On-line system for the measurement of the eccentricity of a piercing mandrel after being thrust into a cylindrical bloom of hot steel. The system detects both the perimeter of the bloom and mandrel and calculates the center of the bloom and mandrel for display to the operator. The system is designed to differentiate the mandrel from slag, a commonly occurring deposit that can resemble the mandrel shadow. Design features include water cooled enclosures for environmental protection.

On-line system for measurement of the width of red hot strip steel before and after milling. The system measures the strip steel width, ranging from 18 to 60 inches, ten (10) times per second, to an accuracy of +/-0.1". The strip width measurement profile is graphically displayed for the operator. Design features include water cooled enclosures for environmental protection and a strip chart I/O port for hard copy profiles.

On-line system for guidance and centering control of a steel strip to within 1/8" of the mill center line traveling at 2000 feet per minute on a slitter line. The quality of the steel coil can vary greatly based on how they are wrapped, and can be telescoped up to an inch per wrap. The wrapping distortion problem is compounded by protective oil coating on the steel coils. A steel coil weighing up to 60,000 pounds is placed on a hydraulically driven centering mandrel. The system measures the width and displacement from mill center of the steel strip. The PID control loop uses the measurement data to produce an analog signal that the drives the hydraulic positioning valve. The valve drives the mandrel and steel coil to the left and right of mill center.

On-line system for 3-dimensional profile measurements of railroad rails to an accuracy of +/- 0.010" at a line speed of one hundred and eighty (180) feet per minute. Eight (8) laser line generators produce a structured light profile line around the rail. Ten (10) cameras acquire images of the laser line profile. The profile images are calculated and translated into 3- dimensional coordinates. The dimensional coordinates are reconstructed in computer memory to produce the a complete 3-dimensional profile of the rail.

On-line system for measuring the width and camber of steel plates to an accuracy of +/- 0.010" at a line speed of one hundred and eighty (180) feet per minute. The system incorporates four cameras and four light line generators to acquire the images. The images are calculated and translated into 3-dimensional coordinates. The dimensional coordinates are reconstructed in computer memory to produce the a complete 3-dimensional profile of the steel plate.

On-line system for measuring the length of hot steel bar stock ranging in size from 30 to 150 feet to an accuracy of +/-12". The steel bar stock length measurement profile is graphically displayed for the operator. Design features include water cooled enclosures for environmental protection.