Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover: A Heavy-Duty History
of Structural Aluminum Profile in Machine-Building,
Manufacturing and Automation
Table of Contents
I.
Executive Summary
II.
The European Roots of Structural
Aluminum in Machine Building
III.
Structural Aluminum Comes to
North America
IV.
Why not Steel?
IV.
The Future of Stuctual Aluminum
in North America
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Executive Summary:
Known for being light weight and durable, structural aluminum profile has been used in
North American manufacturing for necessary but basic functions like safety hard guarding
and building simple tables and work benches. European manufacturers however, have
used the same material with great results for more innovative, cutting-edge designs and
processes that include single and multi-axis linear motion, machine building, automation
and material handling applications.
To continue to remain competitive in a global economy, North American manufacturers
must consider alternatives – like structural aluminum – to traditional welded, painted steel
for their most critical processes. Structural aluminum profile offers a lighter, reusable and
more cost-effective solution than traditional welded steel for a variety of manufacturing
processes, including assembly, automation, linear motion and material handling needs.
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The European Roots of Structural Aluminum
in Machine Building
The idea to utilize structural aluminum for machine building applications began in Germany,
in 1976. Like most great concepts, the innovative idea was born of necessity. Building
custom machines with steel was not only time-intensive, but also expensive too. Add in to
the equation design changes and process alterations were nearly a given in machine building,
and missed deadlines and delivery dates resulted in lost profits.
European manufacturers – with many German engineers leading the charge – developed
a system of structural aluminum profiles and modular components that worked together
to provide robust solutions for a wide range of assembly, manufacturing, automation and
materials handling needs.
This not only sped up the engineering and build time associated with the common practice
of welding, grinding, priming and painting steel tubing, but also provided design flexibility.
If engineers needed to make a design or process change, it was much easier to implement
with the reusable structural aluminum than rigid and heavy steel. As a result, this made
the manufacturer a more agile and profitable enterprise.
The structural aluminum system European manufacturers employed was highly tested
and precisely engineered. Design of fasteners and modular components were heavily
tested before products were introduced to the marketplace. As a result, many European
manufacturers were quick to embrace this new technology in mission-critical processes,
like automation. For example, Porsche AG quickly realized that item structural aluminum
profiles and modular components were just what they needed when upgrading a popular
sports car engine assembly line. See www.itemnorthamerica.com/view-all-casestudies/294-porsche-case-study.html.
Additionally, other manufacturers called on structural aluminum profile in materials handling
processes and automation processes. Slowly, the use of this light-weight but robust material
spread around the continent and across the ocean.
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Structural Aluminum Comes to North
America
As a country that was built on steel mills and traditional manufacturing methodology,
North American companies were reluctant to adopt structural aluminum in the same way
that Europeans did. Welded, painted steel was the foundation for machine bases, frames,
structures, assembly lines and automation cells for American manufacturers.
When structural aluminum was introduced into this marketplace, it was originally for
safety hard guarding and simple tables or work benches. Still today, structural aluminum
profile is used very effectively in safety hard guarding. Of all its uses, structural aluminum
profile is perhaps most commonly used for machine guarding in North America. Although
tough, durable and effective for this task, the material is just as impressive – if not more
impressive – when used for advanced applications.
Seeing the success of their European brothers, some North American manufacturers
decided to try using structural aluminum in more complex processes. However, because
distributors were selling the profile for simpler applications, tight tolerances, quality and
precision fit was not a top priority.
Early profile promoters rarely paid attention to project requirements and product failures
were common. Because of this, when structural aluminum was used in more complex
processes, projects frequently vibrated apart and fasteners failed to work as designed.
Unfortunately, even when precise fasteners and components became more readily available,
few manufacturers were confident enough in the technology to make it a critical part of
their processes.
Companies that are willing to make the leap to structural aluminum profile have yielded
great success, though. And one U.S.-based company, item North America, has been
proving this advantage for more than 15 years. By relying on the world’s best aluminum
extruders, item North America uses structural aluminum profile to create robust structures,
sub-structures, machine bases, frames, work stations, laser enclosures, sound containment
enclosures, and custom or specialty enclosures for a wide array of applications to replace
welded, painted steel. Whether using aluminum profile to create a simple structure or
complex linear motion processes, the material can be used across industries – from aerospace
to personal care.
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Aerospace Industry – item North America provides structural aluminum profile to many
segments of the aerospace industry, including space exploration and commercial aircraft
production. In fact, NASA used item North America support extensively in their Mars
exploration program. Additionally, a major commercial airline manufacturer approached
item North America to jointly design a 40 foot long unit with multiple XY axis and ball-screw
Z axis to test integrity of aircraft components.
Sports Beverage Bottling – Working closely with a global provider of safety compliance
and solutions, item North America was invited to participate in providing safety hard
guarding to a major sports beverage bottler. The safety hard guarding consisted of fixed
wire mesh panels, removable wire mesh panels, safety switched sliding doors and
gates, hinged doors and light curtain muting stands to create an integrated safety solution
for a complex bottle de-palletizing operation which posed significant worker safety threats.
This project involves over 20 North American bottling operations with each station requiring
a unique solution to meet worker safety needs, as well as high speed production demands.
