voestalpine Stahl Service Center GmbH has been a customer of Eisenbeiss Industrial Gear Service for many years and are a company that let Eisenbeiss know in which direction future developments should go: plant operators want „intelligent gear systems“ that eliminate all the worries concerned with possible gear damage and the resulting plant downtime.

Following a three-year development period, Eisenbeiss proudly presented the long sought after solution: GearControl-OiL® – a multi-parameter measuring instrument that continuously and simultaneously monitors the six most important parameters of the lubricant oil inside the gear unit. The core innovation of the system is a specially developed algorithm that enables the sensor to automatically analyse the parameters in order to assess the general condition of the gear unit. The plant operator can then take action in good time before any severe damage to the gear system occurs.

voestalpine Stahl Service Center GmbH is part of the Austrian technology and industrial goods group voestalpine AG, one of the leading international innovators in the steel production and processing industry.

During the Eisenbeiss development project, voestalpine Stahl Service Center GmbH was involved as a lead user from the very beginning. Thanks to tests performed at the voestalpine steelworks, Eisenbeiss engineers were able to gain essential experience and collate data. In order to develop and test the GearControl-OiL® algorithm in the field, real data was obtained from a prototype version that was in long-term operation at the steelworks. Numerous laboratory analyses were performed in parallel to the field sensor tests in order to verify the sensor data collated and perfect the algorithm.

It was entirely due to the cooperative partnership with voestalpine Stahl Service Center GmbH that we were able to launch an advanced measuring instrument with integrated evaluation intelligence in January 2013.

Markus Mitterberger, Edmund Penz, voestalpine Stahl Service GmbH GearControl-OiL® is now fitted to gear units used in important processes at voestalpine Stahl Service Center GmbH. In future, the voestalpine will continue to be a highly appreciated partner of Eisenbeiss for the development of intelligent gear solutions.

„We are very thankful to have Eisenbeiss as an innovative partner that implements visions with us“, says Markus Mitterberger, Process Manager, Maintenance at voestalpine Stahl Service Center GmbH.