A new era of mechanical engineering: How a smart plant works in Karaganda
Smart factories - fantasy or the future of modern mechanical engineering? Have machine guns replaced a person? What technologies are relevant today is demonstrated by the Karaganda Foundry and Machine-Building Plant.
The company with 80 years of history has made a breakthrough in production automation. The modernization process took about three years, and without stopping the work of the plant. Both main and auxiliary equipment were updated. Manual labor was replaced by computer numerical control (CNC) machines.
The chief mechanic of KLMZ, Yuri Litvinenko, gave a tour of the shops and spoke about the advantages of the new equipment.
High performance, versatility, high precision
A total of 248 pieces of equipment were purchased. Modern CNC machines have supplanted traditional units. There are 76 of them at the plant - made in the Czech Republic, Italy, Japan, Austria and France. Some of them have no analogues in Kazakhstan.
- CNC machines increase productivity dramatically - on average, almost three times. For example, we have band sawing machines that have 12 times more productivity than a conventional Geller saw. The necessary parameters are set, the workpieces move automatically - a minimum of human labor and effort. That is, the complexity of the process is completely different. And high accuracy, - said Yuri Litvinenko.
He spoke about the capabilities of the Czech-made WRD-150Q horizontal boring machine. The machine allows you to process huge parts with dimensions up to 9 meters and 20 tons in weight along four axes, without rearranging them from place to place.
The process in the workshop comes from the blank. If earlier it was necessary to use many machines for processing, now everything happens on one equipment. This makes work easier, and most importantly, increased safety.
KLMZ specializes in the manufacture of conveyor and pumping equipment, lifting mechanisms, machines and spare parts for processing plants, mining equipment and railway transport. Everything you need is produced here: from small washers to trolleys, bodies, excavator buckets, hydraulic cylinders and other complex parts.
Life cycle of one wheel
Yuri Litvinenko took us along the path of making a wheel for a mine trolley.
The beginning is the instrumental section. Here, a 4-axis CNC router cuts a high-precision model. And the workpiece is sent along the route: autoclave - model area - casting.
“With the technology of casting using gasified models, the quality and accuracy are very high, and there is much less machining,” the specialist explained. - After processing on CNC machines, the wheel goes to hardening. The final operation is installation on a trolley.
The plant's equipment makes it possible to manufacture a trolley completely from scratch.
Casting capabilities - from 200 gram parts to 50 kilograms.
Welding robot
The robot welder automatically performs work of any complexity, even the most gem-quality, according to a given program. At the end of the controlled "arm" is the welding head. The machine executes commands, and the operator only monitors the process.
Performance increases tenfold. Robots don't need lunch breaks and smoke breaks, so they work non-stop for many hours. The manipulator arm works with high precision and quality.
The equipment of the plant also includes machines for laser and plasma cutting of metal. If the former are used for high-precision cutting of thin materials up to 20 mm, then the latter - for massive ones, up to 200 mm thick.
- For example, the plasma cutter allows you to get the necessary workpieces and in a short time without any effort from high-strength Hardox steel. Manually, with the help of a kerosene cutter, this process would be ten times more time consuming and time consuming, - said Yuri Litvinenko.
Quality control
The quality control system was also modernized. The plant is equipped with all kinds of instrumental and measuring instruments and other modern equipment for the laboratory and quality control department.
People are the main capital
The company currently employs almost 800 people. The modernization of production entailed new requirements for employees. The workers improved their qualifications. CNC machines are operated by operators with higher education. The design and technological department of 50 people is able to develop project documentation from scratch with high quality and in the shortest possible time.
Implementation of the 1C ERP information system
In 2018, Makker LLP launched the project “Implementation of an automated information system based on the software product“ 1C: Enterprise 8. ERP Enterprise Management 2 for Kazakhstan ”. The introduction of a unified accounting and analytical system for production management of the ERP class will increase the transparency of the business in terms of costs and revenues, receive operational information on the movement and availability of assets, on the volume of costs, personnel involved, material resources, etc.
As a result, we have a plant of a completely new scale, aimed not only at internal needs, but also at the development of new markets. Now about 50 types of products for railway transport are being tested. The company exports its products under the Maker brand to the CIS countries.
Historical reference:
1941 - on the basis of the Karagandashakhtostroy trust, the Karaganda plant for the repair of mining equipment was created.
2000 - the enterprise was renamed into "Karaganda Foundry and Machine-Building Plant" - a branch of Kazakhmys Corporation LLP.
2014 - the renewal of KLMZ began.
2015 - there was a reorganization from the corporation into a separate legal entity LLP "Maker" - "Karaganda Foundry and Machine-Building Plant".
2017 - a full-scale program for the technical re-equipment of the plant began.
2018 - the start of the project "Implementation of an automated information system based on the software product" 1C: Enterprise 8. ERP Enterprise Management 2 for Kazakhstan ".
2021 - an increase in production output by two times in monetary and nomenclature terms.