For many years binding of coils after rolling on the continuous 4-stand rolling mill in cold-rolling mill No.1 was done directly on the coiler or on the gravity conveyor where the coils were delivered by a car for removing and transporting metal. It was ideally to carry out this operation only on a car. But the problem was in its imperfect design which could cause sudden drop of the coil from the car. The stumbling rock was the dumping cradle for which the machine builders forgot to foresee a limit switch. Hence the safety labour instructions forbid the presence of personnel in the zone of the car. Though, stiffening of labour safety requirements did not solve the problem cardinally. It had to be solved on an engineer level because the existing packaging technology held up the production on the powerful aggregate. Then the management of the shop submitted a technical assignment to the specialists of the Central Laboratory on Automation and Mechanization. They suggested several solution variants among which the most acceptable was chosen.
The creative engineering group consisting of experienced designers of the laboratory of mechanization of rolling production Yuriy Sopilnyak, Leonid Bogomolniy, the present head of cold-rolling shop No.1 Andrey Nikolenko under the supervision of the Deputy Chairman of the Board-Technical Director Alexander Putnoki, a unique blocking device for dumping platforms was worked out and introduced. Later it was considered an invention. All the parts of the unit were made in the mechanization shop of the Central Laboratory of Automation and Mechanization. The expenditures of means and resources were minimum ones.
– This device, — said one of its authors L.M Bogomolniy, — consists of a body with an axis, a limit stop, a compression spring located hingedly on the axis of a three shoulder lever, one shoulder of which during contact with the stationary limit stop turns this lever, bringing the limit stop under the platform. At the same time the other shoulder compresses the spring, one end of which rests upon the swivel pad in the shape of a cup, located on the short shoulder of the lever. The third shoulder carries the limit stop. The device differs from analogical ones in the fact that the hinge support, which is centered according to the spring, is located between the compression spring and the load-carrying shoulder of the lever. The blocking device worked out by us differs also in the fact that the support in this case is made with a center hole to assemble the pin, and has two pivot bolts which are the rocking axis of the spring pivoting support, allowing the latter to remain rectilinear, when the lever turns. This, actually, is the novelty of our engineering design, which regards it as an invention. I would like to add, that the device works in an automatic regime. The operating engineer has only to press the button on the control board for the car to remove the coil from the coiler and when it gains its end position, move the limit stopper under the platform cradle.
It should be noticed that fulfilling the seemingly local assignment regarding improvement of the design of the movable platform, the creative group made a small discovery for the machine builders but it was a big service to the Works. Firstly, the processing engineers were able to do safe binding of the coils directly on the platform. Now this technology has become an official and safety one.
Secondly, eliminating the operation of binding coils from the mill line, the mill rollers have received a possibility to work more productively. The economists have calculated that for the last two years since the invention has been in operation the economic effect has amounted to 1.4 million UAH.
It seems, that till the Works is not able to work at full capacity, the inventors have time to activate their creative thoughts and propose their own technical findings regarding updating of equipment, increasing its reliability during operation. They do it without expecting a bonus for their innovations. They do it simply for themselves, for their co-workers and after all for self-esteem. Every such step earlier or later will be repaid a hundredfold. Life has proved that many times.