Robotics marching on at Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant
A robotic centre for the arc welding of intermediate beams in the gondola car body has been launched at the blank production of Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant (TVSZ) (integrated into the UWC railway group).
The new robotics will guarantee a high quality of welded seams by minimizing the human impact. What is more, the new equipment will unleash highly skilled specialists, electric gas welders in the first place, for working at other facilities of the car assembling manufacture wherever semiautomatic welding machines are required.
The robotics was developed by specialists of the technological equipment/tooling design service at TVSZ, with world’s leading manufacturers – Fanuc (Japan), Abicor Binzel (Germany), Kovaco (Slovakia) – involved in its fabrication. Part of this new tooling was made in the tool room of TVSZ. A team of programmers from Chief Electronics Engineer’s office as well as the assembly and welding section of TVSZ assumed the role of equipment integrator. The maintenance service and firmware support will also be provided by TVSZ experts, which will bring the equipment’s idle time and shutdowns to a minimum.
Designers of the new robotic center also thought of its fast readjustment and recalibration to suit other processes: the welding of span bolsters and end beams in the gondola car body and in other items of similar weight and dimensions.
Alexey Maksin, Chief Electronics Engineer at TVSZ: “Involving in-house specialists in successful commissioning of a new welding station showcases technological prowess and high competences of the plant and its staff for implementing sophisticated automation and robotics projects to facilitate manufacturing.”