Steel & Metallurgy Automation Control Panels

VFD panels, MCCs and PLC/SCADA cabinets for rolling mills, casters, dedusting, water systems and auxiliary lines — engineered for high-temperature, dusty plant environments with Siemens S7-1500 and ABB drives.

Request a Quote VFD Panels

Key Takeaways

SENTRADO builds control panels for steel and metallurgy auxiliary and main-line systems: dedusting fans, cooling water pumps, rolling mill auxiliaries, casters and material handling.
VFD-driven fans and pumps are the fastest payback in a steel plant — dedusting and cooling-water drives typically cut energy use 20–40% versus fixed-speed operation.
Panels are engineered for metallurgy environments: IP54/IP55 dust protection, wide-temperature derating, forced ventilation and segregated VFD compartments.
Siemens S7-1500 (with optional redundant CPUs) and ABB ACS580/ACS880 drives, PROFINET networking, WinCC SCADA with alarms, trends and OPC UA to plant MES.
All panels FAT-tested in China to IEC 61439/60204; retrofits of legacy S5/S7-300 lines are a core delivered scope.

Steel and metallurgy plants are energy-intensive and environmentally harsh. The automation panels running fans, pumps, conveyors, hydraulic units and auxiliary lines must survive dust, heat and continuous duty — while cutting the electricity bill, which can dominate operating cost in rolling and melting shops.

SENTRADO manufactures the panels behind these systems: VFD panels for dedusting fans and cooling-water pumps, motor control centers for auxiliary drives, and PLC/SCADA cabinets built around Siemens S7-1500 with PROFINET and WinCC. We deliver greenfield packages and line-retrofit upgrades — including migration from legacy S5 and S7-300 controls — with IEC 61439 construction and full FAT before shipment.

Energy retrofit focus

Converting fixed-speed fan and pump drives to VFD control is the highest-ROI automation upgrade in a steel plant. We size drives for the actual duty, including quadratic-torque pump/fan curves, and provide energy-saving estimates with the quote.

Harsh-environment build

IP54/IP55 enclosures, dust filtration, compartmentalized VFD sections with dedicated cooling, wide-temperature component derating and cable management sized for VFD EMI.

Continuous-duty reliability

Redundant 24VDC supplies with UPS option, monitored cooling, quality components and 100% FAT — because an auxiliary-drive trip in a continuous mill is expensive.

S7-1500 & WinCC platform

Siemens S7-1500 CPUs (R/H redundancy for critical lines), ET 200SP remote I/O, WinCC SCADA with alarm management, historical trends and OPC UA interface to plant reporting.

Legacy line migration

S5 / S7-300 / early-drive retrofits with I/O mapping, control-narrative documentation and phased replacement plans that fit planned shutdown windows.

Export-ready delivery

English documentation, IEC test reports, FAT by video or SGS/BV/TÜV witness, sea-worthy packing and remote commissioning support for overseas plants.

Typical steel & metallurgy panel scopes

System	Typical panel scope	Key benefit
Dedusting & baghouse fans	VFD panel (ACS880/G120), PLC interlocks, vibration/temp monitoring	Energy savings 20–40%; suction controlled to actual fume load
Cooling & process water pumps	VFD pump panels, pressure-control loop, pump alternation	Constant pressure, reduced water-hammer, lower power draw
Rolling mill auxiliaries	MCC with DOL/soft-starter/VFD starters, S7-1500 cabinet	Coordinated auxiliary drives with centralized alarms
Continuous casting	PLC cabinet, HMI, cooling/spray-water control, strand interlocks	Stable process control, recipe management, data logging
Material handling & conveyors	VFD panels, synchronization logic, safety interlocks	Load-sharing drives, belt protection, smooth starting
Heating furnace & burners	PLC cabinet (BMS interlocks by certified BMS vendor)	Temperature loops, fuel-air ratio monitoring, safe sequences

Retrofit or greenfield — start with the loads. Send us your motor list (kW, voltage, duty), single-line diagram or existing panel schedules. We identify which fixed-speed drives are worth converting to VFD, propose panel architecture (including redundancy where downtime cost justifies it), and return a budgetary indication within 24 hours. Program narratives, I/O lists and FAT test procedures are documented in English for your team's approval.

Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers from our engineering team.

Do you supply complete rolling-mill main drives?

Our scope focuses on control panels: VFD panels, MCCs and PLC/SCADA cabinets for auxiliary systems and configurable drives. Main mill stands with specialized high-power drive systems are typically handled by the mill OEM; we build the surrounding and auxiliary automation panels.

Can VFD retrofits really cut steel-plant energy use by 20-40%?

For fans and pumps, yes — affinity laws mean power drops with the cube of speed. Dedusting fans and cooling-water pumps running at fixed speed with throttling/damper control are the classic retrofit candidates. We calculate the estimate from your operating data before quoting.

Can you work in a dusty high-temperature plant?

The panels are built for it — IP54/IP55, filtered forced ventilation, compartmentalized VFD sections with cooling, and temperature derating. Panels are installed in electrical rooms or weather-protected areas; we specify the ambient requirements clearly at layout stage.

Do you do redundant PLC for critical lines?

Yes — Siemens S7-1500R/H redundant CPUs with ET 200SP and redundant PROFINET ring for lines where controller failure cannot be tolerated.

Can you migrate our old S5 / S7-300 line without long shutdowns?

Phased migration is standard practice: document the existing control narrative, build new panels off-line, FAT with simulated I/O, then swap during a planned shutdown window. We provide the cutover checklist and remote support during commissioning.

Do you provide on-site commissioning overseas?

Remote commissioning with your electrical team covers most scopes. For milestone periods (drive tuning, SAT, production trials), on-site engineering visits can be quoted.