A machine vision system has been launched in the pipe-rolling shop of the Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (PNTZ), which automatically checks the geometry of pipes. The technology was implemented by specialists from the TMK Research Center together with PNTZ engineers.
The digital complex tracks key product parameters — length and diameter — directly during the production process. High-precision cameras are installed on the piercing, expanding and reducing mills of the TPA-160 unit.
The neural network finds the boundaries of pipes and blanks in real time, synchronizes data by time and transmits the results to a single storage system. Thanks to this, operators can monitor the process from any device, including a smartphone.
About two thousand labeled images of pipes of different grades were used to train the model. The equipment is designed taking into account the harsh conditions of the metallurgical workshop: the camera housings are protected from heat, dust, moisture and electromagnetic interference, which ensures stable operation without failures.
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