SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THREADING IN A ROLLING MILL

Abstract

A method of rolling a metal substrate 104 with a rolling mill 100 includes receiving a historical parameter from a previous rolling operation and receiving substrate information about the metal substrate 104 to be rolled before rolling the metal substrate 104. The method also includes, before rolling the metal substrate 104, predicting a start parameter for the rolling mill 100 based on the historical parameter and the substrate information. The method may include rolling the metal substrate 104 with the rolling mill 100 by controlling the rolling mill based on the predicted start parameter at least during a start of the rolling of the metal substrate 104. A rolling mill 100 for a metal substrate 104 may include at least one work stand 102A, 102B and a controller 116 for predicting a start parameter for the rolling mill 100 based on the historical parameter and the substrate information before rolling of the metal substrate 104.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to metallurgy generally and more specifically to systems and methods for controlling a threading in a rolling mill for a metal substrate.

BACKGROUND

During metal processing, rolling may be used to reduce a thickness of a metal substrate (such as stock sheets or strips of aluminum, aluminum alloys, or various other metals) by passing the metal substrate through a pair of work rolls. Depending on the desired properties of the final metal product, the metal substrate may be hot rolled and/or cold rolled. Hot rolling generally refers to a rolling process where the temperature of the metal is above the recrystallization temperature of the metal. Cold rolling generally refers to a rolling process where the temperature of the metal is below the recrystallization temperature of the metal.

Sometimes, one or more operational inputs for initial flatness control of the metal substrate are wrong and mistakenly provided, and such a mistake results in a bad start, which negatively impacts both the quality of the rolled metal substrate and productivity. For example, a bad start may scratch or gouge the metal substrate, cause center ripples in the metal substrate, and/or cause edge ripples in the metal substrate, thereby requiring the damaged portion to be scrapped or re-worked, which disrupts production and/or produces material waste.

SUMMARY

Embodiments covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various embodiments and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.

According to certain embodiments, a method of rolling a metal substrate with a rolling mill includes, before rolling the metal substrate, receiving a historical parameter from a previous rolling operation and receiving substrate information about the metal substrate to be rolled. The method also includes predicting a start parameter for the rolling mill before rolling the metal substrate based on the historical parameter and the substrate information. The method may also include starting a rolling operation by initially receiving the metal substrate at the rolling mill and controlling the rolling mill to have the predicted start parameter at least while initially receiving the metal substrate at the rolling mill.

According to various embodiments, a method of rolling a metal substrate with a rolling mill includes receiving a historical parameter from a previous rolling operation, receiving substrate information about the metal substrate to be rolled, and predicting a start parameter for the rolling mill based on the historical parameter and the substrate information before rolling the metal substrate. The method includes rolling the metal substrate with the rolling mill by controlling the rolling mill based on the predicted start parameter at least during a start of the rolling of the metal substrate.

According to some embodiments, a rolling mill for a metal substrate includes at least one work stand with a pair of work rolls and a controller communicatively coupled to the at least one work stand. In certain embodiments, the controller may receive a historical parameter from a previous rolling operation before rolling of the metal substrate with the at least one work stand and receive substrate information about the metal substrate to be rolled before rolling of the metal substrate with the at least one work stand. The controller may also predict a start parameter for the rolling mill based on the historical parameter and the substrate information before rolling of the metal substrate with the at least one work stand. In some embodiments, the controller may control the at least one work stand during a start of rolling of the metal substrate with the rolling mill based on the predicted start parameter.

Various implementations described herein may include additional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which cannot necessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within the present disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The specification makes reference to the following appended figures, in which use of like reference numerals in different figures is intended to illustrate like or analogous components.

FIG. 1 illustrates a rolling mill according to embodiments prior to rolling a metal substrate.

FIG. 2 illustrates the rolling mill of FIG. 1 during a start of rolling.

