Excavator Factory | Mega Manufacturing | Free Documentary

[Music] a new high-tech excavator is born in record time the 23 ton monster sy to15 built in just 24 hours the Lingam mega excavator factory robots and machines reigns supreme here their value 375 million euros state-of-the-art technology put the work by highly trained specialists produce astonishing output a new high-tech excavator rolls off the line here every 10 minutes this is mega manufacturing [Music] one of the largest and most advanced excavator factories in the world built from scratch here in the greater Shanghai industries owned at a cost of a half a billion euros sunny the Chinese market leader manufactures new high-tech excavator seat up to 40,000 each year at full production the goal to dominate the global market to help them achieve this the best seller in the mid-range segment the Model S y21 5 its price one hundred ten thousand euros breach nine point five seven meters digging force 138 kilonewtons the link dong site almost a million square meters in size the manufacturing operation split between three buildings and it all starts here at the back of building one Monday morning 10 o'clock a semi-trailer loaded with 75 tons of steel value of the delivery 32,000 euros Chief Engineers Shubin inspects the goods his team will use the steel to construct high quality excavators capable of operating for over 20,000 hours under the most extreme conditions chief engineer Xu is satisfied production of the new vehicles can begin nobody this simple steel plating is where it all starts a perfectly coordinated production chain begins washing cutting to length forming shaping welding coating and finally assembly this basic raw material is transformed into a state-of-the-art machine it makes me proud 250 cutting-edge robots and machines will soon turn the steel plating into high-tech excavators they weren't with extreme accuracy down to the micrometer in order to ensure this level of precision the rust must first be removed just 15 seconds later everything smooth and processing can begin the birth of the new excavator the steel plating is transferred to a precision plasma cutting machine in just one operation nearly a hundred individual parts emerged blinking into the world all produced from a single plate supervisor Lee Yoo min Yong must rigidly adhere to the specified cutting pattern but there's a problem the steel plate isn't lying perfectly straight supervisor Lee you must now realign the plate exactly or the machine will cut beyond the edge the consequence delays in the production chain and a loss of several thousand euros the plated steel was slightly eschewed the machine now has to compensate for this if the steel plate is cut at an angle the shapes won't be right we have to reconfigure the machine there at the front and back so that the plate is no longer askew for the robot at last the plasma cutter starts up no more Corrections can be made now or all parts will be imperfect and unusable [Music] an arc cuts through the 80 millimeter thick plate of steel using electrically conductive gas the temperature at the cutting site 30,000 degrees Celsius [Music] the big advantage of the plasma method the cutting speed is four times faster than with a conventional cutting torch which leads to increased overall productivity and accuracy 20 square meters of raw steel produce a hundred and eighty individual parts for the excavator the operation takes just seven minutes supervisor Lee Yu is on target the material waste not even 3% he cuts over 7,000 individual parts in a single shift they'll be collected for further processing at the allotted time in order to meet the strict targets set by the company management the task to produce a new excavator every 10 minutes the cut parts continue on their journey over a public road to building number 2 [Music] that's where the state-of-the-art welding plant is located robots have taken over almost complete control here humans are only responsible for starting the processes then they hand over to the pre-programmed experts humans begin to clamp the various cut parts of the undercarriage and fixings this is just the preparatory work the actual welding operation is performed by the robots human precision here is of paramount importance the machines on the welding line may be fast and accurate but if the parts are clamped incorrectly they can't do anything about it this is the central element of the future excavator the slew rink this is where the rotating superstructure and the undercarriage connect on the inside a ring gear with 120 teeth and a sprocket with 12 teeth that drives the assembly the excavators can turn on their own axis the slew ring is subjected to enormous forces the connection must remain stable even under a load of four tonnes the workers have just ten minutes to join the components with millimeter precision the parts are temporarily fixed with ten-centimeter tack welds then the robots take over from now on human involvement is restricted to control purposes only [Music] the cutting edge welding plant cost 40 million euros the investment has long since paid for itself the robots work is not only more precise than a mere mortals they're also twice as fast [Music] the first step the slough ring is placed on the middle section of the undercarriage the flame at the welding point 1700 degrees