Automated scissor tong retrofit — continuous-caster slab yard
Latch-trip gravity scissor tongs replacing manual chain-and-hook slings for slabs up to 25 t, cutting cycle time by 30% and removing operator proximity to hot slabs.
Client: Primary UK steel producer (confidential)
Challenge
A continuous-caster slab yard was handling 25 t slabs with manual chain-and-hook slings — a process that required operators to approach slabs still above 300 °C to attach and release rigging. Cycle time per slab was long, and a recent incident review had flagged operator proximity as an unacceptable risk.
Engineering response
Somers Handling engineered a set of hot-line rated gravity scissor tongs with refractory-shielded jaws and a latch-trip mechanism that engaged on lifting and released on touchdown — removing any requirement for operators to touch the load. Tongs were matched to an existing 40 t overhead crane and delivered with a full documentation pack under BS EN 13155.
Outcome
Cycle time per slab dropped by roughly 30%. Operator proximity to hot slabs was eliminated entirely — the load is rigged, moved and released without contact. A second set of tongs has since been ordered for the sister caster.
The yard had run manual slab rigging for decades. It worked, but each cycle needed an operator to walk in, attach chain slings, signal the crane, walk back, then repeat in reverse at the drop point. With slabs still well above ambient when they came off the caster, the risk exposure per cycle was significant — and the count was thousands of cycles per week.
A post-incident review in early 2024 concluded that eliminating manual rigging had to be a priority. Somers specified a pair of hot-line rated gravity scissor tongs sized to the yard’s slab range (800 mm to 2,100 mm width, up to 25 t). Jaws were shielded against radiative heat; pin bushes upgraded for continuous hot-line duty.
Outcomes
- Operator proximity to the slab during handling eliminated — the tong grips on lift and releases on touchdown, without any manual intervention.
- Cycle time per slab down approximately 30%.
- A second identical tong set is now on order for the adjacent caster.
Similar challenge on your site?
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