Painting collaborative robot drives innovation in metal coil marking

USIMINAS

In short

USIMINAS, market leader in flat-rolled steel in Brazil, had an outdated coil marking system that relied on rollers and servomotors, resulting in high maintenance costs and long marking times. Always in pursuit of innovation, the company turned to collaborative robotics to solve the problem in a faster, smarter and more precise way. After conducting market research, the company carried out proof-of-concept and pilot tests. With all results showing positive outcomes, USIMINAS moved forward with in-factory testing of the collaborative robot.

The challenge

Despite the complexity of the process, operators needed to handle the machines easily through a transparent and flexible solution. In addition, the new coil marking process had to be faster and simpler than the previous one. Another challenge was ensuring that the system could operate automatically and identify coil size on its own during marking, while also adding a QR code to improve traceability in later stages of the process.

USIMINAS

Industry Fabricated Metals

Country Brazil

Number of Employees 1000+

Cobot used UR10e (now UR12e)

Automation challenges solved:

Reduced rework

Increased productivity

Paint savings

Greater process flexibility

More uptime

Key value drivers:

Easy installation and programming

Small factory floor footprint

Reliable operation

Safe use without a safety cell (after risk assessment)

Tasks solved by collaborative robots:

Paint application on metal coils

Smarter marking, safer work, stronger results

USIMINAS chose to use a Universal Robots UR10e collaborative robot for paint application on metal coils and achieved excellent results. To enhance the solution even further, the company ensured all workers had access to and training on the robot’s controls, empowering the workforce on site.

As a result, the factory achieved annual paint savings of R$130,000. To date, the cobot has marked more than 100,000 coils, improving workplace safety since workers no longer need to perform manual markings on heavy (up to 45 tons) and sharp coils.

Precision marking with minimal footprint

The UR10e cobot implementation is capable of adding text, QR codes and vector drawings. The setup occupies less than 1 square meter, including the paint reservoir, and consumes less electricity than a coffee maker.

“This showed us that we can look for different and unconventional solutions for the steel industry,” said Geraldo Maia, Cold Rolling Manager at USIMINAS.