Together with a delegation from Italy, the President of the Feralpi Group, Giuseppe Pasini, visited the Elbedome of the Fraunhofer Institute in Magdeburg. Thanks to a 3D projection, the new rolling mill can already be experienced live there. At 16 meters in diameter and four meters high, the Elbedome in Magdeburg is one of the largest 360-degree visualization systems for virtual interactive content in Europe.
"Here, we can cover the entire surface of both the walls and the floor with three-dimensional objects. In total, we create an all-around panorama and a floor projection area of more than 450 square meters," says Steffen Masik, director of the Elbedome.
The mixed reality lab is equipped with 25 state-of-the-art 3D stereo projectors for seamless projection. They create a realistic image impression. The visualization capabilities of the Elbedome are being utilized by the project managers for the construction of the new rolling mill at FERALPI STAHL. The resource-saving rolling mill is currently still in the detailed planning stage - the first steel is to be rolled in 2024. The visualization will therefore be used primarily to optimize the plant configuration for future maintenance.
"Thanks to the digital twin, we can walk through the rolling mill with our employees, find potential problem areas and, of course, adjust the planning accordingly," says mill director Uwe Reinecke.
"Maintenance is our number one focus, but of course it also allows us to familiarize new colleagues directly with the environment. And we can look at processes in a simulation that involve far fewer hazards," explains Bernd Fischer, Head of Project Management Rolling Mill B at FERALPI STAHL.
Cooperation between companies, architects or urban planners and the Elbedome is as simple as can be: the planned models can be transferred directly to the Elbedome in the correct format and then projected onto the surface. In case of doubt, the Elbedome team of course also provides support with fine details.
"We helped FERALPI STAHL with the environment model, for example. Specifically, our model shows how the new rolling mill will fit into its surroundings. The simulation thus gains even more 'realness'," explains Steffen Masik.
The Italian colleagues around the president of the Feralpi Group, Giuseppe Pasini, were also impressed by the technical possibilities.
"It's great that we can use these innovations for the detailed planning of our new rolling mill in Riesa. It was an impressive experience to be able to stand in the new rolling mill today already by means of the VR glasses," said Giuseppe Pasini."