Celsius thirty two robots have replaced 24 human workers in this production step the workmanship is now faultless and utterly precise Automation has increased the longevity of the excavators enormous Lee an important criterion for the Chinese to prevail in the competitive international market transport from one station to the next industrial accidents were commonplace here in the past when the roughly 3 tonne parts were still being moved by workers using cranes and chains this danger has now been completely eliminated saving human lives the undercarriage consists of three elements the middle section on which the slough ring now sits and two lateral sections this is where the track system will be mounted later on the excavator is propelled by two sprocket wheels on each side the track plates dig up to 3 centimeters deep into the ground the giant machines have to maintain their grip even on inclines of 70% the final section of the welding line the three elements of the undercarriage are joined humans once again only required for the preparatory work across the factory as a whole increasing automation has led to a one-third reduction in the workforce while simultaneously increasing output and with it the profit to every movement the machines make is electronically recorded if the robot remains motionless for even a second the company's control department registers the downtime immediately the control center responsible for the mega excavator Factory lies almost a hundred kilometers to the northwest of Lin Ghana at Sony's Kunshan facility this is where the real-time performance data is gathered the controllers also have access to the cameras monitoring the robot line the images are fed to a 40 square meter display [Music] pond boy gun and his team analyzed the data for the purpose of further increasing profit the consolidated annual profit last year was around six hundred million euros if more orders are received deputy director punt ramps up the production speed if individual machines are offline he adjusts the production schedule accordingly they have over 30 welding machines in Lincoln's and I have all the data for these machines here everything is linked via the RTD Network the civilian for instance we can monitor a panasonic welding machine it's been powered up for 2.26 hours today and been in operation for 1.78 hours its operational readiness is ninety six point 81% an actual operating quotient is 78 point 87 percent its power consumption is 17 point 30 kilowatt per hour as you can see we have all the key data at our fingertips position is ouya the contour the wrong formula a masterpiece of internal data management back to the factory and linked on the distance by car a good hours drive exchanging data between the sites takes just a few milliseconds the welding of the excavator undercarriage is finished now it's ready to be painted absolute precision is demanded despite temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius the tolerances for the paint job lie in the micrometer range the Lin Gong excavator factory built from scratch in just 12 months when operating at full capacity sunny could theoretically produce 40,000 excavators here each year transport from one station to the next seamlessly designed the welded parts are conveyed directly to the paint shop by an automatic aerial cable way increasing speed and productivity it's like renovating a room at home first the surfaces are clean then the workers mask off the areas that must not be painted the paint shop foreman kwangji Sheng he works for eight hours a day and a protective suit usually in sweltering conditions but despite this working here is his dream job I really like working with paint I like the smell coating the parts with paint is a great job I can take a product with a rough surface and improve it step by step until it's perfect crying if the workers do a sloppy job the vehicle won't be properly protected against corrosion at the spots that receive two thinner coat rusting excavators this would be a disaster for the Chinese company's image reliability and performance are paramount the workers have just eight minutes then the section moves down the line to receive its actual finish the priming has left some minor blemishes Foreman Wong's people rectify them in just 40 seconds now comes the most difficult part they have just ten minutes to give the undercarriage a perfect black paint job precision work under extreme conditions and 40 degree heat and with a respirator how did that pinch it the most important thing is that the spraying nozzle is always kept perpendicular to the surface and at a distance of 20 to 30 centimeters if it gets too close the layer of paint will be too thick if it's too far away the coat will be too thin the painters must work very accurately to ensure the thickness of the coat is just right if two thinner coat is applied the slightest scratch will allow the primer to show through if it's too thick the material cost across will creep up and reduce the all-important margin a few years ago this operation was automated for a short period but the management decided to remove the robots again they were too imprecisely in this case and as a consequence were replaced by humans the massive parts hang from two chains swinging back and forth slightly the robots couldn't compensate for this with