D
Robotics
tri p le
It would be tough to find an industry more evocative of solid, old school production
than the trailer manufacturing one. No one walking onto a low-light, high-decibel
factory floor is likely to mistake the place for a clean room at a semiconductor
manufacturing plant. But, modern robotics are now changing that image.
S
cience fiction can cause some confusing impressions. For instance,
current robotic technology does not involve creating a humanoid
workforce; and characters such as “Star Wars” icons, C3PO and
R2D2 - although invented in 1977 - are still a long way off. But, even
the conservative trailer manufacturing industry opened up to modern robotics
long ago to streamline the production process.
Derived from the Czech word robotnik, the term robot is generally translated
as forced labour. And, that basic idea has not changed since factories first
introduced modern industrial robots in 1961. That’s when Unimate joined the
General Motors (GM) workforce - a robotic arm attached to a giant steel drum.
The Unimate robot boasted remarkable versatility for the time and could easily
pour liquid metal into die casts, weld auto bodies together and manipulate
500-pound (227kg) payloads.
“They were good for the ‘three D’ kinds of jobs,” Steve Holland, chief scientist
for manufacturing at US corporation GM, recalls in a US News interview. “Jobs that
4 0 / G l o b a l tr a i l e r / jan-fe b 2012
were dirty, difficult, and dangerous.”
In addition, Unimate could perform
tasks that humans often found
dangerous or boring and it could
do them with consistent speed and
precision. Plus, it never called in sick,
went on strike or violated company
rules. It covered all three shifts in a
24-hour period without drawing a
single minute of overtime.
“Needless to say, factory owners
grew to like this no-nonsense new
addition,” says science journalist James
Pethokoukis. “Robot factory workers
aren’t without their limitations,
Tech fact
The field in which Kranendonk
operates is not bound by a product
or industry, but by a production
principle. Traditionally, robots are
used for repetitive production. The
competence of companies like
Kranendonk lies in the opposite –
realising non-repetitive production
by smart implementation of robotics.
This opens a range of automation
opportunities for manufacturing
companies.
however. In their simplest forms, industrial robots are mere automatons. Humans
program them to perform a simple, repetitive task. Tasks that require decisionmaking, creativity, adaptation and on-the-job learning tend to go to the humans.”
But, when a job is just right for a robot, productivity tends to increase notably.
For instance, Australia’s Drake Trailers installed a single welding robot by ABB
Australia on its production line in 2008 and benefited from a reported 60 per
cent increase in productivity.
When Drake Trailers took some time to consider the best configuration for
automating certain aspects of production, a robot was identified as the most
suitable option for factors such as speed, which could help them compete on
price, based on lower unit costs in addition to quality improvement that provided
benefits such as better finish and repeatability.
That last factor is a key benefit. Due to the robot, which went live in May
2009, less handling is required when machining the suspension components, skid
plates, ramps and up to 60 items that Drake has identified, which can be jigged
w w w. g lo b a ltr a i le r m ag . c o m / G l o b a l tr a i l e r / 41
Robotics
for use with the dual station robot.
One welding station has a single
axis L-type positioner with 2000kg
payload capacity. The second has a
dual axis A-type positioner, boasting
a 750kg payload capacity, used for
welding more complex components.
As for weld speeds, a quality manual
welder can span 250-300mm per
minute while the ABB robot manages
750-800 a minute, ABB reports.
It is the cutting and welding process
that has seen the largest increase in
robotic technology in the past decade
or two, as it not only increases
production speed compared to manual
welding, but also creates a cleaner and
safer welding environment.
One global company that is
specialised in the automation for nonrepetitive production environments
like the trailer industry is Dutch
company Kranendonk. “We work
for the shipbuilding, construction
and transport industries, where every
manufactured product is different,”
H istory
Kranendonk was founded in 1984.
From the outset, it saw the potential
of industrial robots for production
applications. Robots were accurate
and quick, but lacked efficient control
software. Throughout its history,
the company has been focusing
on making robots easier to control,
resulting in systems to perform
non-repetitive production tasks.
