The Robotic welding in TAF
We are proud to announce that as the first company in truss manufacturing industry we achieved to enter the new era of automated welding production. TAF company has worked on the development of the new truss welding robot over last 2 years. Although there were some minor setbacks during the time, we managed to reach our goal of fully operational robotic welding machine which is capable of serial straight truss segments production with great precision.
The robotic welding station is equipped with Fronius CM welding machines and the welding method is MIG. The station itself has dimensions of 20x6x4m and is operated by one specially trained operator. There are three KUKA robotic arms in the welding station properly programmed in order to be able to produce any length in the FT32, HT32, FT34, HT34 and Falconn truss series up to 4m of the total truss length. Truss main tubes are placed into the fixing points inside the station by the operator. The braces preparation is automated and their positioning is laser controlled and thus the uniformity and precision of welding is ensured at all times. The automated welding station is also equipped with cleaning procedure that makes sure there are no smudges and material remnants after the welding is finished. In this way the product is ready to go to the client right after the robotic production process is completed.
There are several advantages that the automated aluminum truss manufacturing process brings to the table. The structures produced at the station are identical and there is very little room for production flaws such as dimensions and welding failures. However, we still do follow the high quality standards that we claim to hold at TAF and each product that comes out of the robotic welding machine is both visually and mechanically checked for any possible discrepancies. The actual welding process is two times faster compared to the traditional hand welding of our best welders. If we take into account also the fact that the robot can work 24/7, it creates a substantial increase in the factory product volume output and speeds up the turnaround process significantly which results in again better and faster service for the customer in delivering high quality products to their premises.
We at TAF see the future of fast and high quality manufacturing processes in automatization and proper training of our workers. By developing this tailor made working station for our production needs as the first in the world, we entered the realm of the 4.0 industry and we thrive to continue in this way in the coming years. The extra level in efficiency, productivity and quality represented by this robotic welding station is a commitment for our future. It is the first but definitely not the last step in which we plan to innovate our production.
