Reference configuration

Complete line for steel structures

From a 12 m raw profile to the painted structure in a single flow. A reference configuration sized from 100 tonnes a month: blasting, CNC drilling, bevel cutting, welding, blasting of the welded assemblies and painting.

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 this line is

A steel structure fabricator loses time and money in the same places: profiles are blasted by third parties, marked out and drilled by hand, and the assemblies reach the paint shop after they have started to rust again. The line below closes the whole flow inside the shop, in a U shape, with one line PLC and one acceptance test.

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
up to HEB / HEM 10001,008 × 306 mm, 12 m profiles
4.19 tmaximum weight of one profile (HEM 1000 × 12 m)
SA 2.5ISO 8501-1, in a single pass through the tunnel
7 modulesone line PLC, one acceptance test
213 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.

  • 6 turbines × 11 kW, steel shot and grit abrasive in a closed circuit
  • Working window 1,700 × 1,200 mm; profiles and plate, parts up to 1,500 × 1,000 × 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
Akyapak 3 ADM CNC beam drill line
Source: Akyapak
Akyapak AST band saw for bevel cutting
Source: Akyapak

2CNC drilling and bevel cutting

One vertical spindle for the web and two horizontal ones for the flanges drill at the same time. A tandem band saw cuts at an angle, to make the bevel. The line is Akyapak. You will find the full range in our section on profile cutting and processing lines.

  • 3 spindles with automatic tool changers, holes Ø 8 – 50 mm
  • Profiles from 200 × 80 mm up to 1,200 × 500 mm
  • Tapping M10 – M24, marking, automatic measurement of the material
  • CAM software with 3D model import, no marking out
  • 12 m conveyors and cross transfers
3D model of the assembly and welding zones, with fume filtration
Vibroblast 3D model

3–5Three assembly and welding zones

Each zone has two operators. Welding sets the pace of the whole line: 90 minutes of the 213-minute cycle.

  • Four pulsed MIG/MAG machines of 400 A: three active and one spare
  • 18 × 7 m zones, with 10 or 15 m interconnecting packages
  • Chain rotators to turn the assemblies, with no crane
  • Weld fume filtration: 2 units × 16,000 m³/h, recirculating into the shop
  • Standard: spark detection and a frequency converter
Rendering of a 13 x 4 x 4 m blasting chamber, with doors at both ends and ventilation
The blasting chamber, Vibroblast rendering
Inside a long industrial paint booth, with rails for moving the parts
Example: a paint booth for long parts
Manual painting in an airflow booth, with an operator in protective equipment
Example: painting in an airflow booth

6–7Blasting chamber and paint booth

The welded assembly enters the blasting chamber for the welds and cut edges, then goes straight into the paint booth. There are doors at both ends, so the part never turns back.

  • Two spaces of 13 × 4 × 4 m, with access at both ends
  • Blasting chamber: SA 2.5, mechanical recovery over the whole floor, emissions below 1 mg/m³
  • Painting with longitudinal airflow, about 18,000 m³/h, against over 50,000 m³/h with vertical flow
  • Forced drying, explosion-proof lighting, CE and ATEX compliance

In this configuration the blasting chamber and the paint booth are a preliminary specification: the parameters are confirmed with the manufacturer before a quotation.

Step by step: what happens to a 12 m profile

The 13 stages below are the ones in the 3D simulation. Durations are calculated on a feed rate of 1 m/min, both in the tunnel and on the drill line.

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 drill lineThe cleaned profile moves onto the entry table, where the feed arm picks it up.
512 min
CNC drilling on three facesOne vertical and two horizontal spindles drill the web and the flanges at once.
65 min
Bevel cuttingThe tilting saw cuts at 11.95 m, at the angle the joint requires.
76 min
Exit rollersThe processed profile reaches the end of the line.
85 min
Transfer to weldingThe overhead cranes hand the part over across the central aisle.
990 min
Welding the assemblyThree work zones with pulsed MIG/MAG. The rotators turn the part without a crane.
106 min
Transport to the chambersThe overhead crane lowers the assembly into the manoeuvring aisle.
1125 min
Blasting chamberWelds and cut edges are cleaned before coating.
1220 min
PaintingLongitudinal airflow, forced drying; the part leaves through the opposite end.
135 min
Storage and dispatchThe painted structure leaves through the second gate. The U-shaped flow is closed.
Total: 213 minutes, or 3 hours and 33 minutes.

The critical operation is welding: 90 minutes of 213, or 42% of the cycle. That is why there are three assembly zones with two operators each. 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 zones, not a second tunnel.

How it is laid out in the building

The flow closes in a U shape. The blasting and drilling lines run along the long wall and leave a free central aisle of 11.5 m along the whole length of the building, for the overhead cranes and the forklift.

Layout of the 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 drill line with its tables needs 41.5 m of length
  • A free aisle of 13 m must remain in front of the chamber doors, for 12 m parts
  • The clear height under the beam must allow for the 4 m height of the chambers 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 450 kW; we recommend a 630 kVA transformer station. The grid connection procedure is the longest lead time in the project, so it is started early.
  • Compressed air: about 13 m³/min at 7 bar for the blasting chamber, with a dryer, a buffer tank and the distribution network.
  • Overhead crane: for the 12 m profiles and for the assemblies, along the whole length of the building.
  • Civil works: a recess of about 130 mm in the blasting chamber floor, 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 seven modules, the handling between them (storage area, cross transfers, roller tables), line automation under a single PLC with a central console, transport, installation, commissioning, training 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 indicative delivery time is 5 – 6 months from a firm order.

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

Profile cutting and processing linesAutomatic sandblastingAutomatic painting of sheet and profilesWhat you need before you install a blasting machine
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