iconsys and Tebulo Robotics Partner to Accelerate UK Industrial Automation
UK manufacturers are under growing pressure to improve productivity, reduce operational risk and address labour shortages, yet the UK continues to lag behind many global competitors on industrial automation adoption.
In response, industrial automation specialist iconsys has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Dutch robotics expert Tebulo Robotics to accelerate the deployment of advanced robotic automation solutions across UK heavy industry.
The agreement sees iconsys become Tebulo Robotics’ first UK integration partner, combining iconsys’ controls, automation and machine safety expertise with Tebulo’s decades of experience delivering robotic systems for demanding industrial environments.
After already working on UK automation projects independently for the same customers, there was clear benefit of taking a more collaborative approach. The companies are now already collaborating on a major automation project for a leading UK steel manufacturer.
The partnership will initially target sectors including metals, construction materials, pulp and paper, automotive and aerospace, where manufacturers are increasingly looking to robotics and intelligent automation to improve safety, consistency and operational performance.
Together, the companies will deliver robotic cell solutions for applications including automated destrapping and coil handling, blade coating, dross removal, and integrated marking and labelling systems.
The solutions incorporate advanced robotic systems, intelligent end-of-arm tooling, machine vision and sensing technologies, and fully engineered safety systems designed for harsh industrial environments.
Andy Bunce, Technical Sales Director at iconsys, explained:
“We recognised very quickly that there was a strong alignment between our businesses. Tebulo Robotics brings extensive expertise in advanced robotic applications for heavy industry, whilst iconsys provides the systems integration and machine safety capabilities needed to successfully deploy those technologies into complex manufacturing environments.
“UK industry has historically been slower to adopt robotics than many European competitors, but manufacturers are now facing increasing pressure around productivity, labour availability, safety and operational resilience.
“What makes this partnership particularly powerful is that every solution is engineered around the customer’s operational challenges. We are designing fully integrated robotic solutions that fit within existing production environments whilst improving safety, consistency and performance.”
As a technology-independent systems integrator, iconsys can support the integration of Tebulo Robotics’ technologies into both existing and new manufacturing environments, covering software, electrical systems, functional safety, mechanical guarding, installation and commissioning.
Founded in 1974, Tebulo Robotics has been involved in industrial robotics since the 1990s and now has more than 500 robotic systems installed across Europe.
Jeroen Baas, Account Manager at Tebulo Robotics, added:
“The UK represents a major growth market for advanced industrial robotics, particularly within heavy industry where manufacturers are increasingly looking to modernise operations and improve competitiveness.
“We have already seen how effectively our technologies and engineering capabilities complement the integration expertise within iconsys. This partnership gives UK manufacturers greater access to proven robotic technologies already delivering results across demanding industrial applications throughout Europe.”
Tebulo Robotics is supplying several robot solutions to steel producer Ternium, which is further expanding its downstream operations at the industrial center in Pesquería, Mexico. With this expansion, Ternium is strengthening the production of high-quality steel for the automotive, renewable energy, home appliances, construction, and agricultural sectors. The investment follows the successful commissioning of the hot strip mill in 2021. As a long-standing main supplier, Tebulo Robotics once again designed and delivered various robotic installations for this expansion, completing the robot package for the different production lines at the site. The total robot package at the Pesquería location now consists of de-strappers, dross robots, coil marking and labelling robots, and sample plate systems. Since its establishment, the Pesquería industrial center has played a crucial role in Ternium’s growth strategy. In 2013, the company strengthened its position in the automotive sector with the start-up of its first cold rolling and galvanizing lines. A few years later, production was further expanded with new hot-dip galvanizing and color coating lines, featuring highly advanced coating technology. Following the completion of the hot rolling mill in 2021, Ternium achieved an annual production capacity of 4.4 million tonnes of hot-rolled products, 1.7 million tonnes of cold-rolled products, 900,000 tonnes of hot-dip galvanized products, and 165,000 tonnes of pre-painted products. Since the end of 2024, a push-pull pickling line with an annual capacity of 550,000 tonnes has been in operation. In 2025, a cold rolling mill with a capacity of 1.6 million tonnes per year and a hot-dip galvanizing line with a capacity of 600,000 tonnes per year were added. Both installations and their associated finishing lines have recently been commissioned.
