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1. The Problem

  • Steel slabs required precise temperature control across multiple furnaces for different alloy types and applications

  • Manual recipe management and tracking was inefficient for 24x7 operations

  • Lack of integrated control between charging, tracking, and discharging processes

  • Need for fuel optimization while maintaining product quality across 5 furnaces

  • Disconnected systems between SAP, laboratory data, and Level 1 control systems

Business impact: Inefficient furnace operation leading to increased fuel consumption, quality variations, and limited production throughput in continuous steel processing operations.

2. The Solution

Architecture Details:

  • FrameworX Enterprise managing Level 2 advanced control system

  • Multi-tier architecture supporting control room and distributed operator stations

  • Integration layer connecting multiple data sources and control systems

  • 24x7 continuous operation environment


HTML
<pre><div>
[ Operator Stations ]
   Control Room + Field
            ?
   [ FrameworX Enterprise ]
        (Level 2 control)
            ?
      [ .NET DLL Layer ]
 (Temperature & Fuel Algorithms)
            ?
   [ Integration Layer ]
      200,000+ Tags
            ?
   ????????????????????
   ?        ?         ?
 [SAP]  [Siemens PLCs]  [LIMAB Lab]
        (5 Furnaces)
            ?
      [ TCP/IP Level 1 ]
</pre>
No Format
                  [Operator Stations]
                  Control Room + Field
                           |
                    FrameworX Enterprise
                      (Level 2 Control)
                           |
                    [.NET DLL Layer]
              <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="600" height="600" style="font-family: monospace; font-size:14px;">
  <!-- Operator Stations -->
  <text x="200" y="40">[ Operator Stations ]</text>
  <text x="220" y="60">Control Room + Field</text>
  <line x1="300" y1="70" x2="300" y2="100" stroke="black"/>
  
  <!-- FrameworX Enterprise -->
  <text x="190" y="120">[ FrameworX Enterprise ]</text>
  <text x="230" y="140">(Level 2 control)</text>
  <line x1="300" y1="150" x2="300" y2="180" stroke="black"/>
  
  <!-- .NET DLL Layer -->
  <text x="210" y="200">[ .NET DLL Layer ]</text>
  <text x="150" y="220">(Temperature & Fuel Algorithms)</text>
  <line x1="300" y1="230" x2="300" y2="260" stroke="black"/>
  
  <!-- Integration               |Layer -->
  <text x="220"              [y="280">[ Integration Layer ]</text>
  <text                 200x="230" y="300">200,000+ TagsTags</text>
  <line x1="300" y1="310" x2="300" y2="340" stroke="black"/>
  
  <!-- Branch -->
  <line x1="180" y1="340" x2="420" y2="340" stroke="black"/>
  
  <!-- SAP  |-->
  <line x1="180" y1="340" x2="180"   ???????????????????????????????????????
        |                  |                  |
     [SAP]          [Siemens PLCs]      [LIMAB Lab]
        |            (5 Furnaces)             |
        |                  |                  |
        ???????????????????????????????????????
                           |
                  [y2="370" stroke="black"/>
  <text x="160" y="390">[ SAP ]</text>
  
  <!-- Siemens PLCs -->
  <line x1="300" y1="340" x2="300" y2="370" stroke="black"/>
  <text x="250" y="390">[ Siemens PLCs ]</text>
  <text x="260" y="410">(5 Furnaces)</text>
  
  <!-- LIMAB Lab -->
  <line x1="420" y1="340" x2="420" y2="370" stroke="black"/>
  <text x="380" y="390">[ LIMAB Lab ]</text>
  
  <!-- TCP/IP -->
  <line x1="300" y1="420" x2="300" y2="450" stroke="black"/>
  <text x="250" y="470">[ TCP/IP Level 1 ]</text>
</svg>
</div>

Technical Specifications:

...

  • Originally C++ algorithms migrated to .NET DLLs for:

    • Charging control (weight validation, measurement, SAP data verification)

    • In-furnace tracking

    • Discharging control

    • Advanced temperature calculation and fuel optimization

3. Key Enablers

Essential capabilities that made this solution possible:

  • .NET DLL Integration: Native support for loading and executing custom .NET assemblies containing proprietary control algorithms

  • Massive Tag Management: Ability to handle 200,000+ tags with real-time performance

  • Multi-Protocol Support: Simultaneous communication with Siemens PLCs, TCP/IP Level 1 systems, and laboratory interfaces

  • Advanced UI Components: Complex grid controls with color-coding for slab status and positioning visualization

4. The Results

Measurable improvements:

  • Achieved unified control across 5 furnaces from single platform

  • Enabled real-time tracking of all slabs through complete furnace cycle

  • Optimized fuel consumption through advanced temperature algorithms

  • Maintained 24x7 operation reliability for continuous production

  • Integrated previously disconnected systems (SAP, Laboratory, Level 1)

...