Towards phenomenal
rolling
Providemus builds Virtual Rolling Mills — high-fidelity physics-based digital twins that simulate thermo-mechanical and metallurgical phenomena in rolling processes with industrial-grade precision.
Core capabilities
THERMO- MECHANICAL SIMULATION
High‑fidelity modeling of strip and rolling equipment, capturing thermo‑mechanical behavior from reheating to finishing.
METALLURGICAL PHENOMENA
Dedicated module captures the full microstructural response: recrystallization, grain growth,precipitation kinetics, and phase transformations evolve in lockstep with the thermo-mechanical history.
AI-AUGMENTED OPTIMIZATION
Optimization algorithms drive the simulation core directly, exploring the process window to converge on optimal pass schedules and target parameters, yielding superior product properties with fewer trials.
Case: Outokumpu
Outokumpu faced concurrent challenges with the predictability of temperature evolution and the definition of setup rolling parameters on their pilot hot rolling line used for internal and external piloting.
THE CHALLENGE
Replacing trial-and-error-based physical steel product development with precise virtual simulations.
How Providemus delivered a game-changing Virtual Pilot Mill solution in just 4 hours.
THE SOLUTION
(1 HOUR INTO THE LAUNCH)
On launch morning, we installed the Virtual Pilot Mill. We demonstrated simulations showing exactly how they can utilize the results to predict and pre-define their process.
SUCCESS & NEXT STEPS
(4 HOURS INTO THE LAUNCH)
Over lunch, the Head of Model Development was overjoyed to finally utilize the pilot mill efficiently and reliably. Planning for further development began immediately and is currently underway!
“It’s great to see how the Virtual Pilot Mill speeds up our development and also enables us to meet complex customer requirements!”
—Hannu-Pekka Heikkinen,
Pilot Mill Lead at Outokumpu R&D