SUSTAIN: Innovation in Action
Featured as a case study on page 52, the SUSTAIN Hub’s Hot Mill Optimisation project, delivered in collaboration with Made Smarter, has been highlighted as an exemplar of research-driven industrial innovation. The work showcases how AI‑driven optimisation has transformed material quality and contributed to the development of a first‑of‑its‑kind AI‑enabled optimisation framework, directly supporting enhanced production at Port Talbot Steelworks.
Case Study – Transforming material quality through AI‑Driven optimisation
Swansea University and Tata Steel UK have developed a novel AI‑enabled optimisation framework to enhance production at Port Talbot Steelworks. The collaborative research project, sponsored through the Material Made Smarter Research Centre and SUSTAIN Hub, has led to an 86% reduction of non‑right‑first‑time coils for tube grade steel products.
The Hot Strip Mill (HSM) at Port Talbot produces strip steel with a gauge (thickness) ranging from 1.50 mm to 17.00 mm. The mechanical properties of the finished strip are highly influenced by the cooling process, the profile of which has to be determined before processing by an engineer for each product type. The new optimisation routine significantly reduces the time required to optimise each product, making it possible to achieve optimal performance in a few hours rather than months. It minimises the need for costly trials and reduces material waste, therefore contributing to increased profitability and a reduction of carbon emissions.
These advances have been made possible by a £500,000 investment in new electromechanical and temperature sensors within Tata Steel and the effective collaboration with Swansea University, which has driven the development of the novel optimisation framework. There is strong potential to apply a similar approach to other models within the business. The project demonstrated the untapped potential of digitalisation and data driven approaches to achieve significant improvements in process operations.