ASM and its subsidiary HighTaiX designed, manufactured, and installed a fully automated 12-meter line. It transforms raw PVC slats into finished slats, cut to length, fitted with glued end caps, marked, and boxed, production order by production order. Manufactured in our workshops in 2015, it was commissioned in January 2016 in the Bouches-du-Rhône region.
The need: to automate the manufacturing of custom-made blades
Our client, a renowned manufacturer of pool covers, produces PVC slats several meters long, delivered individually or in sets of three. Each order specifies its lengths, end caps, and markings. The goal: to automate the entire process, from the pallet of raw slats to the ready-to-ship carton.
The constraints to be overcome:
- a manufacturing process driven by production order, with variable lengths
- long blades that are difficult to handle without damaging them
- precise cuts and the fitting of end caps at both ends (drilling, insertion, gluing)
- individual marking of each blade
- automatic boxing
- the safety of operators around a large machine
Our solution: three zones, one continuous chain
Loading Zone. A two-axis manipulator, equipped with suction cups, unstacks the blades from a pallet or a single-blade magazine. A turner positions them on the assembly conveyor.
Assembly area. A step-by-step conveyor belt moves each blade through a series of stations:
- zeroing (resetting to a reference dimension)
- clean and finishing cuts
- Fitting the end caps on one side: insertion, drilling, gluing and checking for the presence of glue
- cut to length according to the manufacturing order
- attach the end caps on the other side
- printing of production information (order number, length) on each piece
Unloading area. A manipulator automatically forms the carton, places the blades inside one by one, then a pusher moves the full carton onto a motorized roller conveyor. Non-conforming blades are deposited in a dedicated waste bin.
Embedded technologies
- Servo axes and servo drives Festo for manipulators and transfers
- Variable speed drives Schneider Electric ATV32 and geared motors SEW-Usocome for the conveyor
- Cutting saws Festool
- Hot melt adhesive units Robatech, with bonding temperature control
- Industrial printer Matthews for marking each blade
A production order-driven line
The operator loads the order from the supervisory station and starts production from the main screen. Orders can be processed sequentially or one by one, with the conveyor being completely emptied between each order. An abort function, added after on-site testing, cleanly cancels the current order: the carton is removed and the order is logged with the status "cancelled." Two operating modes are available: automatic for production, and manual for maintenance, which is reserved for authorized personnel.
Integrated controls and simplified diagnostics
The line monitors its own operation: presence of glue, gluing temperature, presence of tips, detection of broken drill bits, insufficient gross length, suction vacuum of the suction cups, status of the detectors of each cylinder.
Each fault is displayed on the main screen, below the machine's schematic, as well as on the two operator panels, along with its probable cause and the corrective action to be taken. More than a hundred faults are thus documented, most of which clear automatically once the problem is resolved. A light bar indicates the machine's status, and parts and scrap counters facilitate monitoring.
Technical specifications
- Dimensions: approximately 12m x 8.8m x 3.5m, or 110m² of floor space
- Mass: approximately 10 tonnes
- Power supply: 400 V three-phase + neutral, 9.6 kW
- Compressed air: 7 bar, unlubricated
- Noise level: less than 90 dB
- Blade handling height: approximately 800 mm
- Material treated: PVC slats, single or triple
The benefits for the customer
- An automated manufacturing process from start to finish, from loading to boxing
- Reduced manual handling of long and bulky parts
- Systematic marking of each part, for order traceability
- Flexible production: lengths, types of end caps and chained orders without mechanical rework
- Guided maintenance, thanks to a detailed diagnostic displayed directly on the machine
ASM and HighTaiX, designers of special machines in the PACA region
Since 1997, ASM has been designing and manufacturing custom-made special machines: from the initial specifications study to installation in your workshops. With HighTaiX, located in the Bouches-du-Rhône, and our headquarters in Biot in the Alpes-Maritimes, we support manufacturers in the region and beyond.
Need to automate your assembly, cutting or packaging line? Let's talk about your project. Contact our teams
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