05/31/2017

Robot technology finding its way into timber house construction

Now offering more flexibility, precision and speed - The latest development in the field robot technology proves once again Weinmann’s market leader position in plant engineering for the prefabricated construction industry and its capability to offer customers smart solutions for the future. For the first time, we have integrated a robot into a WEINMANN production line. The production cell consists of a carpentry machine WBZ 160 powerSIX with a fully automatic feeding portal, a random storage system for the processed studs, a storage system for standard studs, a frame work station and the robot.

All processed studs  such as lintels or bevel cuts, as well as top plates or bottom plates, are automatically processed  by the carpentry machine WBZ 160 - and, are automatically fed into the chaotic warehouse system , the so-called "stud tower". The required stud will be  selected and then fed to the robot. The standard studs are fed-in automatically through  a line portal. The robot now removes the required stud from the respective pick-up location and places it in the frame work. The top and bottom plates are fed automatically through  driven rollers.

 This is  an ideal application area  for robotic  technology, because the robot needs low maintenance and operates on full capacity and is therefore, very versatile for any kind of work.Therefore, not only inner and outer walls but also gable walls and miter walls, as well as window and door structures, can be  manufactured fully automatically. In addition, the 6-axis technology makes it possible to adapt the insertion method for different studs. This  significantly increases the reliability of the operating system and virtually compensates  any issues, that are caused by crooked wood or similar  without manual intervention.

In early 2017 the first production line in this form has been installed at Bien-Zenker by a similar one in Sweden by end of 2017. Once finished, this will be Europe’s most modern production facility. In the future, a complete wall module will be produced within just 30 minutes - and a wall element in only  7 minutes. In order to achieve this,  every 7 seconds the robot places a stud into the framework – This short timeframe could not be achieved  without robotics. This unprecedented power of both man and machine in terms of  flexibility, precision and speed is a true innovation for  the timber housing industry.
 

 

Source images: WEINMANN Holzbausystemtechnik GmbH

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