By Edwin Kling, P.Eng.
Hanson Pipe & Products Canada Inc.
Robotics increase product quality, productivity, and the level of worker safety.
The machine operator of the future
will have robotics and
computer programming skills,
and will spend most of the
time ensuring quality of products. This
statement appeared two years ago in
Concrete Pipe News when Hanson Pipe
& Products were installing the ROCO
(Rings Off Cleaned and Oiled) robot as
a component of their computerized
PipePro production station. Less than 24
months after making that statement,
their plant in Cambridge, Ontario, has
significantly expanded its robotic production
line, resulting in immediate economic
and technological benefits.
Hanson, formerly Centennial Concrete
Pipe & Products, was the first concrete
pipe producer in Canada to introduce
robotics into their pipe production.
Today’s plants are highly regulated
for quality of products, health, and
safety. In Ontario, Hanson’s precast concrete
drainage products are produced
within rigid performance standards
monitored by the Ontario Plant
Prequalification Program. Concrete pipe
plants hold enviable safety records considering
the weights, shapes and volume
of massive precast concrete products.
Contributing to successful operations is
the move to fully automatic production
systems. With fewer fingers, hands and
feet in close proximity to pipe, boxes and
manhole components, and ergonomically
designed work stations and equipment
in place to reduce lifting of heavy
objects, the risks associated with injuries
have plummeted.
A significant enhancement of the
PipePro pipe-making operation began in
January 2002. Now, only the crane operator
is required in the production process
since robotic systems have been
added. Production increased 25% with
an increase in turns of the PipePro from
40 to 50 turns in an eight-hour shift.
Overall productivity has increased 40%.
The PipePro machine incorporates
computer technology with a three-station
rotary turntable design. The turntable
permits three different pipe sizes
or products to be manufactured simultaneously.
The pipe-making processes
are computer controlled to ensure consistency
in both quality and output – and
to eliminate the need for a second machine
operator.
The ROCO robot receives cured
products produced on the PipePro, removes
the pallet and header, then stacks
the joint rings and places the pipe on a
conveyor for vacuum testing, deburring,
stenciling, joint ring cleaning, pallet oiling
and transport to the yard for storage
and shipping. Robots on each side of the
ROCO stack the headers and pallets onto
skids that fit into a track on the PipePro
machine. The skids are transferred by
forklift to the PipePro for reuse. Wire
cages are placed onto the pallets as the
moulds are readied for the next cycle.
Each robot has replaced one person for
a four-hour shift.
At the PipePro station, a robot removes
a header from the skid and loads
it into the machine. A second robot takes
the pallet (with the positioned wire cage)
off the transfer skid and preloads an
empty station. The crane operator uses
ergonomic hand controls and wireless
technology to move finished product off
the PipePro and into the kiln area for
steam curing. The crane operator then
returns immediately to the machine to
position the mould jacket over the
preloaded cage and pallet.
Hanson has also enhanced the automation
of their PipePlus machine by introducing
new Hawkeye forms that install
Swift Lift (lifting devices) and manhole
steps automatically on the machine.
The operator preloads the form cartridge
and the PipePlus does the rest.
Hanson's Cambridge operation in
Ontario has been introducing robotics
and automation when appropriate. Staff
has been cautious in embracing automation,
as all aspects of it must be clearly
understood before committing resources
and retraining staff.
Each step of a plant’s automation
needs to be assessed on a cost/benefit
basis and return on investment. Automation
needs to be appropriate for the circumstance.
For example, the cost of automation
versus the payback is an exponential
curve. At the steep end of the
curve, a high price is paid for very little
gain in cost savings. Each pipe producer
needs to find a point for its own operation
to become profitable. And, you can
over-automate. Sometimes, automation
requires a manual override to maintain
efficiency. You have to examine the critical
path of operations, and recognize
where automation is not needed, or
where it is a drawback to production.
Most automation replaces activities that
are repetitive.
Safety requirements on new equipment
prevent employees from getting in
harm’s way – and this is where robots
play a significant role.
The introduction of robotics into automated
concrete pipe plants signals
continuing change in an industry that is
growing with the technology of our time.
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