Tata Steel commissions new robotic system at Kalinganagar steel plant

Tata Steel has commissioned a new robotic system for carrying out the wagon tippler operation at its Tata Steel Kalinganagar steel plant in Jajpur district, Odisha.

According to the Indian steelmaking company, tippling operations at the raw-material handling system of the steel plant include critical activities such as decoupling, coupling, rotation, and centre buffer coupler (CBC) alignment of wagon by means of manual intervention at inhaul and outhaul side.

Tata Steel said that for all the cycles, following a wagon tippling operation on tippler table, the empty wagons have to be coupled with empty wagons in the outhaul area.

For coupling both wagons successfully, the couplers alignment is required which is now being manually carried out by a designated person under high risk potential. In order to remove the man-machine interface while managing railway wagons after a tippling operation during each cycle, the company has introduced a new system of robotics operation for wagon tippler.

Tata Steel commissions new robotic system for the wagon tippler operation at its Kalinganagar steel plant. Photo courtesy of Tata Steel.

Under the new system of operation, a robotic system will ensure that the wagon couplers at outhaul, prior to getting coupled, will be inspected and aligned. This will completely take out the man machine interface during all the tippling cycles, thereby assuring safety while helping to boost productivity.

Tata Steel stated: “The new system has been installed in one of the Wagon Tipplers and will be horizontally deployed in others as well. This system is also supplemented by a uniquely designed Smart Fencing System with Automated Gate Locking Facility for restricting unauthorized entry during equipment operation.”