POSCO DX to develop robots for steel mills

POSCO DX Co., the IT services subsidiary of South Korean steelmaker POSCO Holdings Inc., will collaborate with Chosun Refractories Co. to develop robots for steel works.

POSCO DX announced on Wednesday that it signed a business agreement with Chosun Refractories, a specialist in producing refractory materials that can withstand temperatures exceeding 1,500 degrees Celsius.

The two companies will jointly develop robots for use in steelmaking processes such as continuous casting, iron making, and steel making, which involve handling high-temperature molten iron produced in the blast furnace.

Automating these processes with robots has been challenging due to variations in site conditions and environments.

Continuous casting is a process by which a certain amount of molten iron is poured into a casting mold through a nozzle. Periodically, nozzle blockages occur, posing safety risks when workers need to clear the blockages using long rods or by replacing the nozzle to allow the molten iron to flow again.

POSCO DX and Chosun Refractories will team up to develop an automated system using robots to replace nozzles when blockages occur during continuous casting. The plan is to expand the application of these robots to similar processes in the future.

POSCO DX will be responsible for overall robot design, simulation, and automation system development. Chosun Refractories will handle the development of refractory materials and related auxiliary devices needed for the continuous process. Both companies expect that automation will enhance productivity and safety.

POSCO Group has been introducing robots to its steel mills and secondary battery factories. Recently, it installed ultra-high-definition (UHD) cameras and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) on freight trains within the Gwangyang Steel Mill.

This remote operation significantly increased workplace safety by allowing the risky task of moving molten iron from the blast furnace to the steelmaking plant to be performed remotely.

"We are accelerating the introduction of robots to ensure safety in industrial sites and respond to changes in population demographics," a POSCO DX source said. 

Write to Jin-Won Kim at jin1@hankyung.com