Revolutionizing Metal Melting: BIRN 3.0 Leads the Charge with Digital Expertise

BIRN embraces digital innovation to revolutionize metal production, enhancing melting processes for excellence.

In the one and a half meter deep melting furnaces at BIRN, iron scrap is heated using induction coils. The furnaces are managed by smelters; highly specialized professionals who can interpret the glowing molten metal, adjust temperatures, add more material, and remove slag from the surface.

“Induction operates through magnetism, but at around 750-800 degrees, iron loses its magnetic properties,” says Emil Brodersen.

“The most skilled smelters know exactly when to intervene, adjusting the temperature or adding more scrap. They know how to avoid wasting energy on unnecessary flat spots,” he adds.

“It has been eye-opening to see how much a single project has developed us. If we were BIRN 2.0 before, now we are BIRN 3.0. We see potential everywhere.”, says Emil Brodersen, Energy Manager, BIRN

This knowledge forms BIRN’s data foundation, which has been processed in the project, explains BIRN’s IT manager, David Stampe Grønborg.

“The job of a melter is extremely challenging. A smelter with 30 years of experience can read the furnace correctly and maintain the temperature that ensures a golden batch. But this knowledge is unique to them. Our task is to ensure that we capture this learning so we can share and further optimize,” says David Stampe Grønborg.

A New Era

For BIRN, the goal of the project was primarily to develop their people, followed by optimizing output, economics, and CO2 emissions. They have achieved all these goals:

“Our proof of concept was essentially about whether we could gather data from people’s minds. Could we visualize it and replicate it? And we could. It has been fantastic to see how people, who have learned from experience and built up vast knowledge, have embraced the project. They are very enthusiastic, and the project is alive and thriving in production,” says David Stampe Grønborg.

For Emil Brodersen, it’s the experience of entering a new era: “It has been eye-opening to see how much a single project has developed us. If we were BIRN 2.0 before, now we are BIRN 3.0. We see potential everywhere,” he says.