Recognized for its ready-to-assemble, “flat-pack” furnishings designs, Swedish furnishings producer IKEA was based in 1943 and has been the world’s largest furnishings retailer since 2008.
The model title is an acronym of the initials of the names of Ingvar Kamprad, the corporate’s founder; Elmtaryd, the household farm the place Kamprad was born; and Agunnaryd, Kamprad’s hometown in southern Sweden.
Though IKEA originated in Sweden, its family merchandise and furnishings are manufactured in lots of international locations. Swedwood, an IKEA subsidiary, produces all the corporate’s wood-based merchandise, using greater than 16,000 individuals at 50 factories in 10 international locations. Collectively, the factories produce greater than 100 million items of furnishings yearly.
To automate meeting of a brand new product, IKEA turned to German firm Lehbrink, which makes a speciality of automated woodworking tools, and Swiss firm Robatech, which makes a speciality of automated dishing out expertise. Picture courtesy Robatech
One of many firm’s latest merchandise is the Pax 2.0 wardrobe, a foldable wall cupboard designed for quicker, simpler meeting, requiring much less area and no heavy lifting. It incorporates a one-piece, pre-glued again and facet panel that unfold like a e-book. “Wedge dowel” joints snap collectively with out the necessity for screws, reducing meeting time in half.
The imaginative and prescient behind Pax 2.0 is a wardrobe that may be assembled by one particular person with out instruments. Flat-pack furnishings with a folding again panel has been round for a while. IKEA took the idea a step additional by gluing the again panel on to the facet panels. The completed piece of furnishings is then unfolded like an accordion and arrange. The benefit of this design is that the again panel is connected to the facet panels from behind, so no area is misplaced within the depth of the wardrobe.
Nevertheless, for the idea to work, a tremendous strip of hot-melt polyurethane adhesive should be exactly utilized to the joints. To get the job executed, IKEA turned to German firm Lehbrink, which makes a speciality of automated woodworking tools, and Swiss firm Robatech, which makes a speciality of automated dishing out expertise.
Initially, IKEA examined the method of bonding the facet panels to the again panel on a transformed stand-alone machine from Lehbrink. With just some changes, the expertise labored flawlessly, even for the thicker facet panels. A big order adopted.
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Automated System Bonds Panels
Lehbrink developed a continuous-flow manufacturing system particularly for the Pax 2.0 product. The system aligns the facet panels and again panel with millimeter precision—the largest problem of the mission. Every little thing else is a sequence of confirmed processes: reducing to the proper width, bonding and cooling.
Robatech equipped its RobaPUR 20 MOD melting unit, which melts the adhesive on-demand and feeds it to the applying head. A custom-made heated hose ensures that the adhesive maintains its ideally suited temperature all the way in which to the nozzle tip.
The RobaPUR 20 MOD delivers adhesive from 20-kilogram containers. Mild and consumption-dependent melting protects the adhesive properties even after prolonged interruptions.
The system aligns the facet panels and again panel with millimeter precision. Picture courtesy Robatech
The press cylinder is a closed, hermetic space. Because the adhesive reacts to moisture, the press cylinder is moreover outfitted with dry gasoline utility. The melting grill is heated individually from the adhesive reservoir. As soon as there may be sufficient melted adhesive within the reservoir for manufacturing, the melting grill is routinely switched off and actively cooled. This protects the remaining adhesive.
The adhesive provide may be refilled with out system interruption earlier than the block has been melted utterly. Because the melting grill continues to be lined by some adhesive, no dangerous adhesive vapors can escape when the cylinder is opened.
The spotlight of the dishing out system is Robatech’s Vivo 18 flat nozzle. Robatech tailored the nozzle’s geometry particularly for this utility to make sure exact and even utility of the adhesive.
Designed for high-speed dishing out purposes, the nozzle can apply hot-melt adhesive at a charge of 250 meters per minute. It may well accommodate viscosities starting from 100 to 10,000 millipascals. Bead width ranges from 2 to 18 millimeters.
Because of the vertical distribution within the nozzle, the Vivo 18 applies the required coating weight exactly and uniformly from begin to end and achieves actual edge definition. The negative-closing injection ingredient and the flexibility to exactly regulate the nozzle’s orientation relative to the substrate guarantee clear elimination.
Because of its compact design, two heads may be mounted in parallel for higher flexibility in set up and manufacturing.
Preliminary exams with the usual Vivo 18 nozzle had been exact, however not optimum. The nozzle lacked the mandatory tolerance to compensate for the tough floor of the particleboard. Working intently collectively, Robatech and Lehbrink revised the nozzle geometry a number of occasions.
Robatech modified the form of its dishing out nozzle to accommodate the tough edges of particle board. Picture courtesy Robatech
Sustaining constant temperature management proper to the nozzle tip is paramount for precision. This contrasted with the requirement for higher tolerance within the slender adhesive joint. Engineers needed to discover a steadiness between precision and adequate leeway for uneven surfaces.
Shut collaboration was vital to the mission’s success. Robatech traveled to Sweden to coach IKEA’s manufacturing personnel.
“We particularly appreciate the transparent communication and flexibility in the joint project with Robatech,” says Joachim Alves, space gross sales supervisor at Lehbrink. “This made the collaboration very pleasant and efficient.”
IKEA was so impressed with the system that it ordered two extra even earlier than the primary one in Sweden was operational. Since then, additions methods have been shipped to IKEA factories in China and Italy.
For extra data on automated woodworking tools, click on www.lehbrink.com.
For extra data on automated adhesive dishing out expertise, click on www.robatech.com.
For extra data on automated dishing out tools, learn these articles:
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