Remote Control Robot Demolishes Kiln Accretion in Just Three Days

Published: 15/1

Sunil Sponge is a private company belonging to the Sunil Group of Industries in east-central India. Sunil Steel and Sunil Sponge have modern state-of-the-art jobbing rolling mills equipped with appropriate and reliable plant and machinery. These conform to stringent process and quality control norms, starting with raw material inspection to finished steel products. The company also produces semi-finished products of iron or non-alloy steel.

Some time ago, one of the steel plant’s kilns had to be renovated and the lining taken down. This type of demolition job has to be done every 100 to 110 days to keep the kiln fit and running properly. After investigating what method should be chosen, the decision was made to use a new Husqvarna DXR 145 demolition robot to do the job. The kiln measured a maximum of 118 in (3,000mm) with the opening of of just over 51 in (1,300mm). The DXR 145 proved to be perfectly designed for confined spaces, having the dimension of 33.4 in (771mm) in width, 47.8 in (1,215mm) in height and 76 in (1,932mm) in length. The weight of the machine is 985kg and has a total reach of more than 12 ft (3.7m).

Other attractive features of the demolition its electro-hydraulic power and a flexible three-part boom system that ensured easy movement in the kiln, with this being paramount for the operation as well as the robot’s high power to weight ratio. Another important feature was that the machine is very safe to operate. The operator can be positioned on either side, or behind the machine during operation, thereby mitigating the risk of being hit by falling debris. The robot also provides precise operation as the operator can easily see the actual area of cutting the lining. Adding steel tracks and heat-resistant hoses ensured the robot could work in a hot environment. The job started with that the sponge kiln being shut down to cool down for 48 hours before the machine could be let in. The thickness of the lining accretion was 27.5-35.4 in (700-900mm), with lengths of up to nearly 100 ft (30m). Demolition work required a total of 33 hours. The day after the robot was removed, the kiln was relit and put back into production.

A Sunil Sponge plant spokesperson stated that staff were overwhelmed by the performance of the Husqvarna demolition robot. It provided a safe method, as well as very effective and both time and cost saving one.