FIG. 3 illustrates the rolling mill of FIG. 1 during rolling.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method of rolling a metal substrate according to embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are systems and methods for controlling a rolling mill at least during a start of rolling. In some embodiments, the systems and methods provided herein may predict one or more start parameters for the rolling mill before rolling and optionally control at least a start of a rolling operation based on the predicted start parameters. In certain embodiments, the start parameter is based on one or more historical parameters of the rolling mill, including but not limited to a historical parameter of the rolling mill during an immediately prior rolling operation. In various embodiments, the start parameter is based on the one or more historical parameters and based on information about the metal substrate to be rolled. In some optional embodiments, the historical parameter may be updated after each rolling operation, and a start parameter for a subsequent rolling operation may be based on the updated historical parameter. In certain embodiments, the predicted start parameter may be used to predict a probability of a bad start, and optionally the systems and methods described herein may control the rolling mill based on the probability being less than a predetermined threshold. In certain embodiments, the systems and methods provided herein may minimize and/or prevent the occurrence of bad starts during rolling of a metal substrate, which may increase productivity and decrease material waste. Various other benefits and advantages may be realized with the systems and methods provided herein, and the aforementioned advantages should not be considered limiting.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate an example of a rolling mill 100 according to various embodiments. In particular, FIG. 1 illustrates the rolling mill 100 prior to rolling a metal substrate 104, FIG. 2 illustrates the rolling mill 100 during a start of a rolling operation of the metal substrate 104, and FIG. 3 illustrates the rolling mill 100 during rolling of the metal substrate 104.

In the example of FIGS. 1-3, the rolling mill 100 is a cold rolling mill, although in other examples, the rolling mill 100 may be a hot rolling mill as desired. The rolling mill 100 includes at least one work stand 102 for processing a metal substrate 104. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the rolling mill 100 includes two work stands 102A-B; however, in other embodiments, the rolling mill may include any number of work stands 102 as desired, including but not limited to a single work stand 102, three work stands 102, four work stands 102, or any other desired number of work stands 102 as desired. Each work stand 102 includes a pair of work rolls 106A-B and backup rolls 108A-B that support the work rolls 106A-B. In some embodiments, each work stand 102 may include one or more intermediate rolls, and the number of intermediate rolls and backup rolls 108A-B should not be considered limiting. A roll gap 110 is defined between the works rolls 106A-B of each work stand 102, and during processing of the metal substrate 104, the metal substrate 104 is passed through the roll gap 110 between the work rolls 106A-B and along a passline in a processing direction (represented by arrow 113). Passing the metal substrate 104 through the roll gap 110 may reduce the thickness of the metal substrate 104.

In various embodiments, the rolling mill 100 includes a controller 114 that is communicatively coupled to the work stands 102 of the rolling mill 100. The controller 114 may be various computing or processing devices as desired and may include one or more processors and/or one or more memories as desired. In certain embodiments, the controller 114 may be programmable using conventional computer components, and in various embodiments the controller 114 includes a processor that can execute code stored on a tangible computer-readable medium in a memory (or elsewhere such as portable media, on a server or in the cloud among other media) to cause the controller 114 to receive and process data and to perform actions and/or control components of the rolling mill 100.

The controller 114 may be any device that can process data and execute code that is a set of instructions to perform actions such as to control industrial equipment. As non-limiting examples, the controller 114 can take the form of a digitally implemented and/or programmable PID controller, a programmable logic controller, a microprocessor, a server, a desktop or laptop personal computer, a laptop personal computer, a handheld computing device, and a mobile device. Examples of the processor include any desired processing circuitry, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic, a state machine, or other suitable circuitry. The processor may include one processor or any number of processors. The processor can access code stored in the memory. The memory may be any non-transitory computer-readable medium configured for tangibly embodying code and can include electronic, magnetic, or optical devices. Examples of the memory include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, a floppy disk, compact disc, digital video device, magnetic disk, an ASIC, a configured processor, or other storage device. Instructions can be stored in the memory or in the processor as executable code. The instructions can include processor-specific instructions generated by a compiler and/or an interpreter from code written in any suitable computer-programming language. Optionally, the controller 114 includes a user interface 116 for receiving input from a user. Additionally, or alternatively, the controller 114 may include other alternative interfaces through which the controller 114 can communicate with devices and/or systems external to the controller 114.

