This diploma thesis deals with palletization of heavy workpieces that are used by multi-purpose machining centers. The final outcome introduces a suitable option for palletization heavy workpieces of multi-purpose machining centers. In the first part of the thesis is draft of machining centers with parameters which were chosen by exploration of market for selecting suitable solution. The second part of thesis is dealing with a detailed draft palletization made by parts of exploration of market then design palletization system and design pallet changer. The designed construction of pallet changer is dimensioned with help of analytical calculating methods and numerical simulations methods. Outcome palletization system allows automatic change of twenty tons workpieces including pallet between two storage places.

The master's thesis deals with a robotic palletizing controlled by PLC. The first part provides examples of palletizing machines. The second part shows how ABB robot is controlled by B&R Automation PLC. The third part introduces selected approaches for automated pallet pattern generation. The fourth part designs library that allows pallet patterns to be generated using B&R Automation PLC. Fifth part covers creation of virtual palleziting cell, which is used to test library for automated pallet pattern generation.

This master thesis deals with a structural design of the modular roller conveyor which is part of the flexible assembly line of automotive seats. The work includes design and functional solution for a driven roller track. Present structural design of roller conveyors is summarized in the first part of the work.

The subject of this thesis is the proposal of constructional solution for pallet changer of the vertical machining center. This pallet changer serves for the manipulation with technological pallets between dilatory places of the machining center and charger of pallets. Thanks to this changer the machines share one workpieces´ base. Main accent is not put only on the function but also on the low price of this solution.

This master thesis deals with a structural design of the modular roller conveyor which is part of the flexible assembly line of automotive seats. The work includes design and functional solution for a driven roller track. Present structural design of roller conveyors is summarized in the first part of the work.

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I takt med att medeltemperaturen på jorden ökar och allt fler krav ställs på företag gällande hållbarhetsarbete behöver konsumtionen minska. Bygg- och anläggningssektorn står för 20 procent av Sveriges växthusutsläpp och genererar 14,2 miljoner ton avfall varje år, där större delen av avfallet är dåligt sorterat och ibland funktionsdugligt. Ökandet av återbruk och återvinning skulle medföra både miljömässiga och ekonomiska nyttoeffekter. Detta examensarbete genomfördes tillsammans med Einar Mattsson Byggnads AB där syftet var att undersöka avfallshanteringen, problematiken som finns och hur den går att förbättra för att minska mängden träavfall att gå till energiåtervinning. Studien har innefattat intervjuer med logistikansvariga, träleverantörer, hantverkare och arbetsledare för att bilda en uppfattning om nuvarande avfallshantering och möjligheten till återbruk eller alternativa lösningar. Detta har kompletterats med en enkät och observationer från ett nyproduktionsprojekt där träavfallet har identifierats och volymuppskattats. Kombinationen av använda metoder fastställde engångspall som största fraktion i träavfallet och att mycket avfall bestod av spill från träfiberskivor och konstruktionsvirke. Det framgår att det finns en positiv inställning till återbruk och att ökad plats och kommunikation i stort hade minskat avfallsmängden. Träavfall som inte går att undvika kan i stället gå till produktion av träfiberskivor. En branschgemensam förändring hade kunnat bidra till en omställning men att det för ett enskilt företag kan vara svårt. För att minska mängden lastpall i avfallet ses införande av retursystem som en lönsam och hållbar åtgärd. / Due to the increasing average temperature of the earth and the increase in requirements the consumption must decrease. The construction industry in Sweden currently accounts for 20 per cent of the green house emission and generates 14,2 million tons of waste each year. An increased reuse and recycling would bring both environmental and economic benefits. The thesis is produced in collaboration with Einar Mattsson AB with the purpose to investigate the possibilities to decrease the amount of wood waste in new construction building and to present a recommendation of solutions. To do that, the study has included interviews with logistic managers, wood suppliers, craftsmen, and supervisors which made it possible to estimate current waste management and the possibility of reuse or alternative solutions. The interviews were supplemented with questionnaires and observations form a new construction project, where the volume of wood waste was identified and estimated. This resulted in the largest fraction being disposable pallets and waste of material. Furthermore, the suggested solutions to decrease the waste of wood are believed to be increased communication between all actors involved and greater space of storage may lead to an improved waste management. Also, a change in working methods and agreements with suppliers is required. Wood waste that still occurs should be used in manufacturing of wooden fiberboards used in building production.

