CHALLENGE

Vanhoucke Machine Engineering is a Belgian family owned business with a current staff of fifteen, was founded thirty years ago. Located in Moorslede in West Flanders, the company is now a global player within the niche market of designed agricultural machinery: from environmentally friendly thermal/mechanical weed control to harvesting and processing machinery for vegetables.

Vanhoucke Machine Engineering has recently more than doubled their production space and thoroughly updated the machine park. They had bought and used a second-hand handling robot as a test for welding purposes, and thus it became clear that they could use a welding robot for producing small series of 30 to 50 pieces with a lot of variations. With this in mind Vanhoucke contacted all the robot companies. They made a trial with a Cobot type of robot but decided that it would not work out for them in the end. However, Yaskawa had proposed other robotic products, such as the ArcWorld robotic welding cell, which seemed more suitable to Vanhoucke.

SOLUTION

–  Yaskawa was also the company that responded immediately, said Maarten Vanhoucke. It is always nice when you send an inquiry and get a reply with the information you need within a day.

Vanhoucke also got an invitation to see an ArcWorld welding cell in use at the Polet company, which turned out to be the solution that Vanhoucke was looking for. The ArcWorld cell at Polet is a compact version, so Vanhoucke simply opted for a larger model.

RESULTS

The ArcWorld cell was delivered in November of 2020 and after a few adjustments quickly turned into full production. It now has a large variety of products to process. Due to the increasing demand of agricultural machinery most parts of those machines are now welded by the ArcWorld robot.

SHORT FACTS

Customer: Vanhoucke Machine Engineering
Produkt: Agricultural machinery
Country: Belgium
Installed: 2020
Industry: Yellow Goods
Application: Arc welding
System contains: ArcWorld CS

CHALLENGE

To increase its productivity and its welding capacity, CFTFI contacted Yaskawa for assistance. The goal was to focus on the production of more technical details, with a higher added value, as well as smaller production rates.

The team from Yaskawa together with CFTFI concluded that the robot solution that best matched the company’s needs and expectations was a Motoman ArcWorld. More specific, the new, ultra-compact and easily installed ArcWorld RS Mini.

SOLUTION

At the end of 2019, CFTFI invested in an ArcWorld RS Mini welding cell from Yaskawa.

– The compact format and the simplicity of an installation made it possible to quickly start producing, says production manager for CFTFI, Marc Brilland.

One of the key advantages of the ArcWorld RS Mini is that it is easy to install, program and use. The robot cell is completely encapsulated and built on a platform that makes it easy to move.

RESULTS

– This all-in-one solution is ideal for replacing or supplementing manual welding when needed, to reduce downtime and increase productivity. With the help of the training of operators at Yaskawa Training Centre and with us, we can state after one year of use that this investment has met our expectations, concludes Marc Brilland, production manager.

Challenge

The Andrénverken works has established long-term relationships with its customers and it aims to develop these partnerships. The company is expanding in line with its customers and is in need of increasing its volume and capacity. A solution was sought that needed to be operationally reliable and provide uninterrupted production while at the same time having a consistently high level of quality. The aim was also to get up and running without any delays or problematic commissioning.

Solution

The Andrénverken works has had four welding robots from Yaskawa in production previously. Whilst conferring with Yaskawa, ArcWorld was presented as a version with two welding robots. The Andrénverken works estimated that the capacity of one station and two robots would yield almost as much as two separate workstations. The new facility featuring ArcWorld was installed in January 2017. The installation ran quickly and smoothly, and production started after just one week.

Results

Capacity rose above expectations. The Andrénverken works is also very satisfied with the delivery from Yaskawa. The company has listened to the customer and delivered a turnkey solution, with good training, which could be installed without any problems or any need for adjustments. Everything worked well and there were no breakdowns or downtime.

The benefits gained from ArcWorld are that it is compact, easy to install and easy to move. “Good project management from Yaskawa ensured an installation process without any unexpected surprises. Everything worked out perfectly,” says Fredrik Stensson and Christer Haraldsson, owners of Andrénverken AB.

SHORT FACT

Customer: Andrénverken AB
Produkt: Metal components
Country: Sweden
Installed: 2017
Industry: Metal indusry
Application: Arc welding

System contains:

ArcWorld V2, 2x MA1440, DX200 controller, welding equipment

Challenge

Laserkraft had five existing robot welding systems in service, four of which were from Yaskawa. One of them was fitted with an older MOTOMAN robot (XRC) and an RM2 two-station mode switch from Yaskawa. In order to satisfy Laserkraft’s demand for high quality, the decision was taken to modernise an existing facility by switching to a new robot, or even better finding a solution where two robots could utilise the factory area to its full potential. At the same time, the use of existing fixtures unique to the customer had to continue.

Solution

An ArcWorld robot station model was the natural choice due to its compact form and ease of installation. With ArcWorld V2 and its wider fixture model and dual robots, Laserkraft not only gained the increased capacity and improvement in quality it was looking for, but also ensured a more beneficial use of the factory floor. Laserkraft could also maintain all existing fixtures due to the fact that mode switch V2, that replaces RM2, has been designed to make it seamless to transfer fixtures.

