Demag Installs KBK Aluline System For VW Plant In Poland

Demag has installed a KBK Aluline system comprising 127 bridge cranes and other hoists at a VW plant in Września, Polonia.

The plant, which manufactures the latest generation of its VW Crafter is built on a property covering 220 hectares, and is the Volkswagen Group’s 121st factory. It is designed for an annual capacity of 100,000 light commercial vehicles and has generous workshops for the body line and vehicle assembly as well as a state-of-the-art paint line.

On vehicles such as the Crafter, everything is slightly heavier and larger than on a car production line. For this reason, the handling of parts plays a much larger role. Since commercial vehicles are usually made in lower quantities than for car volume models, but in larger numbers of variants, many steps in production cannot be fully automated.

The Demag technicians installed more than 6,000 metres of profile-section rails for cranes and crane runways. In total, they installed 127 crane bridges for single girder overhead cranes and double girder overhead cranes as well as a variety of hoists, manipulators (equipped with lifting columns, pivot arms and balancers) and tools.

For its hoist unit needs, Volkswagen chose the DC range of chain hoists, which are rated for load capacities between 125kg and 315kg and are used with two speeds or variable-speed control, depending on the application. The combination of Demag hoist units and Demag rail systems has already proved to be a good solution at other Volkswagen plants, which is why they are also used in Wrzesnia.

A few examples underline the range of possible applications for the KBK Aluline system in the Crafter production line. Vehicle bodies are transported by a conveyor system at continuous speeds through production. At one station, the cab and sliding doors are removed for pre-assembly on the door pre-assembly line. The 30kg batteries are also installed here. To do this, the worker uses a single-sided manipulator that has an operating range from 0 to 4,500 mm.

También se utilizan manipuladores suspendidos cada uno de ellos de dos raíles para retirar las grandes puertas, que pesan hasta 85 kg. En esta estación se instalaron raíles de una longitud total de 238 metros.

En la línea de premontaje de tracción, los raíles se utilizan principalmente para proporcionar a los trabajadores las herramientas necesarias, como destornilladores neumáticos. Los componentes pesados o de gran tamaño deben manipularse en la línea de montaje del asiento corrido y el panel base del compartimento de carga, mientras que las piezas a menudo pesadas pero compactas, como las ballestas y los amortiguadores, deben colocarse con precisión en la línea de montaje del vehículo.

Cada etapa del proceso tiene unos requisitos de manipulación diferentes. Lo mismo ocurre con los distintos niveles de altura y el tipo de suspensión: si se necesitan para la movilidad horizontal de instalaciones de grúas convencionales equipadas con polipastos de cadena, se utilizan suspensiones que tienen juntas articuladas. Para aplicaciones con equipos de manipulación y atornilladores telescópicos se utilizan suspensiones ergo robustas que pueden soportar fuerzas de torsión y de arranque.

Volkswagen chose Demag KBK Aluline system to be used throughout the assembly operation because besides its ergonomic aspects, the planners placed great emphasis on safety and serviceability. In addition, the easily assembled and versatile modular system can be extended or converted so the processes and material flow can be modified at any time.