*Tebulo Robotics is a leading player, specializing in design, construction and delivery of innovative, technologically high-quality robot integrations for a wide variety of applications, ranging from design to commissioning.
“A substantially higher production speed, as well as printing a marking of more characters on the flat and rounded sides of extremely hot rolls of steel, in less time”. Thus, the demands imposed by China’s leading steel producer when ordering the latest marker robot for their hot strip mill from Dutch manufacturing company, Tebulo Industrial Robotics. Or, in short: “Substantially improve the cycle time of our hot strip mill.” In this article, Hans Spaans, Technology Director of Tebulo Industrial Robotics, explains how he met this challenge in a country supplying 50% of the world’s total steel production.
With considerable speed, approximately 60 glowing hot rolls of steel (800° C), weighing 20 to 30 tons each are passing through, with their ‘eye to the sky’, on the ‘walking beam’ in the Chinese hot strip mill. Positioned beside the ‘walking beam’ is Tebulo Industrial Robotics’ latest marker robot. Within the traceability context, this robot applies a unique ID number to each of the rolls. For several decades and to the fullest customer satisfaction, Tebulo Industrial Robotics delivered marker robots to the leading Chinese steel manufacturer, annually producing 21 million tons of steel.
For over 20 years, the above production line had operated with a Tebulo marker robot. Spaans explains: “However, the robot had reached its technological end of life and needed to be replaced, as spare parts were no longer available. So this was the main reason for ordering a new marker robot.”
Process
One by one, the robot prints markings on passing rolls, which appears simple. Yet, in practice it turns out to be a considerable technological challenge. Namely, on this production line, the exact position per roll is not defined: It is always an approximate position. Consequently there may be considerable variations in a roll’s position. Due to the extremely high temperatures and slight inaccuracies in the line’s drive system, the rolls of steel are not accurately positioned. As soon as the roll in need of marking stops, the robot must first detect where the marking should be placed on the roll’s side, as well as the roll’s exact position and height. In order to establish this, first a procedure to determine the accurate measurements must be carried out. Successfully performing the procedure constituted a major technological challenge, since it is all very time-critical.
Time
The cycle time per roll amounts to 60 seconds. Per roll, only 25 seconds are available for the application of the marking and the measuring procedure, while merely 15 seconds are utilized for the actual measuring. In other words, the unique ID number has to be applied in the 10 remaining seconds. Spaans explains: “This was hardly feasible for the old robot, let alone with the new one. The standard for the latest marker robot was, namely, that it had to have the capability to maximally apply 25 characters at a time. On average, the application of 1 character takes 1.2 seconds. The smaller characters still take 1 second per character. Once the walking beam stands still, the marking is applied. The line comes available as soon as the robot finishes its procedure. While intending to solve these technological challenges, the producer intended to increase line performance as well. In short: More had to be accomplished in less time. So we needed to find a different, smart solution.”
Previously
In the old process, the line control system determined when the rolls of steel were stopped. There were no line data, speed and position data available. So the robot’s controller received a start signal from the line controller as soon as the line stopped. Next, the robot controller received the printable data. Before the marking could be applied to the roll of steel, the robot arm moved towards the steel roll in order to measure the diameter, position and height of the roll in a fixed pattern. Next, based on all of these data, the controller could plot the robot’s exact trajectory needed for the application of the marking’s received number of characters. Spaans explains: “Elaborating upon the old system, we have sought for a way to gain time somewhere. The idea emerged to optimize the measuring cycle by conducting it while the rolls of steel were in transport. Also, whenever feasible, process time could be considerably shortened by performing various measurements simultaneously, instead of one by one.”
