Linde Material Handling 与 Yaskawa 合作实现叉车车架自动化机器人焊接
Automated Robotic Welding for Forklift Frame Manufacturing
Linde Material Handling 与 Yaskawa 合作，为其最新系列电动叉车部署了一套高柔性自动化焊接系统，用于制造多种叉车车架和安全护罩。该系统需生产7种车架类型和14种不同顶部安全护罩，因每台叉车按订单制造，产线须在保持严格质量标准和高自动化程度的同时应对多种结构变型。系统分为两个模块：第一模块由焊接机器人对车架和安全护罩进行点焊，并配带自动换爪系统的搬运机器人；第二模块在冗余单元中完成满焊。整套系统共含33台机器人，包括安装在地面轨道上的专用焊接和搬运机型。工程阶段历时近四年，先用仿真工具做虚拟布局评估，再在供应商工厂按系列条件测试，试点系列制造成功后迁至阿沙芬堡最终生产现场。产线还包含使用磨具去除焊渣并为涂装预处理表面的在线打磨工序，末端在线测量站检查几何精度和焊缝几何形状以发现异常。系统以12.5分钟节拍运行，通过大型单元显示器实现持续数据流，确保工艺稳定和早期错误检测。
Case studies
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Linde Material Handling partnered with Yaskawa to implement a highly flexible automated welding system for manufacturing diverse forklift frames and safety guards.
www.yaskawa.eu.com
Linde Material Handling, a global manufacturer of industrial trucks, required a new production system for its latest series of electric forklifts. The company needed to manufacture seven frame types and 14 different overhead safety guards to exact specifications. Because each forklift is built to order, the production line required high flexibility to handle a wide variety of structural variants while maintaining strict quality standards and a high degree of automation. The facility planners also sought sophisticated inline quality assurance and seamless integration with existing enterprise resource planning systems to optimize material flow.
Implementation of two-stage automated welding modules
To address these operational requirements, the manufacturer selected Yaskawa as a general contractor to design and implement a comprehensive robotic welding architecture. The facility is divided into two modules to provide a buffer between main processes. In the first module, highly automated stations utilize welding robots to tack-weld the different frame types and safety guards into complete components, supported by handling robots equipped with automatic gripper changing systems. The second module executes finish-welding across redundant cells. The system features a total of 33 robots, including specialized welding and handling models mounted on floor tracks. The provider was chosen due to its extensive automation expertise and the capability of its proprietary production system software to make complex welding data transparent.
Inline measurement and system deployment
The engineering phase spanned nearly four years, utilizing simulation tools for virtual layout evaluation before the plant was constructed and tested under series conditions at the provider's facility. Following successful pilot series manufacturing, the system was relocated to the final production site in Aschaffenburg. The automated line includes an inline polishing process that uses abrasive tools to remove welding spatter and prepare surfaces for coating. At the end of the manufacturing process, an automated inline measurement station checks geometric accuracy and weld seam geometry to detect irregularities. Operating on a series cycle of 12.5 minutes, the system provides continuous data flow through large cell monitors, ensuring stable processes and early error detection while achieving the required levels of quality and productivity.
Edited by Maria Brueva, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.
www.yaskawa.eu.com
来源：Metalworking International · metalworkingmag.com