This photo provided by POSCO shows the steelmaker’s automatic skimmer.
SEOUL, April 14 (Korea Bizwire) — POSCO, South Korea’s top steelmaker, said Thursday that it has succeeded in automating its molten metal pre-treatment process.
According to the company, the third steel mill located in Pohang, 372 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has developed an automation system for the molten metal pre-treatment process, ranging from limestone injection to slag removal.
Until now, workers had to watch the process through a monitor and operate a piece of machinery called a skimmer that looks like a gigantic shovel, causing variations in worker performance due to its reliance on workers’ eyes, hands, and senses.
The newly developed automation system uses artificial intelligence (AI) to learn these senses and automatically operate the equipment.
In contrast to existing technology that required workers to manually manipulate the equipment using a stick while watching a monitor, the automated solution can complete the process simply with the press of a button.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