Measuring Process
The measuring process consists of a combination of a distance laser and synchronization of line transport. Every 5 ms, the laser detects each roll’s contours by performing a distance measurement on the passing roll from a fixed position. The speed at which a steel roll passes is determined by accurately measuring the line movement with the assistance of the line transport sensors. By combining data derived from both measurements, the respective roll’s contours may be determined, as well as its exact stop position. Next, these data are sent to the robot controller which combines these data with the fixed, known distance to the walking beam, in order to calculate the roll’s position and particularly the location of the arch on which the marking needs to be applied. Moreover, the known information is that the rolls are accurately positioned within +/- 200 mm. The rolls are perpendicularly placed on the line by means of a tilting system with an allowable positioning accuracy of +/- 150 mm. In other words, based on the available information, the robot’s controller easily plots the exact trajectory in which the marking needs to be applied. No additional measuring is required in the described approach, aside from the roll-height measurement, saving approximately 10 seconds per roll. When asked whether the height measurement might also be included in one pass, Spaans responds: “No, a height measuring process is necessary under all circumstances. This is because not all rolls of steel are identical, while the marking position, as seen from the top down, must always be identical. The height measurement also helps to determine whether the roll has a case of telescoping. This measurement performed on the roll’s flat side is a tested and approved measuring approach. In a case of excessive telescoping the marking is only printed on the roll’s rounded side.
Single Nozzle
On average, every 3 to 6 weeks, during a regular maintenance stop, the robot receives any necessary maintenance. If the rollers of the hot strip mill have to be replaced, then the line with the rolls of steel needs to be emptied. Consequently, the line transport speed changes. In the controller’s new configuration, this does not at all impact measurement accuracy. Just as previously, the customer decided again for a single nozzle for the latest marker robot. A seven-nozzle dot matrix is faster in applying a marking. However, the single-nozzle design is much less sensitive to pollution within a hot environment, so it has a better performance output than the dot matrix. The white paint utilised for the marking’s application was fully developed in-house by Tebulo Industrial Robotics. The paint can easily be refilled while the robot is in operation, since the paint supply system sits outside the safety fence surrounding the robot.
Finally
Concluding, Spaans says: “Meanwhile, Tebulo Industrial Robotics has placed several marker robots, as described above, in hot strip mills worldwide. We were able to accomplish a considerable time savings per roll, particularly by integrating data from line and robot control in conjunction with parallel implementation of various measurements. This benefits the line’s eventual performance as well as TCO.”
Vestas’ containerised and modularised nacelle concept is a multi-purpose structure with container-specific add-on features for lifting, transportation and storage. It also reduces the turbine’s carbon footprint by turning nacelles into self-contained transportable modules.
The out-of-the-box concept aims for full value chain simplication, from component sourcing to manufacture, transportation, installation and lifetime upkeep. All are challenged by growing nacelle dimensions with scale, plus envisaged huge future leaps in turbine volumes.
The modularised nacelle concept was introduced with the enhanced EnVentus V162-6.8 MW, involving the switch from a single nacelle to a split compartmentalised arrangement with reduced dimensions. The main elements are the central nacelle and single “click-on” side compartment, which is effectively a modular power unit containing converters and the MW-transformer (below). A second (optional) service side-compartment incorporating a foldable crane can be hoisted up and attached to the other nacelle side, again via standardised lock-pin interface connections.
The V236-15.0 MW features two such modular power units, now permanently mounted, plus a separate service crane arrangement.
The modularised architecture creates flexible platforms from reusable building blocks with clearly defined physical boundaries, enabling platform synergies regarding design, testing, validation and long-term asset upkeep across onshore and offshore applications.
The V236-15.0 MW prototype was installed in late 2022. The EnVentus V162-6.8 MW prototype with modularised nacelle will follow in 2023, while a date for the EnVentus V172-7.2 MW has not been disclosed yet.
