The Friedrich Amtenbrink Steel Service Center relies on state-of-the-art technology to increase efficiency and improve working conditions. The EasyGrinder grinding robot from Teqram has not only replaced three temporary workers, but has also optimized production processes. Automation saves valuable working time, reduces physical strain and lowers personnel costs. This gives the company a decisive competitive advantage.
Friedrich Amtenbrink GmbH & Co KG from Gütersloh has stood for first-class steel processing for over 55 years. With more than 120 employees, the company offers services such as flame cutting, plasma and laser cutting as well as the processing of tool steel. Customers from machine and tool construction, agricultural machinery production, automotive supply and fittings manufacture benefit from the flexibility and industry-independence of the steel service center.
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Automation increases productivity and relieves employees
Since the end of 2024, the EasyGrinder has taken over the post-processing of many flame-cut and plasma-cut parts, of which up to 1,500 are produced at Amtenbrink every day. Oxyfuel and plasma-cut components from 20 to 100 mm are processed fully automatically and without complex programming. The robot removes slag and gate flags, breaks edges, grinds chamfers and applies embossing – without manual intervention.
New system replaces time-consuming manual processes
Previously, the finishing process for many of the parts consisted of four separate work steps. Each component had to be moved several times by hand, which took time and was a considerable physical strain for the employees. Now, the EasyGrinder takes over all further processing steps independently after the first blasting process. This not only saves a considerable amount of time, but also significantly reduces the physical strain on the employees.
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Surprising additional benefits with the EasyGrinder
The robot’s performance was particularly impressive with a batch of 400 components, each weighing 50 kg, which had to be needle embossed before delivery. This work would normally have taken at least two shifts of manual labor. However, the EasyGrinder completed the entire batch fully automatically within one night. Even heavy laser parts that were not initially intended for processing by the robot could be processed efficiently with the EasyGrinder. The available deburring machine could have taken over the processing, but this would have tied up an employee and, due to the weight, the overhead crane for an extremely long time.
Sustainable benefits for the company and employees
The investment not only made Amtenbrink’s work easier, but also reduced the number of temporary workers used. Operations Manager Sultan Nayebi emphasizes: “The constant search for new temporary workers for this strenuous but unpopular work was extremely time-consuming. With the EasyGrinder, we have finally found a sustainable solution.”
Enthusiasm among the workforce
The permanent employees are also convinced: “It feels like we’ve got a new colleague who never gets tired and takes the most strenuous tasks off our hands. This allows us to concentrate on more important tasks.”
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Practical development for tough everyday industrial use
Another aspect that Nayebi emphasizes is the origin of the EasyGrinder. The fact that Teqram was created as a spin-off from a sheet metal processing company is a clear advantage for him: “You can tell that the team at Teqram understands exactly what is important in practice. The EasyGrinder was developed for the harsh environment of a burning plant and is ideally equipped for dust, cold and tough operating conditions.”
Fit for the future
With the integration of the EasyGrinder, Amtenbrink is setting an example for modern, efficient production processes and a sustainable improvement in working conditions. The combination of automation and ergonomic relief for employees makes the company fit for the future.
Vision: guided robotics
Teqram develops and supplies fully autonomous robot systems for loading and unloading deburring, straightening and blasting systems as well as for deslagging, grinding and deburring sheet metal parts. With the advanced EasyEye 3D vision system and AI-based control, Teqram’s robots work completely autonomously. They automatically recognize pallets, stacks and product geometries so that no manual programming is required.
Web:
www.teqram.com