Kranendonk delivered its first robotic
cutting line in 1989, and its first
robotic welding line in 1992 – all for
non-repetitive production. Afterwards,
the step to robotic assembly was
made.
42 / G l o b a l tr a i l e r / jan-fe b 2 012
says Kranendonk’s Edwin Oosterveld,
pointing out that a company needs to
reach a certain level of automation to
justify the implementation of complex
robotic systems, some of which can
take up to three years to develop.
“We usually require a certain level
of what we call software strength,”
he says. “But, first and foremost,
there must be pioneering spirit and
openness to change.
“We have just developed two
computerised production lines in
Australia and Belgium to help our local
clientele automate the production of
a wide variety of aluminium-based
trailers.”
Kranendonk responded with an
overall approach to improve both
material and data flows, creating some
of the most effective production lines
in the trailer industry.
A typical line consists of several
sub-systems to streamline trailer
construction. “Apart from the actual
production automation, large benefits
are gained through the control of this
production line,” says Oosterveld.
“The process is based on a speciallydesigned configurator software that
allows the sales team to specify all
characteristics and main dimensions
of the new trailer on screen. The
software is then able to generate the
production data required to build the
trailer – including CAD drawings –
without human intervention.”
A typical Kranendonk production
line is an array of what Oosterveld calls
“dedicated production cells.” First
they create the basic chassis by joining
floor and side panels, which is then
forwarded to a tub welding station.
“That’s probably the most impressive
part of the whole production process,”
says Oosterveld. “One single robot is
finishing off the entire welding work
on the inside, entering from the top.
“As mentioned, no robot
programming is needed for the

“We have just developed t wo computerised
production lines in Austr alia and Belgium
to help our local clientele automate the
production of a wide varie t y of aluminiumbased tr ailers.”
Edwin Oosterveld Kranendonk
w w w. g lo b a ltr a i le r m ag . c o m / G l o b a l tr a i l e r / 43
Robotics

“Our sof t ware makes sure the oper ators
don’t have to worry about progr amming the
system. Even the most complex tr ailers are
produced automatically.”
Edwin Oosterveld Kranendonk
operation of the production cells, all production data is automatically generated and
only general supervision is required.”
In Belgium, Kranendonk re-designed the whole shop floor to cater for a modernised
production facility. “The final system consists of various robot stations and some
CNC-controlled cells,” says Oosterveld. “And, to finish the welding on all sides of
the trailer, we decided on mobile robot cells.”
Multiple ‘travelling columns’, each supporting a welding robot, are used to allow
for the welding of all major components. “Our software makes sure the operators
only need to select a certain production task, but do not have to worry about
programming the system. Even the most complex trailers featuring intricate, curved
lines are produced automatically.”
According to Oosterveld, no more than two people operate the entire trailer
production line – producing up to six trailers per shift. But, it is such rationalisation
that may lead to the obvious question that workers have been asking since the late
1700s – “Will machines steal our jobs?”
Back in 1779, Ned Lud started the anti-automation movement that later came to be
known as Luddism by breaking into factories in Nottingham, England and destroying
the new weaving machines that were replacing workers.
Marshall Brain, founder of the online encyclopaedia, HowStuffWorks.com, has
written an influential online manifesto called “Robotic Nation” in which he concludes
that the greater presence of robots in the workplace will lead to massive unemployment
over the coming decades. “The jobless recovery is exactly what you would expect in
a robotic nation,” he writes.
44 / G l o b a l tr a i l e r / jan-fe b 2 012
However, most economists dispute
this scenario. As James Miller, Economics
Professor at Smith College, told US
News, the law of supply and demand
says that firms will replace workers with
robots only if the robots are cheaper
to employ.
“But, if robots displace enough
workers, the laws of supply and demand
will cause their wages to fall, meaning it
will no longer be cheaper for the firms
to replace them,” he says.
www.kranendonk.com
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