Industry
High-temperature measurement, flow and inspection instrumentation for furnaces, rolling and finishing lines.
A steel plant is organised around temperature and movement. Metal is melted, cast, rolled and finished, and at every stage the measurements that matter most are how hot it is and how much of it is passing. Nearly everything else in the instrumentation follows from those two, and the environment they create - radiant heat, scale, dust, water and heavy vibration - is what makes specifying for a steel plant different from specifying for general metalworking.
The second distinguishing feature is that the product is inspected as well as measured. Dimensional checking, hardness verification, coating thickness measurement and non-destructive testing on welds and castings are all routine at the end of the process, and they are bought against named standards rather than against a preference. A mill that measures temperature beautifully and cannot demonstrate the gauge of the strip has solved only half of its problem.
Maintenance access shapes the rest. Instruments in the melt shop and on the run-out table are exposed to conditions that would destroy a standard installation, and the ability to replace a sensor without a long outage is worth paying for. That is why remote-mounted transmitters, non-contact temperature measurement and replaceable wear components appear so consistently in this sector: the installation is designed so that the instrument can be maintained while the plant keeps running.
Blast furnace, basic oxygen and electric arc furnaces. Temperature, gas analysis, flow and pressure are measured in an environment of radiant heat, dust and molten metal handling, and instruments are frequently mounted remotely for protection.
Continuous and ingot casting. Metal and mould temperature, secondary cooling water flow and level in the tundish and mould are the recurring duties, and the casting speed couples them together.
Hot and cold rolling and the forming lines that follow. Temperature, gauge, speed and tension dominate, and the measurement of the strip itself is normally non-contact.
Pickling, coating, slitting, cutting and inspection. Dimensional checking, coating thickness, hardness and non-destructive testing happen here, and the records they produce travel with the product.
| Measurement | What is measured in this sector | Instruments commonly specified |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Molten metal, furnace atmosphere, rolling stock, cooling water and the finished surface | Non-contact infrared and pyrometer measurement for the hot and moving duties, thermocouples for furnace and gas work, and RTDs where a stable water or process reading is wanted |
| Flow | Cooling water, secondary cooling, hydraulic systems, gas and steam | Electromagnetic and ultrasonic meters for water circuits, vortex or differential-pressure installations for gas and steam, and meters chosen for reliability where a cooling failure has consequences |
| Pressure | Furnace and gas pressure, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, and differential across filters | Transmitters mounted remotely on impulse lines to keep the electronics out of the heat, with the lines arranged so that they neither block nor freeze |
| Level | Furnace and ladle level, water treatment, sumps and hydraulic reservoirs | Non-contact measurement where the medium is molten or hot, hydrostatic transmitters where the vessel is simple, and switches for high-level protection |
| Gas analysis | Furnace atmosphere, combustion control, and safety monitoring for carbon monoxide and combustible gas | Process analysers and fixed detectors sited where the sample is representative and the analyser can be maintained, with sample conditioning matched to the dust and the temperature |
| Dimensional and material testing | Strip gauge and profile, coating thickness, hardness and weld integrity | Non-contact gauge measurement in the line, and hardness, coating thickness and non-destructive testing equipment at the finishing and dispatch end |
Remote mounting and replaceable wear parts are frequently the difference between an installation that survives the melt shop and one that has to be rebuilt at every shutdown.
Frequently asked
The questions that come up in this sector before an order. If yours is not here, send it with the duty and we will answer it alongside the quotation.
Normally by non-contact means, because nothing can be put into the metal repeatedly without being consumed. Infrared and pyrometer measurement suit the hot and moving duties, while immersion measurement is used where the accuracy justifies the consumable. With a non-contact method the surface condition matters: emissivity, slag on the surface and the presence of fume all affect the reading, and those conditions belong in the enquiry.
Almost always the surface rather than the instrument. Emissivity changes with alloy, oxidisation and roughness, scale and water on the surface change what the sensor sees, and a reading taken through steam or fume is measuring the steam. That is why the mounting position is chosen for a clear line of sight and why the material and the surface condition are part of the specification rather than an afterthought.
