US 12,371,769 B2
Method for scheduling production on a continuous galvanizing line
Diego Diaz Fidalgo, Aviles Asturias (ES); Silvino Fernandez Alzueta, Aviles Asturias (ES); Segundo Alvarez Garcia, Aviles Asturias (ES); and David Mendez Heres, Aviles Asturias (ES)
Assigned to ArcelorMittal, Luxembourg (LU)
Appl. No. 17/776,039
Filed by ArcelorMittal, Luxembourg (LU)
PCT Filed Nov. 6, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/060459
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 11, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/094883, PCT Pub. Date May 20, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. PCT/IB2019/059691 (WO), filed on Nov. 12, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0396862 A1, Dec. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/06 (2023.01); C23C 2/00 (2006.01); G06Q 10/0631 (2023.01)
CPC C23C 2/0035 (2022.08) [C23C 2/003 (2013.01); C23C 2/0038 (2022.08); C23C 2/51 (2022.08); G06Q 10/06311 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for setting a production schedule of a multiplicity of galvanized coils of metallic strip on a continuous galvanizing line having an annealing furnace, a zinc pot and a wiping machine, the method comprising the steps of:
collecting a multiplicity of characteristics defining each uncoated coil to be galvanized, a multiplicity of specifications to be reached for each galvanized coil, a multiplicity of process parameters required to reach the specifications of each galvanized coil and a multiplicity of line constraints;
evaluating, for each possible combination of two uncoated coils, an impact of the transition from the first uncoated coil to the second uncoated coil on a quality of the galvanized coils in relation to at least the following two sets of parameters:
adjustment of temperature Tp and speed S of the metallic strip in the annealing furnace,
adjustment of pressure P of a wiping medium and distance D of the wiping machine from the metallic strip at an exit of the zinc pot;
allocating to each possible combination of uncoated coils a weighting factor dependent on results of the evaluating step and taking into account the line constraints;
computing the results of the allocating step by calculating, for a number of possible schedules of the multiplicity of uncoated coils, a score dependent on a sum of the weighting factors attributed to the combinations of uncoated coils involved in a given schedule and by selecting the schedule of the possible schedules with the optimal score; and
galvanizing the uncoated coils of metallic strips on the continuous galvanizing line according to the schedule with the optimal score or according to an adjusted version of the schedule with the optimal score.