Belgian construction specialist Luyckx is implementing one of its two new Valk Welding installations this year. This is the largest active welding robot system in Belgium, with a track of 82 metres and movable positioners with a total load capacity of 40 tonnes. Both systems will automate the welding process of excavator arms and heavy excavator buckets. "The demand for these products is huge, which means that our workload is increasing", says programmer and robot manager Laurens Willemen. "This project is an opportunity to reduce the workload and deliver faster."
Together with Valk Welding, Luyckx is working on the extensive project: "A completely new production hall has been built", explains Laurens Willemen. In 2022, he volunteered for Luyckx's first welding robot project with Valk Welding, a compact TRACK-FRAME-E concept with two drop centre positioners: "I already had experience with Valk Welding and knew it would work. It became an ideal introduction to the robotic process for our employees, preparing them for a more complex system."
With its new excavator arm installation, Luyckx has two world-firsts: the use of both the flexible Valk Welding 'rotating' ARC-EYE and the Multi-Pass Adaptive software application for fully automatic multi-layer welding. This allows the ARC-EYE CSS to autonomously determine the volume of weld seams and the required number of weld layers. Laurens Willemen: "Excavator arms have a lot of variation and programming them manually takes a lot of time. With Multi-Pass Adaptive we can now program our arms based on existing programs with minimal addition of new information."
The installation for excavator arms will be placed in a preparation zone that can be continuously extended from 42 to 65 metres. It can also be divided into three separate zones by means of movable zone dividers. "This allows us to produce different items throughout the zone and, if necessary, call in the robot for welding. At the same time, employees can work safely in separate zones or load and unload parts."
Both of Luyckx’s new systems include a drop centre (double) positioner, which allows Luyckx to optimally position excavator buckets of up to 5 tonnes for the robot system. The largest system also has two 20-tonne positioners with built-in height adjustment, so that an excavator arm or boom of up to 25 metres can be welded in all positions. The robotic arm will also be fitted with a custom-built gripper to automatically place parts on the excavator arm, such as brackets for hydraulic mounting.
In addition to the flexible possibilities, Luyckx sees other advantages in the cooperation: "At Valk Welding, almost everything is in-house, including the software, the power source and the welding torch. This means that we have a single point of contact for questions or issues, which is of great value to us. We also have our own attitude that we always provide a good service, so naturally we expect the same as a customer. Fortunately, the service at Valk Welding is always top-notch."
Luyckx's current project uses Valk Welding’s ARC-EYE CSS laser sensor, of which more than 200 have been delivered worldwide. It provides accurate weld seam tracking for reflective surfaces, complex welds, and position deviations thanks to a circular sensor with 3D measurements and real-time corrections. The Adaptive and Multi-Pass Adaptive applications for varying geometries extend the capabilities even further.
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