TPT May 2008

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May 2008 66
Technology Update
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As the car and truck exhaust manufacturing
sector increasingly searches for greater
precision and efficiency in production,
tube bending and end-forming technology
specialist, AddisonMckee, has seen a
considerable upsurge in interest in its fully
automated, complete workcell solutions.
Due to this rising demand for automated
solutions, early in 2007 the company
launched a dedicated workcell automation
team, which has already delivered five
fully automated cells and over $1mn in
segregated automation revenue in its first
year.
The high level of automation that
AddisonMckee is able to achieve
is illustrated by the recent design,
development and delivery of a complete
automated solution for a global truck
exhaust manufacturer. Developed for
the bending of large diameter, thin-wall
tubing for truck exhaust components, the
workcell solution is capable of 1D bending
of various grades of mild and aluminised
stainless steel tubing up to 150mm
in diameter, with wall thickness as
thin as 1.65mm.
A typical AddisonMckee automated
manufacturing cell may consist
of: AddisonMckee DataBend all-
electric tube bending machine(s);
a tube roll-down rack (for tube
delivery) with seam detector (for
correct tube orientation); a patented
AddisonMckee bend-tool change
solution; AddisonMckee FormMaster
tube parting endforming machine(s);
Fanuc R-2000iB 165kg capacity robot(s); a
‘pin stamp’ tube marking station; and an exit
conveyor and cell master control unit.
The company’s automated manufacturing
process starts with its unique patented
bend-tool change solution, which utilises
a four-station tool change turntable. This
capability was specially developed for
truck exhaust manufacturers requiring
frequent tool change due to relatively short
production runs. Whenever a tool change
is required, the program triggers the robot
to automatically complete the tool change
operation. Embedded within each tool set is
a read/write chip enabling the tool change
turntable to recognise which tool is in each
location.
With the correct tools in place in the bend
die, the robot moves to the automated roll-
down rack. Tubes roll into place, the seam
detection device orientates each weld seam
into the same position; the robot picks up
the next tube from the detector and loads
it into the bender. Once loaded, the bender
bends the specific component. By using
a ‘stick or serpentine’ bending process,
multiple parts can be bent from one tube
with minimal scrap and labour.
Fully automated workcell solutions
for exhaust manufacturing
 An automated truck exhaust workcell from AddisonMckee