In modern bar and rebar production lines, slow manual counting, high counting errors, low steel separation efficiency, and untraceable production data have long been core pain points restricting production efficiency and management levels. Traditional manual counting not only consumes a large amount of labor but also frequently leads to over-counting, under-counting, and repeated counting, which directly affect delivery accuracy, customer trust, and economic benefits. Meanwhile, manual steel sorting features high labor intensity, slow operation, and poor matching with high-speed production lines, failing to meet the data acquisition and full-process traceability requirements of digital factories.
To address these long-standing industry challenges, the AI-powered online automatic bar counting and separating system has been developed to help rolling mills achieve automated, high-precision, digital, and unmanned counting and sorting. It fully replaces manual labor and enables factories to improve in cost reduction, efficiency enhancement, and quality control.
This system is tailor-made for Φ10–Φ40 rebar with a fixed length of 12 meters. It integrates intelligent visual recognition, automatic high-precision counting, automatic steel separation, remote centralized control, and production data management. It can be seamlessly connected to existing rolling lines, shear lines, collection conveyors, and packing lines without major line reconstruction. Featuring fast installation and commissioning and high return on investment, it is the preferred solution for the intelligent upgrading of rolling workshops.
I. Applicable Production Scenarios
This system is deeply developed based on actual working conditions in the steel rolling industry and adapts to the end-to-end automation needs of the entire bar production process.
- Applicable bar size: Φ10–Φ40 deformed steel bar (rebar)
- Fixed length: 12 meters
- Applicable lines: bar shear line, collection chain bed, finished product packing line, finished product warehousing section
- Applicable working conditions: continuous production, batch packing, yield statistics, inventory management, delivery counting, quality traceability
- Equipment advantage: no major modification of the main line; fast docking with existing roller tables, chain beds, PLC systems
- Applicable enterprises: steel rolling mills, metal processing enterprises, building material manufacturers, steel deep-processing enterprises
The system can be quickly implemented both in new production lines and in the renovation of old lines, achieving maximum intelligent improvement with minimal modifications.
II. Four Core Functions of the System
1. Fully Automatic High-Precision Counting
Adopting industrial-grade AI visual recognition technology, the system captures high-definition images of bar ends in real time, and automatically identifies and counts bars at high speed through deep learning algorithms, with no manual intervention or manual duty required throughout the process.
The system has strong light suppression, shadow filtering, and dynamic tracking capabilities, adapting to complex on-site environments without being affected by light, dust, or temperature. It delivers stable counting, fast response, and strong anti-interference ability, completely solving industry problems such as wrong counting, missing counting, repeated counting, and low efficiency in manual counting, and truly realizing “zero error, zero omission, zero labor”.
2. Intelligent Automatic Steel Separation
The system automatically identifies the optimal separation position according to the preset number of bars per bundle and accurately drives the actuator to complete stable steel separation.
The separation process is fast and smooth, with no jamming, no overlapping, and no damage to the steel surface. The separation position is precise and uniform, greatly improving packing neatness, delivery efficiency, and packaging appearance. For complex conditions such as interlaced and stacked steel bars, the system has intelligent judgment and automatic avoidance functions to ensure stable and reliable separation and an extremely low long-term failure rate.
3. Remote Control & Real-Time Monitoring
Supports full-featured remote operation including remote start/stop, parameter setting, status monitoring, automatic fault alarm, and historical record query.
Managers can remotely check equipment running status, real-time counting data, production completion, shift output statistics, and abnormal records in the central control room, reducing on-site personnel movement and improving operation safety and management convenience. The system supports multi-terminal synchronous viewing, with real-time data synchronization on PC and touch screens, enabling “one person monitoring multiple lines and remote management of the whole site”.
4. Automatic Production Data Transmission & Management
The system automatically records, stores, and statistics full-cycle production data to form a complete production ledger, supporting real-time viewing, filtering, export, and printing.
Recorded content includes: production date, specific time, day/night shift, steel bar specification, actual quantity per bundle, cumulative output, equipment running time, and abnormal alarm records.
All data can be seamlessly connected to ERP/MES systems, realizing full-process digitalization from production to management and providing a reliable basis for production decision-making, cost accounting, quality traceability, and customer reconciliation.
III. System Structure & Operation Flow
The system consists of five parts: AI visual inspection unit, PLC intelligent control unit, steel separation execution unit, human-machine interface, and data management platform. It features stable structure, clear logic, smooth operation, and 24/7 non-stop operation capability.
- Steel bars are transported by roller tables, aligned, and enter the counting recognition area to ensure neat end faces for visual identification.
- The AI vision module captures images in real time, conducts intelligent analysis, and counts accurately at high speed, with data uploaded to the control system in real time.
- When the preset quantity is reached, the system automatically triggers a steel separation command, and the separator acts quickly and accurately.
- After separation, the system automatically resets, prompts packing, and then enters the next bundle cycle without pausing.
- Output data is uploaded and archived automatically in real time, preserved for a long time, and can be traced and exported at any time.
