FINLAND Pemamek automation saves shipyards time
ONE way to increase shipyard productivity is by automating the manufacturing process of subassembly-panels.
F
INNISH welding automation specialist Pemamek Oy has deepened its cooperation
in heavy robotics applications with Yaskawa Electric Corporation subsidiary Motoman, after arriving at a system partnership agreement. The move is the latest step in rolling
out Pemamek products, perhaps the best known of which is the Pema Vision robot - a unique technology based on machine vision programming (see The Naval Architect September 2006) - already to be seen at Aker Yards in Finland, Fincantieri Riva Trigoso, Croatian 3 Maj and Spanish Navantia El Ferrol shipyards. Pemamek focuses on offering industrial
work-piece handling, welding mechanisation and automation for improving its clients' productivity. Automation in steel block fabrication is an important part of increasing efficiency within shipbuilding as well as in other industries. The privately owned company's sophisticated products can today be found in over 50 countries. It produces welding automation solutions
for large flat panels and parts production, production of profiles and T-beams including also pre-treatment, cutting, grinding and metal grid blasting. The work done with shipyards is often based on partnership agreements, through which material flow management solutions are tailored. As pointed out by Pemamek, one way to
increase productivity is by automating the manufacturing process of subassembly-panels. The company supplies production lines with a varying degree of automation, from manual assembly lines to fully automated systems. New developments have focused on robotised
profile cutting. Profile cutting is typically a labour-intensive task, which often causes bottlenecks. The PEMA RCL -robotised cutting line offers
a newly automated solution of this process including flexible material handling. It is an automated production line for the manufacturing of shipbuilding profiles. A large variety of profiles can be processed using the cutting line, from small flat bars to large H- and T-beams. Unprocessed profile bars are fed to the line’s
beginning (in-feed buffer) by an overhead crane or a lifting truck. The end result is a marked and cut profile, ready for the next production phase. The process is divided into edge cleaning,
profile cutting and optional cut edge bevelling. The edge cleaning cell includes a transport
device, an edge blasting unit and an optional grinding unit. Edge grinding is used when an optimised profile edge shape is needed by removing the slight chamfer, in order to achieve a better welding result. One operator controls the assembly work and devices within this cell, which operate fully automatically. The devices in this cell are completely sealed from dust and noise. The user-friendliness is enhanced by graphical user interfaces.
30 Profile processing line.
Profile in-feed and length measurement system at Aker Yards Turku yard.
is handled by the MasterCut control system, which is an easy-to-use macro-based cutting control system. The generic files used by PEMA cutting
Typically, a profile cutting line comprises
in-feed and out-feed conveyors, a robot cutting cell and a control system. A buffer storage or a text and bending curve marking device can be added to the in-feed side as well as a sorting system to the out-feed conveyor. Profiles can be automatically sorted based on their code or length. Important mechanical features of a cutting
cell include profile positioning, speed of measurement equipment and reliability in operation. The actual cutting can be done, depending on the thickness of the profile, by traditional oxygen gas cutting, powerful plasma cutting or a combination of these, using automated tool change. An integrated cut edge grinding system can
also be added to the cutting cell, using a tool exchanger. This feature finishes the edges for the next production stage. The profile cutting can be an off-line
program based on the yard's CAD information. The process control of the PEMA cutting cells
cells can be made by the yards' typical CAD programs, such as Tribon, Foran, AutoCAD etc. In a work preparation control system, such as NESTIX 2, CAD files containing profile, parts can be amended and nested before they are put into the cutting cell’s control unit. Also, the yard materials storage management systems can be included, when required. In producing the software for part production management, Pemamek cooperates closely with another Finnish specialised company, Nestix Oy. Using an overhead crane the operator loads
the selected profiles onto the in-feed buffer according to a pick-up list. The loading is done in the correct position, i.e. with the flange facing downwards and web bottom facing towards the operator. The profiles are fed to the in-feed conveyor by means of chain driven sideways conveyor. Before the feeding material and dimensions are checked, in-feed order, profile size and type are confirmed, to correspond to the job files on the computer. The profile automatically runs through cutting cell guided by a Cell controller, which checks the cutting code. The profile position is accurately measured using a laser sensing device, and the cutting is done according to the cutting program. Before cutting, the profiles are typically marked using an inkjet text marking device. After cutting, the out-feed roller conveyor transfers the profiles to the out-feed buffer storage.
THE NAVAL ARCHITECT FEBRUARY 2007
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