sufficient accuracy I use this gauge to check the work I press it firmly against the surface and check the scale to see how much paint has adhered at which point the paint layer here is 125 micrometers thick according to specification it should be between 80 and 140 that means that this product is acceptable Welman up your nose your posture to you passes up to the time you know the parts are now painted the excavator will soon be brought to life at one of the most modern production lines in the world working non-stop time pressure final assembly for the high-tech monsters but how do the freshly painted parts get to the Assembly Building without getting wet the Chinese solved this problem by building a tunnel 120 metres long 10 metres deep it connects building 2 with building 3 this is where the final assembly line is located a new excavator is produced here every 10 minutes at the end of the tunnel one of the most modern temporary storage facilities in the world and it's also the start of the final assembly line the 10 meter height warehouse ensures a constant supply of components they're spaced for 20 parts on each side a detailed schedule indicates which part is needed when the fully automated crane then carries the elements from their storage location to the production line [Music] what makes the Lin Gong mega factory unique the final assembly line allows the Chinese to not only manufacture a large number of excavators but different models to all on the same assembly line depending on demand chief engineer shoe bin has a comprehensive overview this display is updated every few minutes everything is recorded every serial number and the sequence of models this shows us how many parts are being delivered on this day and how many excavators we actually have to produce here the number varies from day to day that shows the number on the third day of the week this year on the fourth we can monitor every detail of the manufacturing process and we have the rate of production on the control at all times the four tonne undercarriage must first be turned over this used to require for assembly workers and took five minutes and industrial accidents were unfortunately not uncommon today this task is performed by a robot in just 50 seconds the workers can now install the idlers for the track system more than 3000 screws pass through each workers hands each day in order to manufacture up to 50 new excavators final assembly robots and human specialists working in perfectly coordinated synergy the mega Factory is home to 375 million euros of heavy robotic machinery [Music] the tracks will later run over these rollers they must be able to maintain their grip on inclines of 70% went on site an assembly error at this station to put the life of the excavator operator at risk the time has come for the tracks to be mounted wrapped around two large idlers and nine small track rollers 49 interlocked track links on each side will later keep the 23-ton machine on course at a speed of up to six kilometers per hour [Music] on production line - a team is working in parallel on the superstructure the production schedule must be strictly adhered to here as well in order to meet the immense daily production figures several dozen black and yellow cab housings await installation the workers first install the interior fittings of the calves one hour of manual work for the seat control equipment and electronics this is the all-important operator interface directly behind the driver's seat a component that sets new standards on the global market a highly intelligent black box the high-tech device records all key performance data from the superstructure during operation engine parameters fuel consumption oil pressure of the hydraulic system if the values deviate too greatly from the set points an alarm is triggered this is transmitted in real-time to the control center thousands of kilometers away [Music] to kun-sun in the northwest of shanghai all of the data from the vehicle is collected in Kunsan from all over the world around the clock Pond Regan is proud of this technology at peak times up to half a million sunny vehicles are online his team detects technical problems immediately usually before the driver operating the excavator does irrespective of the continent they're on [Music] we have a complete overview here and can take action ourselves this is a huge advantage if the parameters for an excavator are unusual a red alarm is triggered for example if there's a problem with the oil taste our colleagues then get in touch with the customer by telephone or via the internet and inform them of the situation as a result we can provide better customer service than our competitors a big advantage in the battle for an increased share of the market but the Chinese want to impress customers with their innovations as well as their service in lingam the development department is continually testing new features the excavator of the future what will it look like this red test model is also an sy two one five but it's equipped with the latest generation of special high-tech equipment the key new feature the excavator can be remotely controlled the driver can control around a thousand different movement sequences by joystick including from a great distance the big advantage excavators like this can be deployed in environments that are very