Continuous Rolling Monitoring 2.0

ATON Product Family is expanding

About a year ago the ATON Wire was introduced as the cost-saving diameter and ovality gauge for wires, rods and tubes. By adding ATON Rod to the product portfolio, Nextsense now offers a measurement gauge for round cross-sections of up to 60mm and measurement parameters especially relevant for rolling mills producing wires, rods, bars and tubes.

The newly released ATON Rod continuously monitors round cross-sections of up to 60mm (2.36 inch). Inspecting cold, warm and hot material of up to 1200°C (2200°F), the ATON Rod visualizes rolling defects, monitors roll wear and estimates product contour. The measured parameters for wires, rods, bars and tubes include diameter, width, height & ovality. As the brand ATON already implies, cost and time savings are central advantages of the measurement gauge.

Optimizing Production

The ATON Rod reduces ramp-up time by eliminating sample cutting after size or product change. Parallel to that, it supports crop-optimization due to precise determination of off-size lengths at head and tail. It also supports the planning of roll changes due to continuous monitoring and can help with a faster reaction to faulty material production. Increasing yield by rolling close to tolerance limits requires ATON Rod’s surveillance and alarm system.

Product Design for the Rolling Mill

ATON Rod comes with built-in energy efficient cooling and heating to stand the big temperature range in a rolling mill (-10°C to 50°C, 14°F to 122°F). All measurement data is collected in a panel PC, which serves as an operator console for current rolling data and retrieval of historic data from the database.  ATON Rod is industry 4.0-ready by providing Level 1 signal interfaces and Level 2 data connectivity. Screens from the operator console can be shared through the plant network on office PCs, big screens and smart phones.

Depending on the application and the needed measurement parameters, the ATON Rod comprises of 2 to 6 laser shadow measurement sensors. Beside round cross-sections to measure diameter and roundness, reinforced bars with their characteristic rib structures can be handled by ATON Rod to define core diameter, rib height, cross-sectional area or meter weight.

A Product Family Built on Return on Investment

Typical pay-back period of 3 to 9 months making ATON gauges a cost-saving alternative to other solutions on the market. Nextsense helps its customers to streamline their rolling process and save cost. With ATON Rod, also bigger diameters, reinforced bars and more details can be measured now.