Solution
The company achieved the necessary surface quality quickly, reliably and without a great of effort thanks to the TRUMPF beveler TruTool TKF 1500. The machine creates geometrically consistent, metallic bare edges which do not have to be reworked. This made Huhle much faster than when using other procedures, providing the best conditions for perfect weld seams that delivered everything they promised. Sebastian Feiler's team have been using the TRUMPF tool since mid-2016, now using it to create around 90 percent of the welding edges. Only particularly large chamfers which exceed the maximum of the TKF 1500 (>15 millimeters chamfer length) are milled or cut on stationary systems. Flame cutters and angle grinders which were frequently used in the past are now obsolete at Huhle.
Implementation
Work often had to be carried out in tight spots when constructing the Kion Tower. Weighing 16.5 kg, the TKF is no lightweight, but is still easy to handle thanks to its ergonomic structure. Once positioned, it processes the materials almost fully autonomously with a working speed of two meters per minute. A certified Huhle technician can then weld the steel construction together with no further reworking, making it an inseparable connection. The machine can also be firmly clamped into a bracket to process small components such as top plates. In this case, Huhle's welding experts hold the workpiece and guide it manually through the tool. It can also be done the other way round if the metal sheets or profiles to be processed are large and heavy. The staff then approach the workpiece with the TKF 1500. The tool was also a winner when the job entailed applying 200-millimeter-long weld seams every 200 millimeters to several circular segments measuring eight meters in length for the construction of a pavilion. One worker was able to create 144 individual welding edges in just a few hours, as the machine can be set down or picked up anywhere, facilitating extremely fast operation.