By 2025, more than 20% of manufactured objects will be handled for the first time by consumers, with production and handling done by robots, according to Gartner1. Additionally, The International Federation of Robotics has announced that it expects nearly 2 million new industrial robot units to be installed in factories around the world by 20222. The concrete industry is no exception to this trend which, while not new, is growing exponentially.
Initially present in the automotive industry, several factors explain the ever-growing presence of industrial robots. Among these factors, there are the accessibility to technologies once reserved for the largest companies in the world, the democratization of digital technologies, the reengineering of processes and, more recently, the emergence of the Internet of Things (IOT), and the artificial intelligence (AI).
The services delivered by robots in the concrete industry are numerous. Whether it is to feed a line of splitter, grinder, tumbler or at the outlet for the packaging of any machine, the robots allow easy and precise handling of heavy loads, rapidly without downtime, thereby increasing productivity and reducing maintenance requirements as well as the risk of injury and burnout of plant staff.
Slab Innovation is a company specialized in the manufacture and installation of automated production lines for the concrete industry.
We present two case studies where Slab Innovation, backed by more than 20 years of experience in robotics, enabled concrete product manufacturing customers to benefit from the integration of robots in their production lines.
The first consisted in automating a tumbler line for the mechanical aging of paving stones, while the second created new types of robotic cells for wetcast production.
The robotization of the tumbler line, utilized the integration of FANUC industrial robots, of which Slab Innovation is a certified integrator. The selection was made because of versatility and robustness of the FANUC robots and customer support service, critical to reducing the risk of downtime.
Vacuum technology was chosen for its ability to support paving stones of diverse and uneven shapes and textures. The packaging for the tumbler line utilized a robot which feeds wooden pallets as long as there is product to be packaged. The pace of production, dictated by the robot, has exceeded the owner’s expectations. Prior to automation of the tumbler line, the factory produced 8 cubes per hour. After the integration of the outfeed robots, production reached up to 16 cubes per hour. Future optimizations would allow an increase of up to 20 cubes per hour.
The customer was so pleased with the performance of the success of this robotization that Slab Innovation was chosen to install a new factory that utilizes two robots: one for a processing line for new products and another for packaging products after their treatment.
The second case study is wet-cast factory automation project which included supporting the production of architectural stone veneers.
Thanks to the new semi-automatic line, using a manual batching system, Slab Innovation's client was able to meet the increased demand from consumers who, while confined at home, took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic period to carry out work at their homes, increasing sales by 30% in 2021 over 2020.
An unexpected benefit from the new automation was the staff turnover. The rate dropped from 56 voluntary departures in 2019 to only 2 so far, in 2021. The improvement of the “quality of life of the employees” from the robotics made daily tasks less physically demanding and eliminated daunting tasks.
In 2018, 6 hours were required for casting and 5 hours for demolding. Now, the equipment provided by Slab Innovation reduced the time allocated for both casting and demolding to 5 hours. Saved time allows to further increase the number of square feet of production, going from less than 200 square feet per hour to 1,200 square feet per hour today. Production is only limited by the number and size of molds available.
According to Dominic Vézina, president of Les Pierres Royales Inc.; “Not only is my production rate constant, but everyone on the line is responsible for their part and can quickly react to problems. For example, If the machine stops, and the light is green, as well as the concrete feed screw is spinning, it means that the person in charge of batching is not doing his job, and he gets told quickly by the team”.
Both scenarios clearly illustrate the undeniable contribution of robotization to meeting the challenges of manpower, safety, innovation, increased productivity, and quality needs of the concrete products consumer. The achievements demonstrate how Slab Innovation’s expertise in robotic material handling can provide a competitive edge to its customers while allowing them to engage in the new digital era of concrete manufacturing.
Slab Innovation state of the art standard solutions, empowered by its years of acquired knowledge can be a game changer in the advancement of the concrete products industry.
-
https://www.gartner.com/doc/reprints?id=1-253WYNPK&ct=210129&st=sb
-
International Federation of Robotics - IFR https://ifr.org
