Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a device management controller including a parts management control part configured to monitor the state of parts constituting the apparatus, a device state monitoring control part configured to monitor integrity of device data obtained from an operation state of the parts constituting the apparatus, and a data matching control part configured to monitor facility data provided from a factory facility to the apparatus. The device management controller is configured to derive information evaluating the operation state of the apparatus based on a plurality of monitoring result data selected from a group consisting of maintenance timing monitoring result data acquired by the parts management control part, device state monitoring result data acquired by the device state monitoring control part, and utility monitoring result data acquired by the data matching control part.

Abstract: During rolling with a rolling mill, which includes a sheet shape altering device capable of altering a mechanical sheet crown, while the sheet shape altering device is operated correspondingly with a target mechanical sheet crown set value during the dimensional alteration in rolling, the invention enables a stable sheet shape to be achieved, even when the mechanical sheet crown is altered to a large extent during rolling. Specifically, the target mechanical sheet crown set value, during the dimensional alteration in rolling, is previously set based on target mechanical sheet crown set values, before and after the dimensional alteration, prior to start of the dimensional alteration in rolling. The sheet shape altering device is then operated so that an actual mechanical sheet crown, during the dimensional alteration in rolling, is equal to the target mechanical sheet crown set value during the dimensional alteration in rolling.

Abstract: A method of controlling a form of a strip in a rolling mill. A plurality of paired data of manipulation amounts of form control actuators, and amounts of variations in the form of the strip corresponding to the manipulation amounts are prepared, as prototype manipulation examples. Calculation is performed to obtain a degree of similarity between an actual form error representing difference between an actual form of the strip and a target form, and variations in the form of the prototype manipulation examples. Then, actuator manipulation amounts of the prototype manipulation examples are weighted in accordance with calculated degree of the similarity, and the actuators are manipulated based on weighted actuator manipulation amounts.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for stabilizing the molten metal surface in a mold. The invention is used to improve the quality of the casting slab by modifying a controlling parameter according to the detected slab drawing speed and the actual nozzle flowing characteristics calculated by the measured molten metal surface level and the nozzle opening degree.