How can you save time and money with automatic layout marking?

Optimized workflow with automatic layout marking

Manual layout marking is one of the most labor-intensive and failure sensitive processes in the entire steel processing workflow. First, a profile or beam has to be measured manually, it has to be compared with the drawing or file where after a manual marking has to be made. Often, a second person will check whether the manual layout markings are indicated correctly. To optimize this process in your workflow, Voortman introduced automatic layout marking to decrease the number of hours to produce a ton of output.

Grab a part and put it on the mark

Automatic layout marking as a process allows you to mark all necessary information on a beam or plate to enable your welder to do their job without printed drawings, resulting in significant time savings. It changes the workflow in such a way that you simply need to grab a part, put it on the mark created with automatic layout marking and you tack-weld it.

Another advantage of automatic layout marking is the prevention of human errors which often occur with manual layout marking. Mistakes due to markings created by hand are prevented, saving you time and money. Hard copy drawings in the workshop are significantly minimized as well.

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How does automatic layout marking work?

Layout marking can automatically be performed by a milling tool equipped on several Voortman drilling machines or by use of a plasma unit on Voortman’s plate processing machines or the V807 robotic coping machine.

When comparing these two methods of layout marking, it can be said that both are visible after shotblasting, painting and HD galvanizing. When using both processes in one system, the load balancing software can decide which machine marks the lines to maintain the highest efficiency and productivity.

With data generated from 3D detailing packages such as TEKLA, it is possible to generate all necessary marking information very easily. Our VACAM software reads this layout marking information directly from DSTV files and converts the markings in outer contours, centerpoints or layout markings. Herewith your accuracy will increase, labor costs will decrease and your overall costs will be minimized.

Voortman layout marking machines

Voortman has multiple machines with the layout marking functionality. One of these machines, the Voortman V704, is fully dedicated to layout marking only. This might be beneficial when your type of production requires a large amount of layout markings. The V704 can then be integrated in a so called split configuration where for example a beam drilling and sawing machine are fully dedicated to drilling and sawing your profiles, where the V704 simultaneously focuses on creating layout markings on the profiles while a new batch of profiles is being processed by the drilling and sawing machine again.

It all depends on your type of production and your goals which determine the optimal workshop flow and layout. This is where our experts come in and think with you from the very beginning to come up with the most optimal layout where layout marking as a process is considered!