Safety is Strength
Great Dane takes pride in building trailers that deliver safety, performance, and long-term durability. A key component in that mission is the lower coupler: the 850-pound steel plate assembly where the trailer connects to the tractor.
Building these couplers is heavy work, from bending steel plates to moving couplers from assembly to the paint cell. Through automation, Great Dane wanted a faster, more efficient, and—above all—safer process.
Acieta collaborated with Great Dane to automate component formation and ultra-heavy duty material handling with cells that do the work of six heads per shift.
Meet HAL
Reducing congestion, lowering costs, and increasing safety on Great Dane’s floor meant finding a better solution than forklifts and manual loading of heavy componsents.
Acieta integrated a A FANUC M-2000iA robot—nicknamed HAL—on a 160' Acieta RTU to feed Great Dane's existing welding cells and paint lines, with squaring tables and staging stands to reduce cycle time .
850 LBS
Heavy Part Handling with No Labor
"Limiting the amount of manual manipulation of components protects our people and our quality. I’m very happy with the overall outcome of the system."
Al Martinac
Manufacturing Engineering Manager, Great Dane
Constraints
Safety
Great Dane wanted to reduce the risk of moving 850-pound steel assembly parts with forklifts and hoists
6 Heads/Shift
Manual handling required dedicated press brake, forklift and crane operators
5-Minute Cycle Time
Exceeding the downstream paint cell’s 6.5-minute cycle time was a key constraint to meeting production goals.
Outcome
0 Touches
Fully automated process without any manual handling
Labor Reallocation
One operator monitors the automated press brakes, and weld cell operators monitor the coupler transfer system, reducing costs, congestion, and management
800 Couplers/Week
The system is on track to produce 40,000 units per year.
Integrated Solutions
RIBS (Robotic Integrated Bending System)
Great Danes’ Central Fabrication facility in Terre Haute, Indiana features multiple automated press brakes with custom end-of-arm tooling to form 40–110lb structural components from steel plates.
Ultra-Heavy Material Handling
A FANUC M-2000iA with 2000-pound payload capacity runs on a 160’ Acieta RTU to move parts from infeed to three welding cells and then on to the paint line.
Product Sequencing
The system automatically directs product flow based on weld cell cycle, paint cell cycle, and product type. Gravity tables and staging racks are used to optimize travel time up and down the track.
Weld Cell Integration
The system is integrated with Great Dane’s three existing automated weld cells.
Paint Cell Integration
Integration with Great Dane’s existing paint line involved extension of the paint line’s transport rails to support both robotic and manual loading.
RIBS (Robotic Integrated Bending System)
Great Danes’ Central Fabrication facility in Terre Haute, Indiana features multiple automated press brakes with custom end-of-arm tooling to form 40–110lb structural components from steel plates.
Ultra-Heavy Material Handling
A FANUC M-2000iA with 2000-pound payload capacity runs on a 160’ Acieta RTU to move parts from infeed to three welding cells and then on to the paint line.
Product Sequencing
The system automatically directs product flow based on weld cell cycle, paint cell cycle, and product type. Gravity tables and staging racks are used to optimize travel time up and down the track.
Weld Cell Integration
The system is integrated with Great Dane’s three existing automated weld cells.
Paint Cell Integration
Integration with Great Dane’s existing paint line involved extension of the paint line’s transport rails to support both robotic and manual loading.
