FinlandManufacturing2023 – ongoingOutokumpu
AI optimization of melting time in electric arc furnaces
Outokumpu says AI cut furnace melting time by 4% and raised furnace capacity by 17%
Problem
Melting in electric arc furnaces is a main step in stainless steel production. It uses a lot of energy and sets how much steel a furnace can make.
Approach
Outokumpu used machine learning to optimize the melting time in its electric arc furnaces. The company also said it had run AI-based predictive maintenance for a number of years.
Results
Takeaway
Outokumpu reported both a capacity gain and a CO2 cut from the same furnace change. It did not say how it measured them.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Business function
- Production and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Predictive analytics and MLOptimization
- Adoption
- Built in-house
- Evidence
- Company's own claim
Sources
Source summaries
An Outokumpu article on AI in stainless steel. It says AI optimization shortened furnace melting time by 4%, raised capacity by 17% and cut CO2 by 1,736 tons. It also mentions predictive maintenance, computer vision and early interest in generative AI.
Full details are in the original sources.