Optionally, the rolling mill 100 may include one or more sensors 118 for detecting one or more parameters of the rolling mill 100 and/or the metal substrate 104 during a rolling operation and/or after a rolling operation of the metal substrate 104. In embodiments where the one or more sensors 118 are included, the one or more sensors 118 may be communicatively coupled to the controller 114. In some embodiments, information detected by the one or more sensors 118 during and/or after a rolling operation may be used as a historical parameter of the rolling mill 100 as discussed in detail below. The one or more sensors 118 may be various types of sensors as desired, including but not limited to a flatness sensor, a roll tilt sensor, a roll bending sensor, a threading speed, a load sensor, a gauge sensor, a mill profile sensor, combinations thereof, and/or various other sensors or combination of sensors as desired. The number and location of the sensors 118 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 should not be considered limiting.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a method of rolling the metal substrate 104 using the rolling mill 100 generally includes receiving a supply (e.g., a coil) 120 of the metal substrate 104 as illustrated in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, during a start of rolling, the metal substrate 104 is initially supplied to the work stand 102A. After the start of rolling, and as illustrated in FIG. 3, the metal substrate 104 is supplied to the work stand 102B and initially threaded into the roll gap 110 while being unwound from the coil 120. The work stands 102A-B processing the metal substrate 104 may reduce the metal substrate 104 from an initial gauge or thickness to a final gauge or thickness as desired. As discussed in detail below, in certain embodiments, to avoid and/or minimize bad starts (e.g., during the stage illustrated in FIG. 2), the rolling mill 100 may predict a starting parameter of the rolling mill 100 based on a prior rolling operation and control the rolling mill 100 based on the predicted starting parameter.

Referring to FIG. 4, a method 400 of controlling the rolling mill 100 will be discussed in detail below. In some embodiments, one or more of the steps of the method 400 discussed in detail below may be performed by the controller 114 and/or as otherwise desired.

In a block 402, the method 400 includes receiving and/or accessing a historical parameter of the rolling mill 100 from a previous rolling operation. In various embodiments, block 402 is performed before rolling the metal substrate 104 (e.g., during the stage of rolling illustrated in FIG. 1). In various embodiments, the historical parameter may be the parameter of the rolling mill 100 from the immediately prior rolling operation. In certain embodiments, the historical parameter may be received from the one or more sensors 118 during the previous rolling operation, accessed from a storage device, system, or memory, input by a user, and/or otherwise received as desired. In various embodiments, the historical parameter may be a parameter of the rolling mill 100 and/or a parameter of the previously rolled metal substrate. As some non-limiting examples, the historical parameter may include, but is not limited to, work roll bending of the work stands 102A-B, roll tilting of the work rolls 106A-B, rolling loads, a threading or rolling speed, a roll gap size, a roll gap shape, a flatness of the previously rolled metal substrate, a profile of the previously rolled metal substrate, a number of backup rolls 108A-B, a thickness of the previously rolled metal substrate, combinations thereof, and/or various other parameters from a prior rolling operation as desired. In some embodiments, the historical parameter optionally may be updated after each rolling operation of the rolling mill 100. In such embodiments, the historical parameter optionally may be continuously updated over the operating life of the rolling mill 100.

In a block 404, the method 400 includes receiving and/or accessing information about the metal substrate 104 to be rolled and before rolling the metal substrate 104 with the rolling mill 100. In various embodiments, block 404 includes receiving the coil 120 of the metal substrate 104 at the rolling mill 100, and optionally block 404 includes receiving the coil 120 of the metal substrate 104 that is aluminum or an aluminum alloy such as a 1xxx series aluminum alloy, a 2xxx series aluminum alloy, a 3xxx series aluminum alloy, a 4xxx series aluminum alloy, a 5xxx series aluminum alloy, a 6xxx series aluminum alloy, a 7xxx series aluminum alloy, or an 8xxx series aluminum alloy. In other embodiments, the coil 120 may be received at any time prior to the start of rolling in block 408, which is discussed below. In some embodiments, the substrate information about the metal substrate 104 may be detected (e.g., using a sensor and/or other device as desired), provided by a user (e.g., using the user interface 116 on the controller 114), and/or otherwise received as desired. In various embodiments, the substrate information about the metal substrate 104 may include, but is not limited to, an initial gauge of the metal substrate 104 prior to rolling, a target end gauge for the metal substrate 104, a composition of the metal substrate 104, a width of the metal substrate 104, a temperature of the metal substrate 104 prior to rolling, combinations thereof, and/or various other information about the metal substrate 104 prior to rolling as desired.

In a block 406, the method 400 includes predicting one or more start parameters for the rolling mill 100 prior to rolling the metal substrate 104. In certain embodiments, block 406 includes predicting the one or more start parameters for the rolling mill based on the historical parameter(s) from block 402 and the substrate information from block 404. The one or more start parameters may be various start parameters of the rolling mill 100 as desired, including but not limited to work roll tilting, work roll bending, threading speed, a roll gap size and/or shape, a rolling load distribution, combinations thereof, and/or various other start parameters as desired. As two non-limiting examples, the start parameters may be a tilt of the work rolls and/or a bending of the work rolls.