The development of advanced manufacturing opens new possibilities regarding cooperation between robots and humans, leading to a more sustainable industry. The study aims to research how automated processes with collaborative applications can be implemented in manual production systems and analyse the economic and ergonomic consequences this leads to. The process examined in the thesis is the de-labelling of wooden pallets conducted at the case company Volvo Construction Equipment in Braås, Sweden. Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used. The study started with an analysis of the current situation regarding process design and the ergonomic aspect. The equipment needed to design the robot cell for testing had to be evaluated before a simulation of the automated process was done. Finally, the concept was tested in a laboratory environment. The result of the study shows that it is possible to automate if the removal of the labels is carried out completely perpendicularly. The economic analysis shows that the automated solution becomes a cheaper alternative after one year and four months. When the current manual process consists of unsustainable ergonomic elements, an automated solution will lead to improvements and more sustainable physical and organisational ergonomics. / Utvecklingen av avancerad tillverkning öppnar upp för nya möjligheter med samarbeten mellan människa och robot, vilket leder till en mer hållbar industri. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur automatiserade processer med kollaborativa applikationer kan bli implementerade i manuella produktionssystem och analysera de ekonomiska och ergonomiska konsekvenserna detta leder till. Processen som granskats är avtagandet av etiketter från träpallar som genomförts på fallföretaget Volvo Construction Equipment i Braås, Sverige. Både kvantitativa och kvalitativa metoder har använts. Studien började med analys av den nuvarande situationen gällande design av process och den ergonomiska situationen. Utrustningen som behövdes för att designa robotcellen utvärderades innan en simulering av den automatiserade processen gjordes. Seden testades konceptet i laboratoriemiljö. Studiens resultat visar att det är möjligt att automatisera om avtagandet av etiketter genomförs helt vinkelrät från pallen. Den ekonomiska analysen visar att den automatiserade lösningen blir ett billigare alternativ efter ett år och fyra månader. Om den nuvarande manuella processen består av ohållbara ergonomiska element, kommer en automatiserad lösning leda till förbättringar och en mer hållbar fysisk-, kognitiv- och organisatorisk ergonomisk situation.

Industrial steel storage racks are pre-engineered lightweight structures commonly used to store goods from supermarkets to big warehouses. These systems are framed structures, usually made of cold-formed steel profiles and characterised by non-standard details. Their performance is quite complex and the prediction of their global response is more difficult than for the traditional steel frames. This difficulty is due to the racks’ main features: the use of cold-formed thin-walled steel sections which are sensitive to different buckling modes, the presence of regular perforation patterns on the uprights, the highly non-linear behaviour of joints, the influence of the structural imperfections and the significant frame sensitivity to second order effects. The behaviour of racks becomes even more complex when seismic or accidental events induce significant horizontal forces acting on the structures. The complexity and variability that characterise racks make it difficult to identify general design solutions. Hence, racks design is traditionally carried out by using the “design by testing” approach, which requires the experimental characterisation of the main structural components, of the joints and the sub-assemblies. The complexity of the racks also affects their numerical modelling, which results in complex analyses that must take into account all the aforementioned features. The work presented in this thesis focuses on the study of a typical steel pallet rack, identified as case study. The research aims to contribute to building up a comprehensive knowledge of the response of both the main rack components and of the whole structure. The main rack components were first individually studied. The behaviour of the uprights, of the base-plate joints and of the beam-to-column joints was experimentally investigated. The experimental data were then taken as reference for the calibration of FE models that enabled exploring each component’s performance. These models were then incorporated into the whole rack model. The response of the uprights was first investigated through stub column tests. The non-negligible interaction between axial force and bending moment of the upright response was then experimentally and numerically analysed to define the M-N domains. In addition, the rules provided by different European standards for the design of isolated members subjected to combined axial load and bending moment were considered and critically compared, identifying the main critical issues of the different design approaches. Although the contribution of joints on the rack global response is of paramount importance, to date, the knowledge is quite limited. In particular, the experimental studies of the behaviour of base-plate joints are still rather modest, especially for the cyclic range. Therefore, an experimental campaign on the rack base-plate joints was carried out: three levels of axial load were considered and the response in both the down-aisle and the cross-aisle direction was investigated under monotonic and cyclic loadings. Similarly, the beam-to-column joint was tested both monotonically and cyclically, taking into account its non-symmetric behaviour. Numerical models for both joint types were developed and validated enabling the characterisation of joints in the monotonic and cyclic range. This in-depth knowledge of the response of individual components facilitated the evaluation of the global rack behaviour. As a final stage of the research, full-scale tests of four-level two-bay racks were performed taking advantage of an innovative full-scale testing set-up and, on the basis of the experimental outcomes, the racks’ global behaviour was numerically investigated. Critical standards issues and needs for future research were further identified.

The aim of this work was to design the construction of transport equipment under industrial robot, pallet holder or other equipment. This manipulation device can be moved in one axis on a rigid guide. The device is designed for use in a linear manufacturing system for handling workpieces and tools. It is capable of operating two rows of machines when it is placed in the middle. The main function of this device is to extend the workspace to the carried devices. This type of construction can be used in combination with an industrial robot for other technological tasks such as welding or light machining. The main parts of this device include statically mounted beds that can be stacked behind each other to form optionally long conveyor paths and a positioning plate that moves along the path formed by these beds. An industrial robot, pallet holder or other device is attached to this positioning plate. In addition to the design itself, the thesis also includes a thorough research of the issue, further possibilities of solution in the form of concepts, verification of the structure by means of calculations and simulations and implementation of the solution into a specific production cell.