Reference configuration

Complete laser line for profiles and plate

From a 12 m raw profile to the painted structure in a single flow. A 20 kW fibre-laser machine replaces mechanical drilling and the band saw, and also cuts plate. A reference configuration sized from 100 tonnes a month.

Interactive 3D simulation

The same line in 3D: rotate the model, follow the profile from entry to exit and see which machine works at each stage. You can start the “Cinematic tour”, switch off layers you do not need, switch between profile and plate and see the real durations of the stages.

It loads only on request. On a phone it is easier in landscape mode.

What the laser changes

This variant starts from the same building and the same tonnage as the line with CNC drilling and a band saw, but changes the heart of the line: one fibre-laser machine cuts the profiles on all faces, makes the bevel and also cuts the plate for gussets, base plates and stiffeners. A new stage is added too, local blasting of the welds before painting, with a vacuum unit, no dust and no booth.

It is a reference configuration, calculated on a real specification: hot-rolled profiles from IPE 80 up to HEB and HEM 1000, 12 m profiles of up to 4.19 t each, cleaned to SA 2.5 according to ISO 8501-1. We do not deliver it identical every time: we adapt it to each customer’s profiles, tonnage and building.

from 100 t / monthabout 5 tonnes a day, over 20 working days
20 kW fibre laserprofiles and plate, ±45° bevel, in a single clamping
up to HEB / HEM 100012 m profiles, up to 4.19 t each
13 × 3.5 m platetwo work stations, the same laser source
SA 2.5ISO 8501-1, in a single pass through the tunnel
198 minfrom raw profile to painted structure

The seven modules

Each module has its own job in the flow, and together they remove the handling and the round-trip transport to third parties.

Tunnel-type blasting machine with roller conveyor

1Roller-conveyor blasting tunnel

It cleans the raw profile on all faces in a single pass, before cutting and welding, while the part geometry is still simple. Large profiles pass lying down.

  • 6 turbines × 11 kW, steel shot and grit abrasive in a closed circuit
  • Working window 2,000 × 600 mm; profiles and plate, parts up to 2,000 × 500 × 12,000 mm
  • Cleaning speed 0.5 – 1.5 m/min, adjustable
  • Abrasive separation above 99.5%; filtration with emissions of at most 5 mg/m³
  • 12 m roller tables at the entry and at the exit
3D model: the laser cutting machine for profiles and plate, in line with the blasting tunnel
Vibroblast 3D model
H profiles cut with a bevel, ready for welding

2Laser cutting for profiles and plate

One machine, in line with the tunnel, replaces mechanical drilling and the band saw. Holes, cut-outs, marks, the bevel and the cut to length are done in a single clamping, straight from the 3D model.

  • 20 kW fibre laser, tilting cutting head (3 in 1: profiles, plate, bevel)
  • H, I, U, L profiles from 200 × 100 up to 1,500 × 500 mm, up to 12.5 m long; covers HEB / HEM 1000
  • Plate on two stations of 13 × 3.5 m (12 × 3 m when bevelling), with the same source
  • Bevel at 90° and ±45°, positioning accuracy ±0.1 mm/m, repeatability ±0.1 mm
  • The profile is scanned on loading and the program is corrected automatically for its real shape; collision protection
  • Nesting for profiles and plate; DXF, DWG and 3D model import, Tekla compatible
  • About 36 × 6 m, in line with the tunnel; power about 110 kW
3D model of the assembly and welding zones, with fume filtration
Vibroblast 3D model

3–6Two assembly and welding zones

Each zone has two stations. Welding still sets the pace of the line: 90 minutes of the 198-minute cycle. Zone 1 works on rotators, zone 2 on a 6 m welding table, and zone 3 is reserved.

  • Four pulsed MIG/MAG machines of 400 A, two per zone
  • Zone 1: chain rotators for 12 m profiles, with no crane
  • Zone 2: a modular 6 × 1.5 m table, from four modules with a 25 mm top and a grid of 28 mm holes
  • Fume filtration: 2 compact units × 12,000 m³/h, recirculating into the shop (about 4.6 air changes/h); extendable to 3 or 5 units
  • Standard: spark detection and a frequency converter
3D model of the paint booth and the weld blasting area
Vibroblast 3D model
3D model: zone 3, with the local weld blasting unit
Zone 3: local blasting of the welds
Manual painting in an airflow booth, with an operator in protective equipment
Example: painting in an airflow booth

7–9Weld blasting and the paint booth

After assembly, the welds are blasted locally, in zone 3, with a vacuum unit, in a closed circuit, with no dust and no booth. The assembly then goes into the paint booth, where the paint is applied with an airless pump.

  • Local vacuum blasting to Sa 2½ (ISO 8501-1), 6 – 15 m²/h, steel shot abrasive 0.8 – 1.0 mm; the dust is collected in bags
  • Booth of 12.8 × 3.9 × 3.9 m, a motorised gate of 3.7 × 3.7 m and two service doors
  • Longitudinal airflow of 0.5 m/s, about 30,000 m³/h; forced drying at 40 – 60 °C
  • 330 kW electric heating in 6 steps, with a rotary heat recovery unit (over 50% efficiency), no gas connection
  • Pneumatic airless pump for high-solids anticorrosion paints; two 3 t technological trolleys for the parts

This is a reference configuration: the parameters are confirmed on each customer’s project, before a quotation.

