Colin Thomas is the Manufacturing Engineering Manager of the Electrolux Cooking Products manufacturing plant.
The engineering department he runs at the company’s plant in Adelaide is a bustle of activity.
Linked to the office by a short pathway is a massive manufacturing hall.
In the far corner of the factory is a small room that has a different rhythm to the rest of the plant.
This is where the Tandom Press Line (TPL) lives, a multi-million dollar investment linking metal presses with robotics.
Electrolux manufactures 120 different oven models, with around about 1,700 models rolling into the packaging room each day.
The TPL has transformed the way Electrolux makes its ovens.
The TPL is the engine that helps drive this staggering output, punching out doors and panels of various cooker models with an efficiency that has exceeded expectations.
ABB robots, which work with Manzoni presses, are responsible for an increase in operational efficiency of more than 90%.
Electrolux decided to upgrade the plant two years ago and replace labor-intensive manual presses with an automated line.
The Electrolux application has successfully adapted robotic technology from the automotive industry to improve the output of parts from nine parts per minute to eleven.
“We have a wide range of parts to handle,” Electrolux Cooking Products manufacturing engineering manager Colin Thomas said.
“The TPL allows us to change dies quickly, vary the speed of the presses and change the arms on the robots easily to cater for small volumes.”
The TPL represents an investment of $8 million for Electrolux.
The robots have replaced about 20 people, and the TPL is now managed by a team of three operators who handle die changes, the stacking of parts at the end of the line, and clearing.
There are three eight-hour shifts, but the TPL has been punching out the required parts in two shifts, allowing engineers a shift in which to change settings.
Another feature of the ABB relationship with Electrolux is the 24-hour support supplied by the ABB lead center in Spain.
The technicians in Spain can dial into the TPL’s control system and locate and correct any problems.
* This article first appeared in ABB Metals Magazine
Key contact:
ABB Australia
Peter Bradbury
peter.bradbury@au.abb.com
www.abbaustralia.com.au
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