Systems and methods for controlling conveyors during casting

A conveyor system for a metal casting system, the conveyor system comprising:

• a master conveyor comprising a first motor configured to drive a first endless belt;
• a slave conveyor comprising a second motor configured to drive a second endless belt;
• and
• a control system comprising:
• a sensor configured to detect ends of sections of a metal product being conveyed by at least one of the first endless belt or the second endless belt as the sections of the metal product move in a downstream direction;
• and
• a controller communicatively coupled with the sensor, wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of the first motor or the second motor based on the detected ends from the sensor.

A method of controlling a conveying system, wherein the conveying system comprises a master conveyor and a slave conveyor separated from the master conveyor, the method comprising:

• detecting, with a sensor, sequential ends of a metal product being conveyed in a downstream direction by the conveying system;
• determining, by a controller, an actual length between the sequential ends based on the detected sequential ends;
• comparing, by the controller, the actual length to a predetermined length;
• determining, by the controller, a control speed of a motor of at least one of the master conveyor or the slave conveyor such that the actual length is within a predetermined tolerance of the predetermined length;
• and
• controlling, by the controller, the motor to operate at the control speed and such that the actual length is within a predetermined tolerance of the predetermined length.