Triple Steelix hosted one of the planned workshops in the Project. A seminar and workshop were held at Domnarvsgården in Borlänge, Sweden on April 11, 2019. Focus was to discuss possibilities with photonics applications in the steel industry. Among many existing and potential uses are actuators, sensors and gauges connected to process control systems, QA/QC, safety and surveillance, material and product development and characterisation, digitalisation, VR/AR, IoT and AI, lasers for metal working, marking, just to mention a few.

Saed Moussavi, SSAB and Jan Kokk, Sandvik, gave good insights in what challenges there are within the steel industry and an outlook into future developments. Better process and product control are of outmost importance. Even though many applications already exist, there is a need for better accuracy, faster systems and higher reliability. There may also be possibilities with the help of new photonics sensors development to measure and control process parameters that until now have been unaccessible.

Other participants like RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden), Shapeline (laser based shape and flatness) and SME's like Radarbolaget (radar technology for through-furnace-wall slab temperature) and Proximion (Bragg grating optical fibers) presented possible photonics based solutions.

About 25 persons attended the seminar and workshop and were informed about the internationalisation opportunities available through the PIMAP Partnership network and activities.

PIMAP was also represented at a seminar and workshop in Skellefteå, North Sweden, at an event arranged by PhotonicSweden under the Photonics21 PPP, “Photonics 4 Recycling Waste Material & Metals Processing” on April 3-4.