To triumph the challenges SLTL Group took an initiative for a railway bogie manufacturer. The team learned the flaws in the existing manufacturing process and understood the limitations of the conventional methods of operation.
India hosts the most complex and widespread network of Railways across the globe. Perhaps, the Railways is the busiest and most popular mode of transportation across India. The Indian Railways is spread across many tough terrains and passes through the Himalayas to Thar desert and to Sundarban Delta. Trains connecting all major cities and industrial areas for more than 110,000 kilometers. The railways carry 4 billion tons of bulk cargo on annual basis, mainly coal, ore, minerals, and cereals. India has planned to expand the network by 270,000 kilometers by the end of 2050 to accommodate the growing demand for freight loads.
The railway industry is under constant pressure to innovate and deploy more premium quality of train bogies in operation. The body structure of this rolling stock has the consistent load post-processing, passing the train, braking, curve, and the rigors of other cyclic or ephemeral events and are subject to the repeated tension created during their lifetime. Cracks and fractures can occur in these components such as body, bone, axles, and ballets. Therefore, lack of fatigue is a primary priority when building these bogies.
The Problem of the industry
Over the years, for the calculation of railway load, certainly, multi-body simulation has been promoted as a reliable technique. Different levels of complexity of various methods exist to control the available data. Later, the software has been included in technology based on time-wave replication, the area measured on the original laboratory tire system, test technology for specific entertainment :
- The growing demands of train bogie need faster production techniques.
- The overall aesthetics of the wagons should be intact.
- Customized laser cutting machine for long cutting operations.
- The machine should be fully automated to reduce manpower and cost of operation.
- Improving time efficiency in existing manufacturing infrastructure
The solution for the industry
To triumph the challenges SLTL Group took an initiative for a railway bogie manufacturer. The team learned the flaws in the existing manufacturing process and understood the limitations of the conventional methods of operation. With unprecedented expertise in the laser technology, the team conducted a series of rigorous experiments to find the appropriate solution. Through the scientific research and tests it was concluded that Laser operations provide a better finish and great strength in terms of manufacturing wagons. The company started developing a machine which could be very fast and efficient. The idea was to deliver the same performance as that of standard laser cutting machine. To deliver such a laser system, the company had few challenges in front:
- Robust Structure: To deliver the 22m cutting bed size, the machine structure should be solid and robust to neutralize vibrations.
- X-Y axis movement: The displacement of the laser head must be very quick to travel along the axes to access to the cutting points.
- Laser Source Power: The most dynamic laser power source to deliver accurate power and allows flexibility to adjust the power upon the requirement.
- Customized Intuitive Software: The software must be equally calibrated to accustom extended size of the laser system.
With the help of in-house R&D and years of experience SLTL group provided railway manufacturing industry with a magnificent machine :
22-meter long laser cutting machine
The SLTL experts came up with a very practical approach, these innovative solutions allow us to begin with the measured displacement on existing vehicles and calculate the same input signals for the new model. They can be applied to a full description multi-body model that promotes dynamic responses.
As a result of the strong research and development, the team was able to put together the highest level of complexity in a machine which is staggering 24m long with 22m cutting bed size. The machine is made flexible to easily accommodate the metal sheet on the bed. With the excellent use of the engineering, the machine is rightly balanced to absorb the vibrations. The machine is equipped with cut through hardware and software components to have the fast and swift movement of the laser head, this allows the laser head to reach to the different spots quickly. Due to full automation, it also has lowered operating cost.
Author Bio
