Sustainable crane production

This innovation is a world premiere in its form: the new deburring line for cutting at the Liebherr production site in Biberach.
Together with specialists from Arku Maschinenbau GmbH, Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH and Teqram B.V., Liebherr-Werk Biberach GmbH has automated the edge rounding of plasma, oxyfuel and laser-cut sheet metal.
The plant is thus making the production of tower cranes fit for the future.

Removing slag, descaling, deburring and rounding edges – the new system performs all of these work steps.
As a result, the sheets weighing up to 200 kilograms are optimally prepared for the subsequent production steps.
The parts are used to produce components for crane booms and tower sections, among other things.
Robots with the latest camera technology place the sheets, which are a maximum of 1,250 millimetres wide and up to 100 millimetres thick, on the machine and remove them again after processing.
“Previously, the edge rounding work was carried out by hand,” says Robert Piesche, Production Technology Engineer at Liebherr-Werk Biberach GmbH.
Despite high safety precautions, this activity using angle grinders always involved a certain risk of accidents.
“With automation, we are relieving employees of monotonous and physically strenuous work. They are also exposed to less dirt and noise and we have been able to significantly increase occupational safety.”
The new deburring line also makes an important contribution to the production of high-quality tower cranes and mobile construction cranes.

Experienced partners in metal processing and robot technology

Liebherr has brought together three experienced partners in the field of metal processing and robot technology – Arku Maschinenbau GmbH, Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH and Teqram B.V. – to fully automate the work processes.
“This system, as it stands in our plant, is the first time that this three-part combination has been used,” explains Dominic Kreutle, Head of Production Technology at Liebherr-Werk Biberach GmbH.
One of the biggest challenges was to integrate the interfaces of the various systems smoothly.
The robot systems with various grippers were supplied by Dutch experts Teqram B.V. Equipped with intelligent cameras, the “EasyBots” can recognize parts in their work area independently of their position on the pallet.
This eliminates the need for the usual time-consuming teaching or programming of the robot.
For parts that are too thick for the line, the robots offer the option of processing them automatically with hand tools.
The robots can access various tools such as chisels and angle grinders and use their advanced camera and sensor technology to perfectly finish the parts.

Line production meets the highest quality standards

The Bavarian company Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH supplied the wire belt blasting system for descaling, paint stripping, rust removal, roughening and cleaning the sheet metal.
The result is an all-round, comprehensive and always reproducible blasting quality.
The system for deburring and edge rounding, known as the “EdgeBreaker 9000 Line”, was manufactured by Arku Maschinenbau GmbH, headquartered in Baden-Baden.
This enables efficient slag removal, deburring and rounding of the sheet metal in a single pass.
In contrast to conventional, single-sided machines, where sheets have to pass through several times, this system saves 50 percent time and increases productivity.
Liebherr deliberately opts for European manufacturers, not only because of the quality of their products, but also because of the comprehensive customer service.
This strategic decision reflects Liebherr’s commitment to the highest quality standards and efficiency.
During a tour of the finished plant, the companies involved were delighted.
“We are delighted to be able to offer a suitable solution for economical line production with the highest quality standards with our system for slag removal, deburring and edge rounding,” said Stefan Sauter, International Sales at Arku Maschinenbau GmbH.
Vasili Schaermann, Global Sales Expert at Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH, added: “Our blasting system fits perfectly into the production process and delivers extremely impressive results.”

The shortage of skilled workers was also a key topic during the tour.
“In times of a shortage of skilled workers, our robot technology can be a crucial component in closing this gap and making work steps more efficient,” said Markus Lindörfer, Automation Specialist at Teqram B.V. Liebherr was finding it increasingly difficult to recruit qualified personnel in this area.
The deburring line was planned over a longer period of time, which is why the reduced need for working hours was taken into account at an early stage.
The employees have taken on other tasks at the production site in Biberach.
The three manufacturers had already worked together several times in various constellations, which had a positive impact on the course of the project at Liebherr.
“Communication within the group of companies was exemplary. Everyone thought of each other and vice versa, so that we were able to make rapid progress,” explains Robert Piesche.
The plant went into operation in May of this year and has been running reliably ever since.
Liebherr is thus investing in its Biberach site despite the difficult economic conditions.
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