Results

“With the introduction of ArcWorld V2, Laserkraft has migrated from its original single robot plant, secured welding quality and upped productivity by over 30 %.

In addition, the working environment has been improved for the operator,” says Christian Höglund, CEO of Laserkraft AB. All moving parts are contained inside the doors, and the welding smoke is extracted better as the robot station is completely encapsulated. The welding quality is enhanced as we can now pick from three different welding methods MIG/MAG, CMT and PULS, and this will involve much less post processing. I’m really surprised by how smoothly and quickly the installation was completed, which minimised downtime,” Christian concludes.

SHORT FACT

Customer: Laserkraft Bredaryd
Product: Metal components
Country: Sweden
Installed: 2017
Industry: Metal industry
Application: Arc welding

System contains:

ArcWorld V2, 2x MA1440, DX200 controller, welding equipment for MIG/MAG, CMT, PULS

Challenge

Hörle Automatic manufactures components for the automobile industry among others. The company has a wide range of machinery to enable fast and efficient production of both large and small volumes. It also manufactures prototypes and small batches, and tests new methods and tools. For Hörle it is important to work with Lean production, and to maintain a leading position in terms of quality and process knowledge. Previously the company has been primarily engaged in pipe work and machining.

Solution

The acquisition of the subcontractor Vaggeryds Svets means that capacity has now been expanded with a complete welding shop. The welding shop includes two ArcSystem arc welding cells. A demonstration of ArcWorld at Yaskawa Nordic showed that the compact robot cell would be an excellent supplement to the two arc welding cells.

Results

With two stations in the ArcWorld cell, there is great potential to adapt the production flow according to the product mix, either running two different products or two different operations on the same product.

Getting production underway only required a two-day initial training course for two operators, however, the welding shop already had considerable experience of welding robots. The robot cell didn’t take long to install on site and has functioned unproblematically since then, usually in two shifts.

For Hörle Automatic, ArcWorld is quite simply a flexible robot cell which contributes to maintaining a large product mix and short delivery times.

SHORT FACT

Challenge

Lago Industri AB, Halmstad, is a family-owned engineering company focused on the manufacture of tube structures in stainless steel and aluminum. Customers are in the furniture and automotive industry. For Lago, it is important to have a modern machinery and to ensure that the staff are well-trained and have a broad knowledge of arc welding, both manually and with robots. Lago’s future looks bright and they have a positive growth.

Lago has two standard robot welding systems, with horizontal positioners. For a particular assignment, additional welding capacity was required, and at very short notice.

Challenge

With ArcWorld, Lago found a compact robot cell that not was ideal in size, but could also offer sufficiently high production capacity. The robot cell has two stations, which increases capacity compared to many other compact welding units. It was also possible to deliver, install, run and start producing in just three working weeks. The same operator who manually welded now manages the robotic cell instead.

Results

The arc welding station has definitely matched expectations. It was originally meant for a specific job, but Lago continue to take on new jobs. ArcWorld has at least as much capacity as any of the two conventional robotic systems, and therefore utilizes its floor surface very efficiently.

SHORT FACT

Customer: Lago Industri AB
Product: Parts for furniture industry
Country: Sweden
Installed: 2014
Industry: Metal industry
Application: Arc welding

System contains:

ArcWorld 250, MA1400, DX100 controller

Challenge

Nitator manufactures sheet metal components for the automobile industry among others. The company practices Lean production methods and works on environmental responsibility. Prior to a change to an existing product, Nitator was looking to achieve an even better flow in its factory at Hyltebruk. Previously, the component was welded in a separate operation in the factory at Oskarström, 35 km away.

Solution

Using the ArcWorld welding workcell, Nitator now has a straight flow at its Hylte factory with the pressing of sheet metal, welding and assembly all in series. No more unnecessary transportation between the two manufacturing units. The components are moved on to easy-rolling pallet trucks between the welding cell and the two mounting stations. All operators in the production group work together as one team, and alternate between welding and assembly. As the robot welds, the welding operator has time over to get the constituent materials.

As ArcWorld is an encapsulated welding system with sliding doors, you avoid disturbing welding flashes and welding fumes in the premises. The welding workcell is also easy to move and get running, which Nitator sees as a major advantage. Now you can quickly move the cell if the production flow needs to be changed.

Results

At Nitator they are really pleased with the short delivery time, and it was so quick to get up and running. The day after commissioning, the robot cell was operating at full production, and the plant has been running in one and two shifts without any interference since then.
Basic training for an operator, and some support from in-house welding experts at the Oskarström factory, was all that was needed to cope with the programming and operation of the workcell.

SHORT FACT

Customer: Nitator AB i Hylte
Product: Components for automotive industry
Country: Sweden
Installed: 2014
Industry: Metal industry
Application: Arc welding

System contains:

ArcWorld 250, MA1400, DX100 controller