strenuous for people or even life-threatening the driver's seat of the special edition model s y21 5e remains completely empty sunny provided similar machines to help with the cleanup work in Fukushima thanks to remote-controlled excavators no drivers will have to subject themselves to radioactivity or other hazards in future and extreme situations like this that Chinese can even control the machines from a very long way away a cab an excavator operator and a virtual reality headset not much more is needed to control the 23 tunner during testing as here the excavator of the future is located just a few meters away but in an emergency the operator can control an excavator elsewhere in the world from his cabin Lingam and if necessary on a completely different continent the only prerequisite 5g network coverage in the area of deployment it's then possible to control the vehicle in real time from anywhere on earth back to production line two the clock is ticking sy 2 1 5 must be finished in 4 hours the workers install the seat directly in front of the black box [Music] [Applause] key components are installed in the superstructure every 10 minutes the hydraulic pump it supplies the arms and shovel with an oil pressure of 300 bar this enables the excavator to lift weights of one and a half tons the cab air conditioning system all-round view fully soundproof operator safety is a key consideration for sunny and for the clients a Japanese Isuzu five liter engine power output 128 kilowatts finally the superstructure is finished the trickiest and most dangerous stage of the final assembly lies before that two production lines are united under carriages and super structures arrive at 10-minute intervals final preparations have production line one the workers pack the slew ring with grease this is the junction between the undercarriage and superstructure where the wheels meet the engine and camp it's where the excavator rotates through the critical 360 degrees in just five seconds with as little resistance as possible the massive superstructure will soon be mounted on the slew rate a special adhesive provides for initial grip directly after the two sections made contact but when exposed to the air and only acts for a short time once applied every second counts for the workers [Music] the time has come the so-called marriage can begin a crane system carries the revolving superstructure which now weighs 12 tons 20 metres through the air the difficulty the superstructure swings back and forth by around 20 centimeters shift worker Seung Jin Jung is responsible for this critical step he and his two colleagues must maneuver the swinging cab on to the slew rate with millimeter precision and do so as quickly as possible because the adhesive is steadily losing its effect [Music] we've been specially trained for this job we've been given precise instructions and what needs to be done we have to work quickly but carefully it can only be done if you have good reactions your eyes brain and hands must act in concert experience is extremely important too the critical moment has arrived [Music] the massive superstructure is still swinging alarmingly [Music] and suddenly everything goes very quickly [Music] done the workers secure the connection held thus far by the adhesive with bolts the next big moment of the final assembly is fast approaching just a few last operations to perform oil and fuel are added to the tanks then finally the excavator can move under its own power for the first time but the entire front section is still missing a lifting system with massive arms and flexible hydraulic systems and the excavating bucket lunchtime including for shift workers on who just maneuvered the superstructure on to the undercarriage the company's management strictly controls work and rest periods by means of a facial recognition system a facial recognition system records when we arrive for work and when we leave the modern time clock can't be fooled it stores his photo along with the exact time they head to the canteen in an orderly fashion it's not a requirement but certainly desired everyone here feels more comfortable with a certain orderliness 1600 people work here and one of the largest and most modern excavator factories in the world lunch is served in several shifts the workers can choose between three different meals [Music] the price one euro rice and soup are free on average a worker in Lyngen earns 1500 euros a month the back section of building 2 this is where the critical phase of the excavator arm installation begins [Music] around a hundred excavator arms are stored here a thousand tons of steel enough for just two days the freshly painted arms mustn't come into contact with rain on the way to final assembly in this case they aren't protected by a tunnel but a bridge that connects building two with building three at a height of eight meters [Music] the workers now start assembling the complex articulated arm especially important these thin hoses with a diameter of just 2 centimeters hydraulic oil will later flow through them under extreme pressure the hoses must be able to withstand it but still be elastic and flexible [Music] Chief Engineer Shubin checks to ensure they're installed properly he knows how important these hoses are extreme pressure additives flow through in order to withstand the immense pressure