interfaces. By supporting common standards such as NAMUR, HART, and FDT/DTM, TwinCAT covers the application areas of industry-specific applications.
TwinCAT highlights for steel production:
- predictive maintenance and comprehensive data analysis functions
- TwinCAT Controller Redundancy for increased plant availability
- integration of safety and explosion protection on a single software platform
- simple cloud integration via OPC UA or MQTT
- support for common standards such as NAMUR, HART, and FDT/DTM
Beckhoff product highlights for metal processing
Intrinsically safe signal acquisition in IP20 and IP67
Beckhoff’s ELX and EPX EtherCAT modules combine compact I/Os with safety barriers for the direct connection of intrinsically safe field devices from zone 0/20 and 1/21. The result is extremely compact EtherCAT I/Os for the direct connection of intrinsically safe sensors and actuators. With certification according to ATEX, IECEx, and NEC/CEC, as well as other country-specific standards, EtherCAT I/Os can be used worldwide.
The EPX modules in the EPX series with protection rating IP67 are suitable for the implementation of modular and control cabinet-free plant concepts. The robust EPX modules can be mounted directly on the plant and facilitate reliable data acquisition in hazardous areas where control cabinets cannot – or should not – be installed.
EtherCAT modules with intrinsically safe interfaces for Ex applications:
- direct connection of intrinsically safe field devices
- IP67 modules for field installation
- a wide range of high-resolution, accurate signals
- extensive portfolio of certificates for worldwide use
Industrial measurement technology for steel production
The EtherCAT measurement modules from the ELM series offer high-performance measurement technology and are specially designed for industrial use – with correspondingly short assembly times in the common industrial control cabinet environment. Two series are available: The ELM3x0x basic series, with high sample rates of 10 kSps, records highly dynamic processes with a high measuring accuracy – simultaneously across all channels and modules. The ELM3x4x economy series with a sampling rate of 1 kSps is aimed at processes with lower dynamics.
The collected production and plant data can be archived, analyzed, and represented using TwinCAT Analytics.
Measurement technology highlights for metal processing:
- ELM terminals replace external DAQ systems
- scalable portfolio ranging from a rate of one second to the kHz range
- cross-terminal time synchronization (distributed clocks)
- comprehensive diagnostics functions for quick fault identification
- can be freely combined with other EtherCAT modules
Compact industrial PCs as IoT gateways
Consistent data collection and analysis offer numerous advantages in terms of process efficiency and quality in steel production. Our automation platform has integrated as standard suitable interfaces for standardized communication between plants and master computers or to cloud systems. Using the ultra-compact C60xx Industrial PCs as compact and powerful IoT edge devices, plants (or parts of plants) with older controllers, such as those from third-party providers, can also be retrofitted with ease. This means that all data can be collected and used for predictive maintenance.
Ultra-compact Industrial PCs as edge devices:
- powerful control computers with a small footprint
- precisely scalable in terms of performance
- compatible with existing control technology
- secure, standard-based cloud integration with TwinCAT IoT
- predictive maintenance through integrated condition monitoring
Integrated controller redundancy increases plant availability
Plant availability plays a decisive role when it comes to oil and gas production. Measures to increase this include using redundant architectures to safeguard against failures of individual control components. For redundant control operation, TwinCAT Controller Redundancy is available.
This system-integrated software solution allows two standard industrial PCs to be operated as redundant controllers that both run the same PLC program. An additional high-performance network connection between the two controllers provides the necessary data synchronization. Since standard Ethernet is used, no dedicated hardware components are required. This ensures that only one of the two industrial PCs addresses the fieldbus components at any given time and that the control programs are executed on both computers with the same database. If one controller fails, the second controller seamlessly takes over, preventing plant downtime and data loss.
Simplify the commissioning of field devices with TwinCAT
The full integration of the HART functionality into both the I/O system and the TwinCAT engineering ensures simple project planning and commissioning. The HART protocol integration allows users to integrate HART field devices directly into the controller. In addition, TwinCAT reduces the engineering effort: The TwinCAT FDT container enables the integration of field device DTMs directly into the TwinCAT Engineering and thus offers programming and field device configuration in one environment.
The Beckhoff ComDTM enables the seamless integration of TwinCAT controllers into existing process control systems. Using ComDTM, the DTMs of the field devices connected to HART-enabled EtherCAT Terminals can be integrated into any FDT containers in higher-level systems. This allows field devices to be configured and parameterized remotely without direct access to the PLC.
Control concept for metal processing
FAQs about metal processing
In hazardous areas – such as in the steel industry during the processing or transport of metal dust, when using flammable shielding or process gases, or in production stages involving high temperatures and sparking – control systems must be designed in such a way that no ignition sources arise and that safety-critical shutdown and protective functions operate reliably at all times. Modern automation technologies achieve this through intrinsically safe interfaces, continuous monitoring, and integrated safety technology.
PC-based control technology makes it possible to combine various I/O components within a single system. This allows EtherCAT Terminals with an integrated barrier to be connected to terminals designed for functional safety. What’s more, safety-relevant field devices that are located in hazardous areas can also be integrated. Due to the open system architecture, these solutions can be easily integrated into existing plants. International certifications such as ATEX, IECEx, and NEC/CEC enable worldwide use, providing operators with a high-performance, comprehensive solution that meets all application-specific requirements.
Energy efficiency and production costs in steel production can be optimized considerably through a holistic approach to automation. This is based on the digital networking of plants as well as end-to-end energy measurement, which creates transparency and enables data-driven optimization. Energy management – including peak load control, time-shifting energy-intensive processes, and power feed-back – reduces peak costs and grid fees. Predictive maintenance and condition monitoring ensure plant availability, prevent unplanned downtime, and reduce operating costs. With PC-based control and EtherCAT, Beckhoff offers integrated automation solutions for maximum efficiency in steel production.
Process and status data are essential for identifying opportunities for optimization in the steel mill. They enable the monitoring of plant conditions, the detection of trends, and the early identification of potential malfunctions.
Using Beckhoff technology, process data is collected in real time via an edge device, pre-processed, tagged with local alarms, and transmitted to historian systems or cloud platforms via standardized interfaces (OPC UA/MQTT). There, analytics and machine learning models enable the identification of anomalies and wear indicators, as well as the estimation of remaining service life. High-quality data collection, meaningful operational status data, and appropriate raw data processing are crucial for reliable forecasts. Beckhoff solutions such as TwinCAT Analytics and scalable edge controllers offer integrated data collection, preprocessing, and seamless integration with cloud analytics.