In embodiments where the rolling mill 100 includes a plurality of work stands, the start parameter may be predicted for each of the work stands. In embodiments with the plurality of work stands, the start parameter predicted for one work stand need not be the same as the start parameter predicted for another work stand. As a non-limiting example, in FIGS. 1-3, the controller 114 may predict a tilting setpoint of 18.4 μm for the work roll 108A of the work stand 102A and a tilting setpoint of −112.6 μm for the work roll 108A of the work stand 102B. As a further non-limiting example, the controller 114 may predict a bending setpoint of −41% for the work roll 108A of the work stand 102A and a bending setpoint of −25% for the work roll 108A of the work stand 102A. In some non-limiting examples, block 406 optionally includes predicting at least two start parameters for each work stand 102 of the rolling mill. Various other start parameters and/or combinations of start parameters may be predicted based on the historical parameter and the substrate information as desired.

Optionally, block 406 may include determining a probability of a bad start based on the predicted start parameters. In such embodiments, block 406 optionally may include comparing the predicted start parameters with historical data from good starts and bad starts (as determined by the controller 114 and/or the user). In other embodiments, various other techniques may be used to determine the probability of a bad start using the predicted start parameters. In some embodiments, when block 406 includes determining the probability of the bad start, block 406 may further include comparing the probability to a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold may be various thresholds as desired. As some non-limiting examples, the predetermined threshold may be 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and/or any other threshold as desired. In other embodiments, the threshold may be less than 5% and/or greater than 30%. As discussed in detail below, the controller 114 may control the rolling mill 100 pursuant to the predicted start parameters based on the probability being less than or equal to the predetermined threshold.

In block 408, the method 400 includes controlling the start of rolling of the metal substrate 104 based on the predicted start parameter (e.g., the stage of rolling illustrated in FIG. 2). In some embodiments, block 408 may include controlling the rolling mill 100 such that the rolling mill 100 is operating with the predicted start parameters. As a non-limiting example, block 408 may include controlling the work stands 102A-B such that the work rolls 106A-B have work roll bending and work roll tilting consistent with the predicted work roll bending and work roll tilting from block 406. In embodiments where the method 400 includes determining the probability of the bad start in block 406, the method optionally may not proceed to block 408 unless the determined probability is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold.

In certain embodiments, controlling the start of rolling in block 408 optionally includes presenting the predicted start parameters to a user using the user interface 116 and/or other mechanisms as desired. In such embodiments, block 408 optionally may allow a user to override the predicted start parameters and instead control the rolling mill 100 using start parameters input by the user.

After the start or rolling, the controller 114 may continue to control the rolling mill 100 pursuant to the predicted start parameters and/or as otherwise desired as the metal substrate 104 is rolled during steady state rolling. Optionally, the one or more sensors 118 may monitor or detect the rolling mill and/or the metal substrate 104 being rolled, and such data may be saved as new historical data for a subsequent rolling operation and/or be used to update the previous historical data as new historical data for a subsequent rolling operation. In some embodiments, updating the previous historical data may allow for performance of the rolling mill 100 to be tracked, and such historical performance may optionally be used as a historical parameter in addition to or in combination with a historical parameter from a prior rolling operation.

A collection of exemplary embodiments is provided below, including at least some explicitly enumerated as “Illustrations” providing additional description of a variety of example embodiments in accordance with the concepts described herein. These illustrations are not meant to be mutually exclusive, exhaustive, or restrictive; and the disclosure not limited to these example illustrations but rather encompasses all possible modifications and variations within the scope of the issued claims and their equivalents.

Illustration 1. A method of rolling a metal substrate with a rolling mill, the method comprising: before rolling the metal substrate: receiving a historical parameter from a previous rolling operation; receiving substrate information about the metal substrate to be rolled; and predicting a start parameter for the rolling mill based on the historical parameter and the substrate information; and starting a rolling operation, wherein starting the rolling operation comprises initially receiving the metal substrate at the rolling mill and controlling the rolling mill to have the predicted start parameter at least while initially receiving the metal substrate at the rolling mill.

Illustration 2. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein predicting the start parameter comprises predicting a first start parameter and a second start parameter for a work stand of the rolling mill.

Illustration 3. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the first start parameter comprises a bending setpoint for a work roll of the rolling mill, and wherein the second start parameter comprises a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the rolling mill.

Illustration 4. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein predicting the start parameter comprises predicting a first start parameter for a first work stand of the rolling mill and predicting a second start parameter for a second work stand of the rolling mill.

