Heavy Lifting for Truck Construction

Task

Enable NTM to increase production capacity of garbage trucks and compacters at its Finnish factory, without the need to expand the plant or interfere with existing production.

Solution

An integrated robot solution involves a FANUC M-2000𝑖A/2300 lifting and rotating compacter sections, which weigh up to two tonnes, and a FANUC ARC Mate robot expertly welding the sections in the unmanned factory at night.

Result

NTM can meet growing demands for its products without the need for a nightshift. Much of the heavily lifting is now done safely by the robots instead of employees.

During the day, the robots are prepped for the nightshift. This involves placing the heavy payloads around the safety pit and setting up the operating system with the lifting and welding requirements. “We also experiment and test the capabilities of the robots during the daytime,” continues Grönqvist. “This is done in real-time with a control panel. The software logs the simulations, which we can run at night, if we choose to do so.” During an unattended night-shift the robots complete about ten full sections. The FANUC M-2000𝑖A/2300 lifts a section from its base plate into a ringed secure zone and rotates into the right position for the FANUC ARC Mate to expertly weld all the contours of the section. When the first shift arrives in the morning the welds are checked by hand, and the sections are moved to the next stage of assembly. “If there is an error during the night, an alarm is generated by the operating system, the robots automatically shut-down and we receive an alert,” says Grönqvist. 

“However, since the robots were installed, everything has run smoothly, and we haven’t received many alerts.” The robots can also be put to work on weekends should it be required. “The collaboration with FANUC and MTC Flextek has been a great success. We’re now looking at other ways that automation can assist our staff and help meet the growing demand for our products,” concludes Grönqvist.