Monday, February 26, 2018
Voglauer is based in Abtenau in the Austrian state of Salzburg. The company produces premium class furniture and hotel room fittings for the European and international markets and is one of Austria’s largest producers in this industry. It comes as no surprise then that Austria’s first Schelling ls 1 is being brought into service for this highly innovative manufacturer.
Fully automatic one-off production
The requirements were particularly demanding. Voglauer is finding that individualised products are becoming an increasingly important part of its portfolio. The company needed to resolve the apparent paradox of “producing one-off jobs as productively as series”.
And the ls 1 from Schelling is the perfect solution. However, the company’s very specific terms of reference demanded the development of an equally specific system layout. The result is a complex architecture comprising one ls 1, one Schelling fh 4, a Schelling vs area storage system, an IMA sorting buffer and an IMA stacking robot.
fh 4 absorbs peaks
One special feature is the combination of two saws. The sawing line for the ls 1 is designed to be in constant use. The fh 4 acts as the wild card, meaning that the system is equipped for all eventualities. Production peaks can be reliably absorbed, downtimes avoided and rush jobs carried out faster.
For Voglauer, the ls 1 is implemented with the improved tried-and-tested continuous conveyor system with moving tablets, two circulating trolleys and brush tables. It is highly flexible and even combines cutting plans whenever this will help to optimise production.
X times more productive!
The first phase was put into operation in August 2017. Even then, the fh 4 could already do a large part of the work in three shifts with three operators. In phase two, the same volume is now produced fully automatically with the ls 1 in just two shifts, each with a single person to monitor the process on screen.
The interface to the downstream IMA machines is particularly efficient. The sorting buffer is organised like a high-bay warehouse. Decoupled loading units with forks, which work independently of one another, optimise cycle times. The connected robot removes stacks of coloured sheets from the buffer as required.
The supply and removal of offcuts proved to be a particularly ingenious feature. Manual offcuts are supplied by an offcut feeder upstream and removed by an outward transfer unit downstream of the ls 1. The removal of large offcuts is automated by separate outward transfer units to the area storage system on both the fh 4 and ls 1. These offcuts are returned to the production process fully automatically at the earliest possible opportunity.
Seamlessly integrated into the production environment
The production control system was an important feature of the complex system. It has overall responsibility for distributing all data to the right points, at the right time and on the right machine. At the end, all the machined parts are ready in the order needed for subsequent edge finishing, again saving valuable time.
Saving time was also a consideration when installing the facility last summer. The old production line had to continue working at full steam during the construction work. For this to be possible, special arrangements and ideas were needed. The new area storage system had to be partly assembled over the old system while it was still in use. This was only feasible thanks to the excellent cooperation we received and the willingness of our customer Voglauer to work with us.
The Schelling ls 1 at Voglauer, Salzburg:
• Special system layout combines the ls 1, fh 4, vs area storage system, sorting buffer and stacking robot
• Automatic LotSize1 production in a 2-shift operation with just one operator monitoring the process
• Peak times, downtimes and quick jobs can be flexibly absorbed by the combination of saws
• Intelligent production control system
• Sophisticated offcut feeding system
• Proven continuous conveyor system keeps the sawing line in continuous use
Tags: Austria’s first Schelling, Fully automatic one-off production, highly innovative manufacturer, improved tried-and-tested continuous conveyor system, individualised products, ls 1, moving tablets, perfect solution, Schelling fh 4, service, two circulating trolleys, Voglauer
Comments: