Digital technologies and autonomous robots have revolutionised nearly every industry branch, including, of course, the iron and steel industry. In fact, such transformations arrived right on time for this sector.
For a long time, it has been criticised for its environmental impacts, workers’ safety, and resource management, but technology has been changing the game.
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Improved Metallic Carpentry
Thanks to the application of cutting-edge technologies, heavy-metal carpentry products like those provided by mantierogroup are now much better.
The mechanical processes have become much more sophisticated, and new techniques for plasma cutting, welding, bending, and painting have emerged.
Reliable metal structures for factories, civil buildings, photovoltaic systems, and robotics require a combination of the most advanced techniques.
The increased digitisation of industrial processes in the metallurgy sector made such improvements possible. The metal-forming industry is projected to grow to USD 268.9 billion by 2034.
3D Printing
Also called “additive manufacturing,” 3D printing is revolutionising the steel industry, and it’s, indeed, here to stay.
This new technology allows manufacturers to literally “print” finished bespoke pieces of all sizes and all kinds of details.
There’s still a lot of room for improvement in this process. Regardless, it’s already one of the most promising technologies here.
For once, it saves time and money since its production is greatly scalable, taking a fraction of the time that human manufacturers could.
The prototyping and testing processes also have become much faster since steel companies adopted this technology.
More importantly, it simplifies the supply chain by decentralising the production of items that can now be simply “printed.”
Eco-Friendly Coating
The coating is vital to steelworking, making it more resistant to corrosion and wear. Traditional methods of releasing raw materials into the environment also produce harmful gas emissions.
The good news is that such methods have been gradually replaced by eco-friendly techniques, such as epoxy and zinc-rich paint, that can extend the lifespan of steel surfaces for much longer.
Stainless steel layers and nanomaterial inks are also very effective in protecting surfaces while releasing much less harmful emissions.
Other green techniques include electrostatic powder coating, electroless nickel plating, and water-based coatings.
Steel production techniques have also improved, replacing coal with hydrogen in blast furnaces, drastically reducing CO2 emissions.
Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and the Internet of Things (IoT)
AI, IoT and big data analysis are among the most important technologies ushered by Industry 4.0.
In this industry, AI helps with energy optimisation, streamlined logistics, reduced emissions, seamless production standardisation, and much more reliable safety protocols. Like in other sectors, the result is increased productivity and profitability.
IoT is another buzzword in the steel sector, as it allows real-time monitoring of machines and production processes.
Additionally, it automates routine maintenance scheduling, preventing malfunctions and consequent downtime.
Big data analytics transforms the sheer amount of data collected by such technologies into actionable insights.
Robotic Automation
The rise of the technologies mentioned above allowed this industry to take a few steps forward in robotic automation.
Robots are already widely used in the automotive sector, handling tasks that are too heavy or too dangerous for human workers.
Processes like welding, casting, assembling, and furnace operations no longer need human assistance; robots can streamline them.
It means more efficiency for companies, as automated processes allow for greater scalability and quality control.
According to industry experts, steel and iron companies can save up to 40% in labour costs by 2030 just by implementing robotic automation on the factory floor.
It also means much more safety for workers, as the automation of dangerous tasks can reduce injuries by 60%.
Chemical and Electrochemical Processes
The iron and steel industry has been under the spotlight for quite negative reasons: It’s responsible for 7% of global CO2 emissions and 24% of industrial emissions.
Such a situation calls for improvements in production processes, and many companies have been addressing this issue successfully by using biocarbon-based electric arc furnaces and chemical processes like hydrogen plasma smelting and direct reduction instead of burning tons of coal in blast furnaces.
Advanced Recycling Technologies
Recycling steel is good for the environment and improves resource efficiency. In this context, metal and electronic waste can be reworked and reintroduced into the production line.
However, traditional recycling methods also release quite a lot of CO2 with coal blast furnaces. Here, they have been replaced by electric arc furnaces to melt scrap metal.
This technique greatly increases the availability of recycling materials.
The sorting process has also been improved. Now, it uses chemical analysis, sensors, and magnets to separate steel from other materials much more efficiently.
Additionally, techniques using intense heat (pyrometallurgical) or chemical solutions (hydrometallurgical) can be used to sort different kinds of scrap metal.
This results in better-quality recycled steel, which maintains much of its resistance and durability.