TebuloRobotics AGV solution for the production of large blades
Dutch hi-tech industry solutions specialist TebuloRobotics conducted its first robotised blade-spraying demonstration in early 2021, which it says generated overwhelming (wind) industry responses.
The technology concept is based on a multi-purpose in-house autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) or advanced tool carrier, deployable to autonomously perform multiple pre-determined new or repetitive sequential tasks, including during rotor blade manufacture.
This AGV has four electrically powered 360-degree rotatable wheels, allowing unrestricted precision vehicle movement in all directions, enabled by cutting-edge external guided motion technology. This allows AGVs to autonomously enter a given production hall, move towards a pre-selected blade and start performing a specific, predetermined task. It follows a blade’s complex three-dimensional shapes and curvatures without requiring detailed product-specific dimensioning or hard robot programming.
Multiple deployment opportunities explored with industry partners include blade deburring after mould removal, surface grinding and coating, vortex-generator and lighting-receptor placement, blade-root grinding and studs placement, and non-destructive digital blade-inspections including ultrasonic scanning.
With blades becoming ever longer and thus also getting wider, a specific focus area has been to develop fast, high-quality automated coating to replace increasingly time-consuming and resource-intensive current manual practices. The total blade surface area is estimated to be in the 1,000-1,400m2 range for 14-15MW flagship offshore turbines with 220–236m rotors. TebuloRobotics is working on two alternative robotised blade-coating solutions: with paint rollers and precision-spraying.
Robot With Sustainable Induction Technology Solution
In cooperation with Cojafex, Tebulo Industrial Robotics is developing a robot with induction technology and ‘external guided motion’ software for heat treatment of multiple bends in steel pipes (i.e. ‘pipe spool’) up to a diameter 20”. The tempering process reduces the stress caused within the bends of the pipe spools.
The idea of deploying induction technology for this new robot system was launched by Cojafex, who utilized this for many years. Subsequently, Tebulo Industrial Robotics combined this technology with their many years of experience in the field of robotics and EGM software. Application of EGM software enables the system to easily follow any steel pipe with bends (i.e. ‘pipe spool’), without the need for complex robot programming. Based on the shape detected by the robot, the heat treatment will be done within the set parameters The system creates a measuring report that may be used for quality control purposes later on.
Before
Traditionally, heat treatment after a bending process on bends is done in an oven at approx. 600 °C, followed by cooling them. The new robot system is considerably better for the environment and leads to substantially lower energy costs. Moreover, by using this technology deformation of the end pieces (tangents) can be avoided.
Clamping System
The new robotic system is best compared to a so-called nerve spiral, a widely known game. Over a 9-meter long ‘‘track‘’, the robot moves up and down from one end of the steel pipe to the other. In this system, the 3- to 5-meter long pipe spool is always clamped at one end in a hydraulic clamping system. In the 0 position, the robot is positioned with the induction ring against the clamping system. From there, the robot scans the shape of the bend/spool. The system is provided with a clamping system on either side of the robot ‘‘track‘’. This enables the robot to work on one side, while the operator puts a new ‘‘spool‘’ at the free clamp.
Heating Process
Once the contours are scanned, the robot travels the same trajectory again while heat treating the bends in the spool. As soon as the robot detects a bend on its trajectory the induction ring the pipe automatically heated to around 600 °C. The (heare treatment) process speed is approximately 1 mm per sec. to allow a good heat distribution in the material. As soon as the robot reaches the pipe’s straight part again, induction heating is fully automatically switched off. Once the process is completed, the pipe spool is cooled down, prior to its removal from the clamp, while the robot returns to its 0 position.
Delivery
The new system was succesfully delivered to the Cojafex’s Norwegian sister company for testing, production and promotional purposes. Next, the sales activities for the new system will be launched. The present system is designed for pipe size 4” to 20”, but can also be made available for other sizes. In addition to that, the system can be executed with quenching instead of only tempering.
