How Forestry Machine Frames Are Made | Robot Welding & CNC Machining
Welding robots, giant CNC machines, and the skilled people making them work. We visit Palmet in Mustasaari, Finland, to see how heavy steel frames for Logset forestry machines are made. These machines harvest and transport timber, but this visit is all about their steel structures: welding, preparation for painting, and machining.
Buying a welding robot is only the beginning. We explain why a frame designed for hand welding needs changes before a robot can weld it, how the rotating positioner helps the robot reach the seams, and what system integration and programming involve. The robot uses the welding wire to locate the joints, while people prepare the next frame and finish welds the robot cannot reach.
We also hear how steel-shot blasting prepares the frames for painting, and why having an in-house paint shop makes scheduling easier. Then we visit a giant milling machine, where a rear frame can be finished in one setup on the rotating table.
The operator explains what it takes to handle large parts, build the setup and machine the mounting faces, holes and bearing housing. We talk about setup time, how experience has changed the work, and why producing different frame models is rarely repetitive. We also look at machining the articulation joint and an older machine used to train operators before they move to larger equipment.
Big thanks to everyone at Palmet for showing us around and explaining their work!
Learn more about Palmet / Palosaaren Metalli Oy: https://palmet.fi/index.php/fi/
This visit continues our journey from AGCO Power’s engine factory towards a finished forestry machine. In the next episode, we visit Logset to see how the frames, engines and other parts come together, then take the machines for a drive. Subscribe to Beyond the Press to follow along!
What surprised you most: the preparation behind robot welding, the manual work that remains, or machining parts this big? Let us know in the comments.
Edited by @Donitsikoira
CHAPTERS
00:00 How forestry-machine frames are made
00:44 The welding robot and rotating positioner
01:36 Redesigning the frame for robot welding
02:21 Robot integration and programming
02:56 How the robot finds the weld seam
03:41 The welding work still done by hand
04:07 Shot blasting and painting
04:58 Machining a frame on a giant milling machine
06:08 Finishing the frame in one setup
07:28 Working with heavy parts and fixtures
08:13 Setup time, experience and different frame models
11:00 Machining the articulation joint
12:03 Training on an older machine
12:57 Next stop: Logset factory and test drives
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