H
idden inapicturesque landscape
between lakesandsurrounded
by forests is thesouthern
Swedish townofOlofström–
approximately twohours from the
international air traffichubof
Copenhagen.Here, away from the
industrial centresof Stockholm,
GothenburgandMalmö, lies themost
important bodyworkplant of theVolvo
group, a factorywhich issteeped in
tradition. In the18thand19th centuries,
the factory–at that timenot yet under
thenameofVolvo–manufactured in
particularwrought ironandsemi-finished
productssuchassteel pipesand iron
plates. Since1927, theOlofström factory
hasbeenproducingbodyworkparts forall
Volvomodels.
Today, five trainswith280 containers full
of car bodyparts leaveOlofströmevery
day, heading for theVolvoassemblyplants
inGothenburgandGhent, Belgium,where
theyareassembled to form complete
bodies. Thisamounts to50million
componentsannually.
Competency inspotwelding
“Most ofwhat you canseeof aVolvo
comes fromOlofström,”explainsLeif
Winberg, thePlant Engineer in chargeof
resistancewelding in theVolvoOlofström
factory. This includes load-bearing
components like theA, BandC columns,
thebumper reinforcement, the front side
members, theside impact beams, the
crossbeamsand the roof archand roof
rail, togetherwithdoorsand frames. All
these componentsareproduced in
different versions for thevariousVolvo
models, ranging from the compactV40
through to theS60saloonsand the large
SUVwith thenameXC90.
Akeyelement inbodyworkproduction is
resistancewelding, since correctlywelded
sheetmetal componentsplaya crucial
role in thepassivesafetyof avehicle.
Within theweldingprocess, there isgreat
potential for increasedproductivity in the
millingof electrodes. Theelectrodesof
weldinggunsbecomeblunter as theyare
used tomakespotweldsandmust
thereforebemilledafter approximately
150spotweldsso that theyonceagain
enableaccuratespotwelding. “Electrode
millingoperateson thesameprincipleas
thesharpeningof ablunt pencil,”
explainsweldingexpertWinberg.
Issue26
trends inautomation
Synergies
34
–
35
