Linear actuators enable high speed, defect-free production of roof panels

Citation

(2012), "Linear actuators enable high speed, defect-free production of roof panels", Assembly Automation, Vol. 32 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2012.03332daa.002

Linear actuators enable high speed, defect-free production of roof panels

Article Type: Mini features From: Assembly Automation, Volume 32, Issue 4

Linear actuators from Schaeffler are playing a vital role in helping a manufacturer of roof panels to eliminate virtually all sources of defects in its machining processes, which in turn has enabled the plant to double its annual production output of ready-to-fit roof components.

Kluth, a private, family-owned company based in Barsinghausen in Germany, is a specialist in producing sloping roofs made from lightweight materials. Planning, production and customisation to specific sizes are provided from a single source – a unique selling point in this sector.

The production process for converting large format expanded polystyrene (EPS) blocks into custom-specific high precision Styrofoam parts, places very demanding requirements on machine builders.

The roof and its related components such as insulating panels (strips), solid and acoustic fillers, counter slope strips, roof edge strips, vessel segments, joint profile fillers, expansion joint strips and other similar accessories, are manufactured from high quality, DIN-compliant materials such as polystyrene, polyurethane and mineral wool in compliance with the relevant standards.

In order to ensure the quality of the different construction materials used, Kluth produces the polystyrene, for example in block form, using its own large foam moulding machines. Using these machines, roof panels can be machined to specific customer requirements.

At Kluth, the production and cutting machines run at least 12 h a day, seven days a week. In order to produce approximately 830,000 individual roof elements each year, hundreds of thousands of cutting operations are required to achieve this. These include not only basic parts but also ready-to-fit components. This requires high performance machines with a high level of automation. According to Managing Director at Kluth Marcus Kluth, with his practical experience and technology focus, the new EPS cutting machines, which automatically adjust the cutting wires using computer software control, enable rapid, defect-free production.

Manually adjusting the cutting wires cannot fulfil the high requirements for dimensional accuracy and quality. Automated adjustment of the wires using linear actuators from Schaeffler has eliminated virtually all sources of defects and has also enabled Kluth to double its production output of ready-to-fit roof elements.

Cutting roof panels from blocks

At Kluth, the 3,000×1,200×1,000 mm (3.6 m³) blocks must be trimmed and then divided up according to customer orders. To do this quickly and economically with minimum waste, Marcus Kluth and his workforce of more than 30 employees rely on special machinery and equipment supplied by Dingeldein & Herbert Maschinen- und Apparatebau (Figure 1). This company, founded in 1936, is a specialist machine builder for the EPS industry and is currently headed up by brothers Markus and Christoph Dingeldein.

The range encompasses not only EPS foam moulding machines but also EPS hot wire cutting machines of the conventional type or with oscillating wires, block tilting devices and block conveying equipment, compact hot wire cutting devices, profile cutting machines and pre-crushers, as well as fine grinding mills for processing of cutting waste. The machines are normally customer-specific solutions that are provided for standardised processes and by using a certain proportion of standard components and sub-assemblies.

Figure 1 Two complete machines for the cutting of EPS blocks of dimensions 3,000×1,200×1,000 mm using the hot wire cutting process

The EPS blocks are separated systematically into specific customer orders into ready-to-fit roof elements and the cutting operation is mostly automated. In order to adjust the cutting ires automatically at high speed and with repeatable accuracy, as well as with minimal set-up time, two MKUVE20-B-ZR linear actuators from Schaeffler are used. These actuators adjust the individual cutting wire under computer or software control either in parallel or, where necessary, obliquely (for specially formed panels/strips).

The MKUVE20-B-ZR linear actuator comprises an inherently rigid aluminium support rail with high load carrying capacity with a fully integrated linear guidance system. The extremely compact linear actuator is fitted with linear recirculating ball bearing and guideway assemblies and two carriages. This enables moderate loads, combined with high static loads about all three axes, to be moved with high positional accuracy at speeds of up to 5 m/s. The drive system comprises a toothed belt and brushless servomotor. The linear actuators have a total length of 2,616 mm with an effective stroke of 2,150 mm.

The wire adjustment system has now been adopted as a standard configuration in machines from Dingeldein & Herbert. As a result, several further EPS cutting machines have been fitted with linear actuators from Schaeffler. In addition, similar linear actuators are now also used in other roof material cutting machines, as well as for the stacking and unloading of machined roof elements.

For further information please contact web site: www.schaeffler.co.uk