Illustration 5. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the first start parameter is a bending setpoint for a work roll of the first work stand or a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the first work stand, and wherein the second start parameter is a bending setpoint for a work roll of the second work stand or a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the second work stand.

Illustration 6. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the first start parameter and the second start parameter are a same type of setpoint.

Illustration 7. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein starting the rolling operation comprises starting a cold rolling operation.

Illustration 8. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, further comprising, before rolling the metal substrate, determining a probability of a bad start based on the predicted start parameter, the historical parameter, and the substrate information, and wherein starting the rolling operation comprises starting the rolling operation based on the determined probability being less than a predetermined threshold.

Illustration 9. A method of rolling a metal substrate with a rolling mill, the method comprising: before rolling the metal substrate: receiving a historical parameter from a previous rolling operation; receiving substrate information about the metal substrate to be rolled; and predicting a start parameter for the rolling mill based on the historical parameter and the substrate information; and rolling the metal substrate with the rolling mill by controlling the rolling mill based on the predicted start parameter at least during a start of the rolling of the metal substrate.

Illustration 10. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein predicting the start parameter comprises predicting a first start parameter and a second start parameter for a work stand of the rolling mill.

Illustration 11. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the first start parameter comprises a bending setpoint for a work roll of the rolling mill, and wherein the second start parameter comprises a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the rolling mill.

Illustration 12. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein predicting the start parameter comprises predicting a first start parameter for a first work stand of the rolling mill and predicting a second start parameter for a second work stand of the rolling mill.

Illustration 13. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the first start parameter is a bending setpoint for a work roll of the first work stand or a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the first work stand, and wherein the second start parameter is a bending setpoint for a work roll of the second work stand or a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the second work stand.

Illustration 14. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, further comprising determining a probability of a bad start based on the predicted start parameter, the historical parameter, and the substrate information before rolling the metal substrate, and wherein rolling the metal substrate comprises rolling the metal substrate based on the determined probability being less than a predetermined threshold.

Illustration 15. A rolling mill for a metal substrate, the rolling mill comprising: at least one work stand comprising a work roll; and a controller communicatively coupled to the at least one work stand, the controller configured to: receive a historical parameter from a previous rolling operation before rolling of the metal substrate with the at least one work stand; receive substrate information about the metal substrate to be rolled before rolling of the metal substrate with the at least one work stand; predict a start parameter for the rolling mill based on the historical parameter and the substrate information before rolling of the metal substrate with the at least one work stand; and control the at least one work stand during a start of rolling of the metal substrate with the rolling mill based on the predicted start parameter.

Illustration 16. The rolling mill of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a probability of a bad start before the rolling of the metal substrate based on the predicted start parameter, the historical parameter, and the substrate information, and control the rolling mill based on the determined probability being less than a predetermined threshold.

Illustration 17. The rolling mill of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the start parameter comprises a first start parameter and a second start parameter for the work stand of the rolling mill.

Illustration 18. The rolling mill of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the first start parameter comprises a bending setpoint for the work roll, and wherein the second start parameter comprises a tilting setpoint for the work roll.

Illustration 19. The rolling mill of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the work stand is a first work stand and the work roll is a first work roll, wherein the rolling mill comprises a second work stand comprising a second work roll, and wherein the start parameter comprises a first start parameter for the first work stand and a second start parameter for the second work stand.

Illustration 20. The rolling mill of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the rolling mill is a cold rolling mill.

The subject matter of embodiments is described herein with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described. Directional references such as “up,” “down,” “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “front,” and “back,” among others, are intended to refer to the orientation as illustrated and described in the figure (or figures) to which the components and directions are referencing. In the figures and the description, like numerals are intended to represent like elements.

All ranges disclosed herein are to be understood to encompass any and all subranges subsumed therein. For example, a stated range of “1 to 10” should be considered to include any and all subranges between (and inclusive of) the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10; that is, all subranges beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more, e.g. 1 to 6.1, and ending with a maximum value of 10 or less, e.g., 5.5 to 10. Unless stated otherwise, the expression “up to” when referring to the compositional amount of an element means that element is optional and includes a zero percent composition of that particular element. Unless stated otherwise, all compositional percentages are in weight percent (wt. %).

While the systems and methods described herein may be suitable for any type of material, they may be especially suitable for use with aluminum or aluminum alloys. In this description, reference is made to alloys identified by AA numbers and other related designations, such as “series” or “7xxx.” For an understanding of the number designation system most commonly used in naming and identifying aluminum and its alloys, see “International Alloy Designations and Chemical Composition Limits for Wrought Aluminum and Wrought Aluminum Alloys” or “Registration Record of Aluminum Association Alloy Designations and Chemical Compositions Limits for Aluminum Alloys in the Form of Castings and Ingot,” both published by The Aluminum Association.

