Utilising robots for safety inspection
Outokumpu has expanded its use of robots for safety inspections to its site in Tornio , Finland . The company now utilises three AI-enhanced robots at its production sites .
Text by Outokumpu
Stainless steel producer Outokumpu started to utilise artificial intelligence and safety inspection robots a year ago to improve and digitise the company ’ s facilities ’ health and safety monitoring . The deal was signed with a Swiss robotics company ANYbotics , in early 2023 , followed by the first ANYmal robots arriving at Outokumpu ’ s sites in Krefeld , Germany , and Avesta , Sweden . After a year of piloting , the use of robotics is now expanding to Finland , with the first robot starting its operations at the company ’ s ferrochrome plant in Tornio . ANYmal robotics supports Outokumpu ’ s vision of achieving the lowest accident frequency rate in the industry by 2025 .
Safety strategy “ Use of AI and robotics for safety management is one of the cornerstones of our safety strategy . ANYbotics ’ robot technology is helping us to increase safety by reducing employee exposure to hazardous substances and environments , optimising production through preventive
maintenance , decreasing environmental impacts and collecting data . Our estimation in 2023 was that by transferring inspection tasks to the robot , employees ’ exposure time to hazardous substances could have been reduced by more than 80 % and possibly hazardous repairs in maintenance by 20 %. We have taken good steps forward , and we are excited to implement robotics into our ferrochrome business as well ”, says Thorsten Piniek , Vice President , Health & Safety at Outokumpu .
Multiple daily tasks Outokumpu now has three robots operating at its sites – Rosie in Germany , Angie in Sweden , and Jokkeri in Finland – with multiple daily tasks . In Avesta , the robot is working to reduce the time employees must spend in acid areas during inspections , with a total of 90 inspection points per shift , 270 per day , and 1,890 per week . In Krefeld , the robot currently has tasks comparable to those in Sweden , with the aim of inspecting both the furnace and the insulation areas in the near future . The ANYmal robots use a simultaneous localisation and mapping ( SLAM ) method with Lidar sensors to detect obstacles and follow predefined routes and inspection points . The robots can also withstand heat , dust , and chemicals .
Pioneering robotics in ferrochrome business Outokumpu ’ s Ferrochrome plant was the first operational unit in Tornio . Today , there are approximately 230 people working at the plant and three submerged arc furnaces ( SAF ), two sintering plants and a coke drying unit with a total annual ferrochrome production capacity of 530 kilotonnes . Safety plays an essential role at the plant where several process industry safety hazards are present , and hazardous chemical compounds require special attention . “ At our Ferrochrome plant , the robot focuses on reducing personnel exposure to noise , dust , and vibration when measuring temperatures from different bearings and gearboxes and checking conveyor belt positioning to see that they are running in the correct positions . Introducing the robot in Tornio is a further step towards an even safer environment and increasing the efficiency of routine processes .” “ However , this robot technology is only one part of the technical innovations for safety . For example , Valto 360-dimensional view of the factory makes it possible to walk inside the factory and get acquainted with the equipment locations without physically visiting the area ”, says Teijo Södervall , Vice President , Ferrochrome plant , at Outokumpu . In the future , besides the walking robots , Outokumpu also intends to use drones , driverless transport systems and collaborative robots ( Cobots ) to improve safety and productivity . The long-term strategy is to invest in new technologies and to create intelligent plants where people and machines collaborate hand in hand .
32 Stainless Steel World December 2024 www . stainless-steel-world . net