What an LGS production line does
The layout of the line
Section titled “The layout of the line”Decoiler and leveller
Section titled “Decoiler and leveller”Holds the coil, feeds the strip continuously and straightens it. A coil can weigh several tonnes, so the decoiler is a machine unit in its own right.
Forming stations
Section titled “Forming stations”The row of roller pairs that creates the cross-section. On some machines the stations adjust automatically to the sheet thickness, which allows several thicknesses within one run. Auto-gauging.
Tools and operations
Section titled “Tools and operations”Punching for service holes, dimples at screw points, marking, connection cut-outs. These are hydraulic units operated by the control according to the program.
Cut-off
Section titled “Cut-off”Cuts the profile to the length in the program. Cutting accuracy directly affects buildability.
Control
Section titled “Control”The software running on the machine, which executes the production program and typically records production data as well. Nexa and Factory2.
What the designer needs to know about it
Section titled “What the designer needs to know about it”What it can and cannot do
Section titled “What it can and cannot do”Every machine has a profile range, a thickness range, a tool set and a maximum member length. Those four figures are the constraints on design. What to know about a machine.
Machine operations are free, human work is not
Section titled “Machine operations are free, human work is not”Whatever is in the tool set does not make production more expensive. Whatever requires later manual work — drilling, cutting, welding on site — does.
The run matters
Section titled “The run matters”Changing profile takes setup time. If the design uses many cross-sections in small numbers, that complicates production scheduling — even if the structure is otherwise optimal.
The rest of the plant
Section titled “The rest of the plant”The production line is only one element of a plant. Alongside it you need:
- material storage for the coils,
- bundling, packaging, marking,
- an assembly table and jigs for panelised production,
- logistics: loading, transport, in the site sequence.
Production speed is often limited not by the machine but by this environment.
The point
Section titled “The point”The production line is a translator: it turns the design model into physical members. Whatever it cannot do, somebody will do later by hand — and that is what will be expensive.