Materials analysis from incoming goods inspection down to the finishing stage

Elemental analysis in steel production and processing: Laser-based system speeds up material inspection

At METEC/GIFA 2023, Secopta will be showing two new systems – one for time-saving incoming goods inspection and one for speedy, fully automatic inline PMI analyses. With the SlagLIBS system, steelmakers can efficiently check whether incoming deliveries of fluxing material comply with the chemical composition specified. For PMI (Positive Material Identification) of long products, Secopta”s FiberLIBS systems now also come with a measuring head that can be placed on the product, e.g. billets, to perform a PMI analysis before reheating.
Time-saving incoming goods checks with SlagLIBS

At METEC 2023, Secopta will be showing its new SlagLIBS system to the public for the first time. The system can be used in steelworks to analyze e.g. the chemical composition of incoming deliveries of fluxing and alloying agents – in just a few minutes. The system achieves the same high accuracy as an XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) analysis, which is state of the art, but delivers the analysis results much faster. Thus, incoming material that does not comply with the specifications can be rejected without delay.

The analyses with SlagLIBS require minimum sample preparation. Just a quick size reduction by crushing (between 5 to 15 mm) of coarse material is adequate enough to deliver results with acceptable accuracy. This is possible to achieve within few minutes after sample taking. In contrast, an XRF analysis, including sample preparation, can take up to two hours.
Fully automatic PMI with FiberLIBS

The FiberLIBS systems have already proven their competency in automatic, inline PMI (Positive Material Identification) of finished long steel products, such as bright bar, sections and pipes, that pass the analyzer at speeds of up to 2 m/s.

A novelty – to be unveiled at METEC – is FiberLIBS for PMI of semi-finished products, e.g. billets, retrieved from intermediate storage for subsequent rolling. Performing the PMI analysis before reheating the billet guarantees that only input material with the specified properties is charged into the reheating furnace.

The new FiberLIBS system comes with a specially designed measuring head that is automatically lowered onto the surface of the stationary billet. ‘As billets are often stored in the open air, the measuring head has a fully integrated automatic sample preparation technology that removes the scale from the billet surface before the analysis’. The entire process takes just about 30 seconds. Thus, every batch charged is automatically 100% PMI-tested – a distinct advantage over conventional manual testing with a spark spectrometer (OES).

Secopta at METEC/GIFA/THERMPROCESS 2023
D?sseldorf, Germany, June 12 – 16, 2023:
Hall 4 / Stand A 23

Keywords:secopta, inline PMI analysis, SlagLIBS, material identification, long products, steelworks, spectrometer, measuring