Future safety requirements for this bottler could double or triple after seasonal demand for
bottled product lessens in the fall of this year.
“Green” water solutions – A South American provider of boxed water products contacted
item North America about the opportunity to design a robust solution for filling five liter
water bags for consumption in areas where safe water supplies are questionable. Within
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a six month window, item North America delivered a prototype for customer review. Minor
changes were quickly completed and the end user ordered multiple units for immediate
delivery. This overhead gantry linear motion application is just one of the ways structural
aluminum profile can be used in green manufacturing.
Personal Care Products – item North America structural aluminum profiles and modular
components have been specified as the “primary provider” for an Ohio based major
producer of personal care products. Many of these components have been assembled to
complete linear motion processes. Specific product lines include baby care and feminine
care hygiene products divisions.
Alternative Energy Industry – A number of solar energy panel producers and major
machine builders for the glass handling industry rely on item North America to deliver a
wide range of production machinery related to panel assembly, handling and packaging.
item North America has been asked to deliver complex solutions which were easily handled
due to the ability to create XYZ linear motion within T-slot profiles.
Consumer Product Testing – An Akron, Ohio, provider of consumer product testing and
certification frequently calls on item North America for solutions to some unusual requests.
Recently, item North America has designed test equipment to evaluate the life expectancy
of paint brushes, power washers, refrigerator hinges, and saw blades among other everyday
products. Because these requests are so unique, item North America’s engineering team
and product is consistently put to the test.
Cutting Edge Technology Producers – item North America also works with an extensive
group of high technology companies that produce computer hard drives, cell and smart
phones, DVD Blu-Rays and more. Additionally, the Department of Energy, Department of
Defense and pharmaceutical/medical companies across the country consistently call on
item North America for automation solutions.
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Why not Steel?
And it’s not just about trying a new technology that should make structural aluminum
profile attractive to North American manufacturers. For many reasons, steel simply cannot
bring the same results as aluminum profile. First, steel structures take much longer to
engineer and assemble than aluminum. And chances are, once a team has finished
welding, grinding and painting the steel to exact measurements, there’s sure to be a
design or process change. Now, the team must modify the structure and repeat the same
labor-intensive process it took to get there. And even after the final steel product is in
place, there’s still maintenance to think about. Steel is prone to rust, so care must be
taken to maintain the metal and repaint regularly.
Had the team been using structural aluminum instead of steel, there would be no welding,
grinding or painting involved. And if a design change occurred, engineers could quickly
refit the structural aluminum components as needed with little slow-down. This flexibility
means fewer delays and missed deadlines so profits start flowing faster. Parts can be
reused over and over again as needs change.
And unlike steel, there are no scratches, warping, flaking paint or rust to worry about. The
end product not only looks as good ten years down the road as it did on installation, but
it’s as strong and robust as it was on day one, too.
And it’s not just plant managers who reap the benefits of structural aluminum profile
in their manufacturing processes. Engineers and executives have less risks and higher
rewards too. Structural aluminum profile can be engineered to a much more precise level
from the start than steel ever could be. Near-perfect measurements and cuts mean fewer
delays and the ability to meet even the tightest deadlines. And with ever-growing regulations
and compliance demands for virtually every industry, design and process changes can be
met faster and cheaper. This also gives engineers the ability to innovate and react faster to
market conditions with quicker changeovers. All of this combines to bring a lighter-weight,
flexible solution with the lowest total cost of ownership possible.
Recently, machine builders, integrators and solution providers have started to accept the
fact that some structural aluminum product lines are a viable solution for machine bases,
frames, structures, sub-structures, assembly lines and automation cells. Still, North
American manufacturers and machine builders have much to look forward to with further
adoption of this material.
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The Future of Structural Aluminum in North
America
Creating XYZ linear motion with belt-driven actuators is growing rapidly since off the shelf
components can be used to create custom solutions. Furthermore, the market for structural
aluminum and modular components has to grow if North American manufacturers expect
to stay and become even more competitive in the global marketplace as pressure comes
from low cost producers.
Even for complex processes with multiple components, proven vendors like item North
America can create solutions that are assembled faster and offer a lower total cost of
ownership than found in traditional products. These custom solutions made from off-the-shelf
components are faster to engineer, build and test than their steel counterparts. Even making
changes to an assembled product can happen quickly and easily.
In fact, it’s not any facet of the design, assembly or implementation phases that takes the
most time when it comes to creating an aluminum profile solution. Instead, most companies
find the longest delays in getting enough buy-in to test the product. Some companies fear
that the product is not robust enough to handle their heavy-duty needs; however, this is
simply not the case. With case studies across industries and projects, the bottom line is
clear: structural aluminum profile is just as strong as steel, is faster to engineer and
assemble, and is cheaper and easier to maintain.
To find out more about how structural aluminum profile can not only save your
machine building, manufacturing or automation processes time and money, visit:
www.itemnorthamerica.com/contact-us.html and fill out the form. We’ll learn your
requirements and help you communicate the benefits of structural aluminum profile to
your internal team. Whether your request is simple safety hard guarding or a structure
paired with complex linear motion, we can meet your need. Together, we’ll design and
implement a custom solution in less time and at a lower total cost than you’ve ever
experienced before.
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