The whole process is fully automatic, minimizing manual intervention, reducing safety risks, and improving production stability and data accuracy.
IV. On-Site Environment & Installation Requirements
To ensure long-term stable operation and achieve optimal counting accuracy and separation effect, the following basic on-site conditions must be met. We provide full technical guidance and solution support.
- The roller table alignment baffle is properly adjusted to ensure a uniform extension length of steel bar ends for a consistent recognition benchmark.
- The chain bed at the counting position adopts a flat plate chain or small-tooth flat plate chain, running smoothly without jumping or obvious shaking.
- A shading device is installed in the counting area to avoid interference from external strong light, shadows, and reflections on recognition accuracy.
- The installation platform for the control cabinet and the foundation for the steel separation mechanism are constructed according to standard dimensions to ensure firm equipment installation.
- Stable and reliable power supply, compressed air supply, and standard grounding points are provided to ensure stable equipment power.
- The chain bed speed and start/stop actions are smooth, with no obvious movement, rolling, excessive stacking, or mutual extrusion of steel bars.
- The site has basic installation space for equipment cabling, commissioning, and later maintenance.
We provide complete on-site guidance, installation, commissioning, and technical training to ensure one-time installation, one-time qualification, and stable operation of the equipment.
V. Production Process Assurance Requirements
To achieve the highest counting accuracy and operational stability of the system, the production process must meet the following requirements to ensure recognition effect and operational safety from the source.
- Steel bar ends are neat, with the end face expansion deviation controlled within ±100mm to avoid recognition errors.
- Single-row shearing is adopted as much as possible for fixed-length shearing to reduce elbow, bending deformation, and irregular ends of steel bars.
- The stacking height of steel bars entering the counting area shall not exceed 2 layers to avoid mutual occlusion and overlapping that prevent recognition.
- The chain bed starts and stops smoothly, with the forward/backward movement of steel bars controlled within 50mm to prevent movement from affecting counting.
- Unqualified products are sorted out and steel bars are aligned before counting, eliminating bent bars, over-length bars, sharp-ended bars, and deformed bars.
- The camera lens in the counting area is clean, the picture is unobstructed, the recognition field of view is clear and complete, and no foreign matter interference.
- The conveying towards the collection chute of the production line is smooth without long-term steel jamming that blocks backward conveying, ensuring continuous line operation.
Strict implementation of the above process requirements ensures long-term stable and near-zero-error operation of the system and optimal performance.
VI. Core System Performance Indicators
Under the premise of meeting on-site installation conditions and production process requirements, the system reaches the industry-leading performance level and can meet high-intensity, high-precision, and high-stability production needs.
- Counting accuracy: For bars of Φ10 and above, counting error ≤ 0.01% (one ten-thousandth), top industry level.
- Separation speed: For steel bars stacked ≤ 2 layers, average separation time ≤ 5 seconds, fast response and stable rhythm.
- Abnormal handling: When overlapping and interlacing are too serious to separate automatically, the system automatically alarms and indicates the separation position for quick manual handling.
- Packing setting: Supports custom setting of any quantity per bundle, automatic metering and bundling to meet different customer packaging standards.
- Operating speed: Chain bed speed ≤ 600mm/s, smooth start/stop, bar displacement ≤ 100mm.
- Operation stability: 24/7 continuous stable operation, adapting to high-intensity production rhythm.
- Power supply requirement: 220±20V / 20A, counting system 6KW, separation system 3KW, stable and low power consumption.
VII. Core Value for Enterprises
✅ Replace labor and significantly reduce costs
Eliminate full-time counting and sorting personnel, greatly reducing labor, management, and safety risks with obvious long-term operation benefits.
✅ Zero-error counting and improve corporate reputation
Accurate delivery quantity eliminates complaints, quantity shortages, rework, and economic losses from the source, maintaining customer trust and brand reputation.
✅ Improve production efficiency and shorten operation cycle
Counting, separating, and packing are integrated, leading to faster line operation and significant improvement in overall productivity and hourly output.
✅ Full-process data traceability and standardized management
Automatic recording and archiving of output, shift output, specifications, and quantity meet quality inspection, audit, and traceability management requirements, realizing digital management.
✅ Intelligent upgrading and enhance market competitiveness
Build a modern intelligent steel rolling workshop, improving corporate image, brand strength, and order attractiveness in line with industry development trends.
✅ Reduce potential safety hazards and improve operating environment
Reduce manual close contact with equipment and steel bars, lowering the risk of mechanical injury and collision, and improving on-site safety.
Conclusion
Industrial AI and machine vision technology are rapidly restructuring the production model of the steel industry. The automatic counting and separating system is not only an intelligent device but also a key step for enterprises to achieve digital, automated, and intelligent upgrading, making production more efficient, management simpler, costs more controllable, and quality more stable.
Empower traditional manufacturing with intelligent technology and enhance core competitiveness with automated equipment, helping steel rolling enterprises move towards a new era of efficient, precise, and intelligent production.