Because the circuits it serves protect equipment whose value is orders of magnitude greater than the instrument. A flow measurement on a furnace cooling circuit or a mill stand exists to detect a loss of cooling before damage occurs, which places the emphasis on reliability and on a clear failure signal rather than on accuracy. A measurement that fails without indicating that it has failed is worse than no measurement at all.
It follows from the product standard rather than from a general list. Dimensional and gauge measurement, coating thickness, hardness testing and non-destructive inspection of welds and castings are the recurring requirements, and each is bought against the method the standard names. Send the product standard and the acceptance level, and the equipment follows from that rather than from a catalogue.
Remotely, with an impulse line carrying the pressure to an instrument mounted where the ambient temperature is survivable. That solves the heat problem and makes the transmitter serviceable without entering the hot area, but it introduces its own requirements: the line has to be arranged so that it does not block with condensate or scale, and so that it cannot freeze. The transmitter rating then matters much less than the installation.
The process stage and the measurement, the medium and its temperature, the ambient conditions where the instrument will be installed, whether the reading is for control or for a quality record, the material or connection standard the plant uses, and any inspection standard the product has to satisfy. The ambient conditions matter as much as the process ones in this sector, and they are the detail most often left out.
Published products
Micrometers
Outside micrometers in two grades: digital styles reading to 0.001 mm, and mechanical styles from 0-25 to 225-250 mm, both with carbide measuring faces and a ratchet stop.
Digital Calipers
Digital vernier caliper in 150, 200 and 300 mm ranges with a 0.01 mm display, metric and inch switching, zero at any position, and an IP54 version for wet or dusty work.
Dial Indicators
Mechanical dial indicator and dial gauge for comparative measurement, in 0.01 mm and 0.001 mm graduations with dial diameters from 42 to 80 mm.
4XC / 4XC-W / FCM2000 / FCM3000 / IE300M / FX-41MW / BH200M / FL7000 / FL7500 / FL8000W / FL8500 / SZM-RS / SZM-W · Laboratory Microscopes
Metallurgical microscope for reflected-light examination of metals and other opaque specimens, in inverted and upright stands with long working distance objectives, a trinocular camera port and optional image analysis software.
GH880 / TR100 · Surface Roughness Testers
Portable surface roughness tester reading Ra and Rz with up to 26 parameters, eight built-in standard editions and four interchangeable sensors for bores, grooves and curved surfaces.
JITAI-510 / JITAI-515 / JITAI-512 / JITAI-514 · Ultrasonic Thickness Gauges
Portable ultrasonic thickness gauge covering 0.8 to 600 mm, with through-coating, ultra-thin and electromagnetic variants down to 0.15 mm and 0.001 mm resolution.
KUT350 / KY880S / KY990S / KY9901PLUS · Ultrasonic Testing Equipment
Digital ultrasonic flaw detector with 150 to 800 MHz sampling, DAC and AVG curves, 500 inspection channels and U-disk storage on the upper models, for weld, forging and plate inspection.
KY-CJE220 Series / Y Series / CDX-III · Magnetic Particle Testing Equipment
Portable magnetic particle inspection yoke with AC, DC and inverter power packs, white or ultraviolet illumination, and a 0 to 220 mm magnetising pole spacing, with a bench unit for small parts.
M2 · Signal Isolators
DIN-rail signal isolators and distributors giving 2000 Vrms isolation between input, output and supply, with 0.1%FS transmission accuracy and 10 ms response.
TH100 / TH110 / TH120 / TH140 · Hardness Testers
Portable Leeb hardness tester reading HL and converting to HB, HRC, HRB, HRA, HV and HS in one key, with a D impact device, 360° measurement and ten built-in materials.
TT220 / TT230 / TT260 / split-probe F and N series · Coating Thickness Gauges
Magnetic and eddy current coating thickness gauge measuring 0 to 1250 µm on steel and aluminium, with automatic probe identification, statistics, limit alarms and 500 stored readings.
Send the process conditions and the standard you have to meet, and we will confirm the instrument, availability and documentation that can accompany the order.
Request for quotation
Send the technical detail and we will confirm availability, lead time and terms. In-stock items ship within 48 hours; customized specifications typically take 2-10 days. Minimum order quantity is 1 pc.