Better, faster, farther
Jul 1, 2008 12:00 PM
A robotic work cell now welds the top and bottom rails and the long sills of dump bodies produced by Brandon Truck Equipment in Saint Gabriel de Brandon, Quebec.
One of the challenges that manufacturers face in a difficult market is to improve product quality while simultaneously reducing costs.
Sure, that should be an objective for every manufacturer, year end, year out. But being able to provide the end user with more value for the dollar is particularly important in a market when customers are not otherwise as eager to buy.
Brandon Truck Equipment just completed the installation of a robotic welding cell in its dump body plant in Saint Gabriel de Brandon, Quebec. Based on the preliminary results of the project — which went into operation earlier this year — management has decided to move forward with another robotic welding cell scheduled to go on stream in 2009.
“The idea is to keep our production costs low,” says Pascal Comtois, sales and marketing manager. “The cost of our materials is rising, the cost of fuel is making business difficult for our customers, and the exchange rate between the U S and Canadian dollars is forcing us to be more competitive.”
Brandon uses the Motoman robot to weld the long sills, sides, and floor of its line of dump bodies. The second robot will weld the tailgate and miscellaneous parts.
The company only uses the robot for one shift. But even then, it does the equivalent work of perhaps two fulltime welders. More importantly, the welds that it generates are more consistent and of higher quality than human beings are able to produce.
“We believe we are the first dump body manufacturer to use a robot for this particular application,” Comtois says. “This is the first step in automating the welding of our dump bodies. We like what we have seen so far. There's no question that the robot has enabled us to lower our costs and to improve our quality. That's why we have decided to add the second robot next year.”
Installing a robotic welding cell, at least at a company the size of Brandon Truck Equipment, is far more than simply buying equipment. The decision to automate dump body welding involved a complete reorganization of the company's plant.
“It's a brand new layout,” Comtois says.
The traffic pattern will need to be modified again next year to accommodate a second robotic work cell, but not nearly to the extent that this year's project required. Nevertheless, the company is already at work to accommodate the second robotic welder.
Designing the cell
One drawback to robots is that they do not tolerate ambiguity. Parts must be positioned exactly, and they must be held in place precisely. Robot manufacturers have made progress in this area over the years, but robots still require precise fixturing in order to produce satisfactory results.
To provide the repeatable accuracy that is required, Brandon built a special fixture to position and retain the weldment exactly where it needs to be.
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