AvestaPolarit Stainless Oy has awarded ABB a contract for the supply of MeasureIT Surface Imaging for its plant in Tornio, Finland. This is the first surface imaging solution for the steel industry ever delivered by ABB. For the pulp and paper industry, ABB has delivered nearly 1000 similar systems. AvestaPolarit is building a new high-capacity integrated line (RAP5) that includes cold rolling, annealing, pickling and skin passing. RAP5 uses the latest technology to achieve maximum efficiency and flexibility. Maximum processing speed is 150 m/min. The new RAP5 line will almost double the capacity of cold rolled products in Tornio to about 1 million tons/year. After completion of the ongoing investment programme, AvestaPolarit will become the biggest stainless steel producer in the world, and the Tornio
plant will become the biggest stainless steel plant.
“The Surface Imaging System is a new alternative that the metal industry has awaited for a long time,” says Lasse Mäkelin, Senior Vice President of ABB Oy. “Automatic inspection systems for metal surfaces have been available for some time, but only recently has the development of electronics and information technology made the implementation of advanced
systems possible.”