Step by step: what happens to a 12 m profile

The 12 stages below follow the cycle in the technical file. Durations are calculated on a feed rate of 1 m/min in the tunnel. In the 3D simulation, laser cutting appears in two stages (holes and cut-outs, then bevel).

13 min
Storage and preparationThe 12 m profile waits on the rack, next to the entry gate.
24 min
Transfer to the lineThe overhead crane in the east bay places it on the entry rollers.
320 min
Blasting in the tunnelSix turbines clean the profile to SA 2.5 in a single pass.
412 min
To the laser machineThe cleaned profile moves onto station 1 of the laser machine, where it is scanned and positioned.
512 min
Laser cuttingHoles, cut-outs, marks and bevel, in a single clamping, straight from the 3D model.
66 min
Unloading rollersThe cut profile reaches the end of the machine.
75 min
Transfer to weldingThe overhead cranes hand the part over across the central aisle.
890 min
Welding the assemblyZone 1 on rotators, zone 2 on the 6 m table, two pulsed MIG/MAG stations each.
915 min
Local blasting of the weldsIn zone 3, the welds and the adjacent areas are blasted to Sa 2½ with a dust-free vacuum unit.
106 min
Transport to the paint boothThe overhead crane takes the assembly through the manoeuvring aisle.
1120 min
Painting and dryingLongitudinal airflow, forced drying at 40 – 60 °C; the part leaves through the opposite end.
125 min
Storage and dispatchThe painted structure leaves through the second gate. The U-shaped flow is closed.
Total: 198 minutes, or 3 hours and 18 minutes.

The critical operation is welding: 90 minutes of 198, or 45% of the cycle. That is why there are two assembly zones with two stations each, and a third zone kept in reserve. The rest of the line has spare capacity: the blasting tunnel is occupied between 0.4 and 4.5 hours a day, even when it processes only light profiles. If volume grows, you add welding stations and zones, not a second tunnel.

How it is laid out in the building

The flow closes in a U shape. The tunnel and the laser machine sit in line, along the long wall, and leave a free central aisle of 11.5 m by the tunnel and about 8 m by the laser machine.

Layout of the laser line in a 42.8 x 74.8 m building
  • The blasting tunnel needs 31.5 m of continuous length; the 21 m bays, with no intermediate columns, meet the condition
  • The laser machine needs 36 m of length and 6 m of width, in line with the tunnel: the series line is 67.5 m long, in a 74.8 m building
  • A free aisle of 13 m must remain in front of the paint booth gate, for 12 m parts
  • The clear height under the beam must allow for the 4 m height of the paint booth and the filtration units

What a building needs for this kind of installation is described in our article what you need before you install a blasting machine.

What the building has to provide

The calculation also produces the list of items that fall to the customer. Some of them take longer than building the machines:

  • Electrical supply: estimated installed power of about 770 kW, of which 330 kW is the electric heating bank of the paint booth; we recommend a 1,000 kVA transformer station. The grid connection procedure is the longest lead time in the project, so it is started early.
  • Compressed air: about 7.5 m³/min at 8 bar (local vacuum blasting about 6.1 m³/min, the airless pump about 1.5 m³/min; blasting and painting do not run at the same time), with a refrigerant dryer, a buffer tank and the distribution network. The compressor (about 45 kW) can be bought or rented, but it must be available at commissioning.
  • Gases for the laser: oxygen or nitrogen (cylinders or a tank); dry compressed air serves the drives and, optionally, as a cutting gas.
  • Overhead crane: for the 12 m profiles and for the assemblies, along the whole length of the building, including loading the two stations of the laser machine.
  • Civil works: a flat concrete platform of 36 × 6 m for the laser machine, local foundations and cable routes; they are planned at the foundation stage.
  • Installation: a forklift or a crane and one or two people during installation.

What is included in the Vibroblast delivery

All the equipment of the line, the handling between machines (storage area, cross transfers, roller tables), transport, installation, commissioning, training (4 days for the laser machine: programming, operation, maintenance) and documentation. Acceptance is carried out on the whole line, with a production test on the customer’s own profiles and a check of the SA 2.5 cleanliness grade. The laser machine is delivered in a minimum of 150 days from a firm order, in step with the progress of the building.

Tell us which profiles you process

Send us the type and maximum size of the profiles, how many tonnes a month and the building plan. From those we propose a configuration and tell you what it needs in power, compressed air and floor space. You do not have to take everything at once: most customers start with the stage that hurts most, usually blasting.

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Read also

The variant with CNC drilling and a band saw: complete line for steel structuresAutomatic sandblastingAutomatic painting of sheet and profilesWhat you need before you install a blasting machine
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