An example of our design and special purpose machinery capabilities…

A recent case study of a collaboration with ION Precision and Hartech Automation Ltd.

The brief

ION Precision and Hartech Automation were asked to design and manufacture a special purpose machine; a welding support fixture. As part of our on-going collaboration, ION was responsible for the bespoke design element and Hartech oversaw the electrical and control. The client is well-known for manufacturing vehicles used mainly in mining and the movement of large volumes of materials. The vehicles are known to transport raw material from the mining site to the processing facilities. It was a very exciting brief and something that we couldn’t wait to get started on together.

Main objectives

The bespoke machine needed to be designed to ensure that the welding operators were able to accurately assemble part of a vehicle within tolerance of design and the parts could be physically held in the correct positions so the operator can tack weld the individual parts together.

Working together

For this project, ION Precision designed the fixture mechanically, using models provided by the client, ensuring that the design fit the format of existing functionality the clients previously used. Hartech were responsible for developing the control system for the machine. They were also able to convert the client’s system methodology from Rockwell to Siemens whilst still ensuring the functionality remained the same for the end user.

The result

After completion of the special purpose machine, the client now has a PLC controlled and monitored process which allows their operators to assemble a vehicle part under complete control and quality assurance. It also has the flexibility of step back and forwards procedure and has step by step diagnostics that the operator can see and read from the HMI terminal as each step is completed.

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If you would like to chat with us about our special purpose machinery or bespoke design engineering, please contact us here.