KNOWLEDGE-BASED PROCESS DIAGNOSIS

Objective. The complexity of modern production processes can be master ed by systems which assist the production engineer in his operational assessments. This assistance should serve to improve the product quali ty, to optimise the flow of production and to increase plant availabil ity. Such a system has been installed as part of the prc,cess automati on undertaken at the hot strip mill of Preussag Stahl AG. Summary. A d iagnosis system that suitably edits the necessary information and help s to navigate through data and documents is able to provide qualified assistance during production processes such as e.g. hot rolling. The p hysical models implemented in the diagnosis assistance system contain the knowledge about the process. In combination with efficient evaluat ion mechanisms, these models form the basis for extensively automated and goal-driven editing of all the information available about the pro cesses. The findings in the present case demonstrate that the producti on engineer is effectively supported in his functions by the diagnosis assistance system integrated at the engineer's workstation. Continuou s improvements and upgrades of the functionality adapt the system to r ising, requirements.