A Robotic Truck Wheel Line That Paid for Itself in Under Six Months
Four FANUC robots, 3D vision and overhead rails took operators out of the heavy lifting on a fully manual aluminum wheel hub line.
A Tier-1 North American commercial-vehicle wheel manufacturer was moving aluminum truck wheel hubs through machining by hand. The work was slow, inconsistent and meant heavy, repetitive lifts for operators all shift.
Han-Tek delivered a turnkey FANUC robotic line on a fast-track schedule: vision-guided infeed, robots on overhead rails, conveyors, controls and zoned safety. It launched on the date the PO required, landed on the original budget and paid for itself in under six months.
Automate a manual line without letting the date slip
The customer wanted the whole flow automated: infeed, several machining stations, QC and the washer feed. It had to happen fast, on a firm budget, and without disrupting the rest of the plant during the build.
Heavy manual lifts
Operators loaded and unloaded heavy aluminum hubs by hand, over and over, every shift.
28 to 30 week robots
The heavy-payload FANUC robots had a long lead time on a fast-track schedule.
17 machine tie-ins
The line had to connect to existing machining centers and handle several hub part numbers.
The PO made 100% on-time delivery a contractual requirement.
Robots on rails, guided by 3D vision
Han-Tek engineered a turnkey line built around FANUC R-2000 heavy-payload robots with Han-Tek custom grippers. Here is how a hub moves through it.
- 1
Vision at the infeed
A floor-mounted robot with FANUC 3D laser vision identifies each hub's part number and removes the cardboard slip sheets between layers.
- 2
Robots overhead
Three robots hang from two elevated rails, 12 m and 14.5 m long, and carry hubs through machining operations 30, 40 and 60.
- 3
Conveyors downstream
Five roller conveyors move hubs to a QC and pack-out zone and on to the washer feed.
- Controls: Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PLC on two Ethernet/IP networks, four operator screens and 17 machine interface panels.
- Safety: a zoned system on a Jokab Pluto safety PLC, with twelve sliding doors and two high-speed doors at the fork truck infeed.
- Testing: the rail robots were run off at Han-Tek before shipping.
- Coordination: daily work with on-site contractors on footings, crane access for the rails and machine hookups.
Han-Tek managed FANUC, the conveyor, controls and safety vendors and the on-site contractors, so every workstream landed on the same launch date.
On the date, on budget, paid back in months
| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Part handling | Operators lifting heavy hubs by hand | Robots load and unload every station |
| Part recognition | Manual | 3D laser vision at the infeed |
| Launch | Contractual on-time requirement | In production on the projected date |
| Budget | Firm, multi-million-dollar | Landed on the original budget |
| Payback | Full capital investment | Under six months |
- Heavy lifting eliminated: operators were taken out of the heavy-lift work, cutting repetitive-motion exposure.
- More consistent quality: vision part recognition and coordinated robot motion removed the variation of manual handling.
- Fast payback: the full investment came back in under six months from launch.
- A long-term partner: the line led to more Han-Tek work at the same plant, including heat-treat robot cells, depalletizers, line safety upgrades and boxing-station automation.
Questions about robotic machine tending
How fast can a robotic machine tending line pay back?
It depends on labor, shifts and throughput. This line paid back its full multi-million-dollar cost in under six months from launch.
Can robots work with machining centers we already have?
Yes. This line connected to the plant's existing machining centers through 17 machine interface panels.
What is an overslung robot on a rail?
A robot hung upside down from an elevated rail. It travels above several machines and serves them from overhead, which frees up floor space.
Can one robot cell handle different part numbers?
Yes. Here, 3D laser vision at the infeed identifies each hub's part number, so operators don't have to set anything up at the gripper.
More robotic machine tending projects
Get your people out of the heavy lifting.
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