Severstal has introduced new metal surface inspection systems

2025: Implementation of Metal Surface Inspection Systems

Severstal continues to scale computer vision models that automate the quality control of rolled metal. As of March 2025, 12 systems were implemented at the Cherepovets Steel Mill site. The solutions were developed by the Severstal Digital team (Artificial Intelligence cluster), together with the Technical Development and Quality Directorate and the Severstal Repair Directorate. The company announced this on March 26, 2025.

Both neural network systems based on previously installed video surveillance cameras and new surface inspection systems (PIS) based on the company's own designs have been introduced at the Cherepovets Steel Mill site.

So, at the end of 2024, four CIPs were put into operation: they work on the units of polymer coatings of metal No. 1,2,3 and on the unit of longitudinal cutting No. 8. These solutions also work on continuous hot galvanizing units No. 1 and No. 4 and on longitudinal cutting unit No. 4. They are capable of recognizing 40 to 100 classes of defects in color images, making it easier to classify deviations. The systems use a set of computer vision models, each trained to detect defects critical to a particular type of metal. When changing the type of products, for example, from cold-rolled steel to dynamic steel, the algorithm automatically switches to the desired model, and additional rules for classifying defects are flexibly adapted to the type of rolled metal.

In addition, the developed software provides adaptive lighting adjustment depending on the time of day and color tone of the coating, which allows you to obtain a better image for further recognition of defects by the neural network model. This is especially important for systems on polymer coating units, where up to several dozen color versions of polymer rolled metal are produced.

Computer vision solutions are an important part of the digital product qualification system. Due to their accuracy and ability to work 24/7, Severstal customers receive better metal products, and unit operators can switch from routine tasks to those that require greater involvement. The combination of multimodel algorithms, adaptive technologies and import-independent solutions not only improves product quality, but also forms a benchmark for the metallurgical industry. Over the past two years, we have increased the accuracy of solutions by more than 30%. In the future, we plan to introduce inspection systems at other key units, transferring entire production lines under digital control, "commented Svetlana Potapova, Director of Severstal Digital.

2023: Increasing Mill 2000 Productivity with Machine Learning

On May 11, 2023, Severstal announced the introduction of a software complex for managing the rate of rolling and issuing slabs from furnaces based on machine learning models. The solution, called Autotemp 2.0, was implemented at Cherepovets Steel Mill Mill 2000 (a key asset of Severstal). The developers were specialists from Severstal Digital and Severstal-Infocom together with experts from the Center for Technological Development of Downstream Rolling Plants and technologists from the production of rolled steel at Cherepovets Steel Mill.

"Autotemp 2.0" allows you to calculate and adjust the optimal pause before delivering slabs from the heating furnace of the mill and thereby increase its productivity. Earlier, the operator calculated the necessary time for removing the slab on his own, which could cause unproductive pauses in rolling. In addition, the solution is integrated with the metal heating model, which improves the energy efficiency of the heating furnace area and the quality of slab heating.

Autotemp 2.0 is based on a model using a gradient boosting algorithm that allows you to analyze tabular heterogeneous data and calculate the rolling time of metal in the mill with high accuracy. For three months of the solution, the savings in rolling time due to the optimization of pauses amounted to 27 hours, which made it possible to additionally produce 24 thousand tons of rolled metal.

"Autotemp 2.0" is Severstal's own development, which used current technologies and tools for building digital solutions. They allow you to develop the product in the future and not depend on foreign suppliers of software or components. The solution completely controls the issuance of slab, due to which we eliminate the human factor and reduce the likelihood of downtime of the unit. In addition, we are introducing a digital twin at the heating furnaces site in order to determine, based on its forecast, which of the existing furnaces is best loaded at a certain moment for the best productivity of the 2000 mill, "commented Evgeny Vinogradov, CEO of Severstal Russian Steel and resource assets.

The level of digitalization of Severstal's production sites is steadily growing, and Autotemp 2.0 is another successful example of how a digital solution helps improve the productivity of industrial equipment. Our developments cover increasingly large and powerful units, including Camp 2000, one of the key units in the process chain of the plant, "commented Svetlana Potapova, Director of Severstal Digital LLC.