MECHANISATION AUTOMATION - Esab

would be capable of meeting their high performancerequirements was not yet available. The possibility ofcompromise by producing a product of inferior operatingcharacteristics, coupled with the potential for damagingtheir exceptional reputation within the aluminum weldingindustry internationally, was totally out of the question.This situation changed abruptly, in 2001, when YorozuAmerica Corporation approached AlcoTec with a request tohelp them improve their productivity with the introductionof a reliable aluminum wire drum pack. Yorozu is anextremely large international automotive parts supplierthat designs and manufactures innovative new products.At the time Yorozu, at their Morrison, Tennessee plant,had just embarked on a major conversion from steel toaluminum fabrication. They were, and are still, usinglarge amounts of the ESAB Marathon Pac for their steelwelding and taking full advantage of this package’s abilityto reduce spool changing time. The specific questionfrom Yorozu to AlcoTec was, “We need aluminum in abulk drum pack. Can you supply it?”This request promoted the evaluation of new technologyand an extensive research and development programmeby AlcoTec, the end result being the AlumaPak (figure 1).After many prototypes and numerous modifications to bothmanufacturing techniques and packaging design, AlcoTechad developed an extremely reliable bulk drum packfor aluminum welding wire. This package was capableof holding 300 plus pounds (141 kg) of aluminumwelding wire and delivering it reliably through a robotizedMIG welding system. At the starting point of thisproject, Yorozu had 40 robots allocated to their aluminumfabrication, all of which were equipped with the newAlumaPak. This has since increased to over 100 robots.Enormous savings could be realized from reducingdowntime associated with spool changing. The transitionto aluminum welding, and the introduction of theAlumaPak into Yorozu, was conducted with very littleinterruption of manufacturing. The reason for such asuccessful transition can only be attributed to Yorozu’sforward thinking commitment to training and recognitionof new technology. Prior to the introduction of aluminumwelding at their plant, Yorozu sent a number of theirengineering staff to the AlcoTec School for aluminumwelding technology. During the introduction of aluminumwelding into their plant, they contracted AlcoTecengineers and technicians to perform extensive in-housetraining of their welders and welding inspectors.Another story, quite typical of an innovative manufacturerwho recognized the potential is that of Dee Zee, Inc, basedin Des Moines, Iowa. Dee Zee recently celebrated over 25years as a leading supplier of aftermarket truck accessories.Dee Zee announced their initial arrival into this marketwith the introduction of 12 custom fit extruded aluminumrunning board applications, in 1977. Over the years, DeeZee has expanded the initial offering of 12 boards to over120 running boards and many other truck accessories.Figure 1. Aluminum Engine Cradle and AlcoTec AlumaPak onthe Yorozu robotic welding line. The AlumaPak has 300 pluspounds (141Kg) of tangle-free aluminum welding wire thatfeeds easily and ensures accurate wire placement on theweld joint during MIG welding, these features being particularlyattractive for robotic welding.Figure 2. A Dee Zee aluminum fabricated toolbox lid weldedwith aluminum welding wire supplied in the AlcoTec AlumaPak.Dee Zee is also a key manufacturer of aluminum toolboxes.The box bodies are typically pressed from a single sheetof aluminum and have continuous MIG seam-weldedsides that provide an extremely robust structure proven toperform exceptionally well in service.An engineer from Dee Zee, visiting AlcoTec WireCorporation at their display booth during the AmericanWelding Society (AWS) trade show in Chicago, saw theAlumaPak on display. The engineer, being aware that themost significant cost associated with production welding isoften the labour cost, and appreciating the fact that weldingequipment is best utilized when it is welding, immediatelysaw the AlumaPak as a potential for significant savings.His idea was quite simple; at that time Dee Zee wasusing the aluminum welding wire packaged on 1-pound(0.5 Kg) spools for their manual welding stations and32 • Svetsaren no. 1 • 2005