The above-described aspects are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure. Moreover, although specific terms are employed herein, as well as in the claims that follow, they are used only in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for the purposes of limiting the described embodiments, nor the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A method of rolling a metal substrate with a rolling mill, the method comprising: before rolling the metal substrate: receiving a historical parameter from a previous rolling operation;receiving substrate information about the metal substrate to be rolled; andpredicting a start parameter for the rolling mill based on the historical parameter and the substrate information; andstarting a rolling operation, wherein starting the rolling operation comprises initially receiving the metal substrate at the rolling mill and controlling the rolling mill to have the predicted start parameter at least while initially receiving the metal substrate at the rolling mill.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the start parameter comprises predicting a first start parameter and a second start parameter for a work stand of the rolling mill.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first start parameter comprises a bending setpoint for a work roll of the rolling mill, and wherein the second start parameter comprises a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the rolling mill.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein predicting the start parameter comprises predicting a first start parameter for a first work stand of the rolling mill and predicting a second start parameter for a second work stand of the rolling mill.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first start parameter is a bending setpoint for a work roll of the first work stand or a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the first work stand, and wherein the second start parameter is a bending setpoint for a work roll of the second work stand or a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the second work stand.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first start parameter and the second start parameter are a same type of setpoint.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein starting the rolling operation comprises starting a cold rolling operation.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before rolling the metal substrate, determining a probability of a bad start based on the predicted start parameter, the historical parameter, and the substrate information, and wherein starting the rolling operation comprises starting the rolling operation based on the determined probability being less than a predetermined threshold.

9. A method of rolling a metal substrate with a rolling mill, the method comprising: before rolling the metal substrate: receiving a historical parameter from a previous rolling operation;receiving substrate information about the metal substrate to be rolled; andpredicting a start parameter for the rolling mill based on the historical parameter and the substrate information; androlling the metal substrate with the rolling mill by controlling the rolling mill based on the predicted start parameter at least during a start of the rolling of the metal substrate.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein predicting the start parameter comprises predicting a first start parameter and a second start parameter for a work stand of the rolling mill.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first start parameter comprises a bending setpoint for a work roll of the rolling mill, and wherein the second start parameter comprises a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the rolling mill.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein predicting the start parameter comprises predicting a first start parameter for a first work stand of the rolling mill and predicting a second start parameter for a second work stand of the rolling mill.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first start parameter is a bending setpoint for a work roll of the first work stand or a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the first work stand, and wherein the second start parameter is a bending setpoint for a work roll of the second work stand or a tilting setpoint for the work roll of the second work stand.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining, before rolling the metal substrate, a probability of a bad start based on the predicted start parameter, the historical parameter, and the substrate information, and wherein rolling the metal substrate comprises rolling the metal substrate based on the determined probability being less than a predetermined threshold.

15. A rolling mill for a metal substrate, the rolling mill comprising: at least one work stand comprising a work roll; anda controller communicatively coupled to the at least one work stand, the controller configured to: receive, before rolling of the metal substrate with the at least one work stand, a historical parameter from a previous rolling operation;receive, before rolling of the metal substrate with the at least one work stand, substrate information about the metal substrate to be rolled;predict, before rolling of the metal substrate with the at least one work stand, a start parameter for the rolling mill based on the historical parameter and the substrate information; andcontrol the at least one work stand during a start of rolling of the metal substrate with the rolling mill based on the predicted start parameter.

16. The rolling mill of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a probability of a bad start before the rolling of the metal substrate based on the predicted start parameter, the historical parameter, and the substrate information, and control the rolling mill based on the determined probability being less than a predetermined threshold.

17. The rolling mill of claim 15, wherein the start parameter comprises a first start parameter and a second start parameter for the work stand of the rolling mill.

18. The rolling mill of claim 17, wherein the first start parameter comprises a bending setpoint for the work roll, and wherein the second start parameter comprises a tilting setpoint for the work roll.

19. The rolling mill of claim 15, wherein the work stand is a first work stand and the work roll is a first work roll, wherein the rolling mill comprises a second work stand comprising a second work roll, and wherein the start parameter comprises a first start parameter for the first work stand and a second start parameter for the second work stand.

20. The rolling mill of claim 15, wherein the rolling mill is a cold rolling mill.