the hoses are reinforced with four to five overlapping layers of wire inside these are surrounded by two plastic layers on the outside this allows the hoses to stretch to accommodate movements while simultaneously being able to withstand the extreme oil pressure [Music] correct installation of the hydraulic system absolutely critical when in operation the bucket can be up to ten metres from the excavator center of gravity but even there it must still be able to lift and slew one and a half tonnes at the heart of the hydraulic system is the pump with a capacity of 200 litres of oil per minute it generates a working pressure within the hoses of over 300 bar it supplies all of the hydraulic components boom cylinder arm cylinder bucket cylinder this is necessary for the bucket to achieve its maximum digging force of 138 kilonewtons the final push on the assembly line workers fit the prepared arms to the excavators after not even 23 working hours this new sy to 1/5 is nearing completion sunny has almost doubled its annual profit in the excavator segment that construction machinery giant shows most of its vehicles in China but they're now increasingly looking to grow their overseas business the strategy a little less expensive than their Europeans and American counterparts in order to attract new customers and a little more expensive than the Koreans who they want to squeeze out of the market with higher quality and better reliability the finishing touches the only thing left now is to attach the bucket to the excavator it's finished a new sy to15 is on the move it's worth 110 thousand euros like all vehicles the next stop is quality control [Music] even at its maximum reach of nine point five seven meters the hydraulic system must still operate at full power the test center is located just a few meters further along at the end of building 320 meters high roughly one thousand square meters in size extreme stress tests strict inspectors the newly assembled excavators now have to demonstrate what they're capable of the requirement when in use over a thousand different movement sequences the most important 200 will now be tested test-drive early over my fills the hydraulic system with oil the stress test begins while it's still running into the excavator [Music] first test-drive early you runs through the most important basic functions killing two birds with one stone in the process the oil gets distributed evenly and he gets his first impressions at the same time well in authority we've only just filled the new machine with hydraulic oil the most important thing right now I want to filter the hydraulic fluid in every system and oil tank in order to ensure the purity of the oil the next station here the tracking is put to the test are the track systems perfectly installed and can the 23 ton monster drive in a straight line the you checks the deviation driving forwards and backwards down there is the reference line we check whether the deviation is within our tolerance range when the excavator is driven over a distance of 20 meters our standard is very strict the permitted deviation 20 centimeters here it's just eight everything's great the hydraulic systems test the bucket is raised to a height of almost 10 meters and back down again five times in one minute the flexible hoses withstand the oil pressure now it's the turn of the slew ring five rotations in just 25 seconds in both directions have the technicians perfectly married the superstructure and undercarriage the excavator passes the test [Music] the functional test of a new model takes 30 minutes to be able to adequately test the procession of new excavators requires four test operators to be on duty at the same time test drive early who lives his childhood dream everyday driving an excavator under extreme conditions and getting paid to do it as well Luda it really is a fascinating job I have I'm involved with excavators in my spare time - I'm into extreme challenges in the cab I've even won a prize on a TV show as an excavator operator all tests passed one of six new excavators per hour is ready for sale chief engineer shoe bin follows the final test - and does so with a certain pride in just 24 work hours a few pieces of steel plating have been transformed into a new high-tech excavator I've worked in the excavator industry for many years and I'm very proud of the developments of recent years it's impressive to see the output and quality of excavators in China continually improving another sy to15 has been born into the market manufactured in one of the largest excavator factories in the world [Music] the capacity of the cutting edge plant is enormous by operating a three-shift system the Chinese could flood the market with up to 40,000 excavators every year [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 1,833,247

Rating: 4.6737733 out of 5

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), 4k, documentary 4k, 4k documentary, uhd documentary, engineering, german engineering, engineering documentary, high tech documentary, mega manufacturing, Excavator, excavator skills, Excavator factory, Excavator documentary, heavy equipment, industrial machinery, construction machinery, extreme engineering, extreme engineering - topic

Id: SuJGXTFDqj8

Length: 48min 14sec (2894 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 18 2019