Challenge details:

During the slitting process, wide steel coils are slit into narrower strips, simultaneously trimming the coil sides. The resulting side trim is chopped using a scrap chopper and collected in flat-bottom, funnel-shaped scrap bins via a conveyor system. This chopped scrap accumulates unevenly, necessitating frequent intervention by the EOT crane to rotate the bins. This time-consuming process involves switching crane attachments between tongs and chains and vice-versa, significantly reducing crane availability for core production activities.

To enhance operational efficiency, we aim to automate scrap bin management, eliminating the need for manual crane rotation. The ideal solution should ensure uniform scrap distribution inside the bin and should enable continuous filling without disrupting the existing transfer car system. Change in the design (shape) of the bin is not preferred.