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Steel structure manufacturer Maru Metall has commissioned a Voortman V807 robotic profile processing line, costing nearly one million euros, at its Ardu plant. According to the company, it is currently the only equipment of its kind in Estonia.

The objective of the investment is to connect design and manufacturing into a more comprehensive digital workflow, reduce manual operations in profile preprocessing, and improve the factory’s working environment. The new line can process structural steel profiles up to 15 meters long, with a maximum cross-sectional envelope dimension of up to 1,100 millimeters.

“We didn’t simply invest in a new cutting machine. Our goal is to transfer the geometry created in the designer’s model directly into production as seamlessly as possible, eliminating manual measurement, template making, and several intermediate operations from the workflow,” said Heiti Zukovits, Chairman of the Management Board at Maru Metall. “The robotic line gives designers more freedom and makes the fabrication of complex steel parts more controllable, repeatable, and efficient.”

Designed for heavy structural steel profiles

While fast and precise laser profile cutting equipment is already used in Estonia, the main difference with Maru Metall’s new line lies in the size of the processed profiles. The V807 is designed for processing load-bearing structural steel profiles, and its working envelope enables the automation of profiles over one meter wide.

Maru Metall can process HEA, HEB, IPE, UPE, and UNP profiles up to 15 meters long, as well as RHS and SHS tubes, L-profiles, and flat bars. The long raw material stock allows for the optimal nesting of parts by project or profile group, reducing material scrap.

 

 

Through robotic plasma cutting, the following can be performed in a single automated workflow:

• Straight and complex geometric end cuts
• Cutouts and penetrations
• Round and slotted holes
• Weld preparation bevels
• Assembly markings for stiffeners and connecting parts
• Profile processing on all four sides without manual flipping

Assembly markings transfer the exact locations of stiffeners and connecting parts defined in the designer’s digital model directly onto the profile. This reduces manual layout measurement, speeds up part positioning, and minimizes the risk of errors and rework.

The next phase of automation

Maru Metall’s profile processing automation began in 2009 when the company acquired a Kaltenbach automatic drilling and sawing center. This made it possible to fabricate large quantities of drilled steel profiles quickly and accurately, providing the company with a significant competitive advantage in executing such projects. The new robotic line complements this existing capability. Production planning can now select the most suitable processing route for each part and leverage the strengths of both machines as needed.

“The Kaltenbach continues to ensure fast sawing and high-precision drilling. The V807 adds the freedom to fabricate complex workpiece geometries that previously required multiple steps and extensive manual labor,” Zukovits explained. “We no longer have to choose between fast, accurate drilling or flexible geometry. Now we have both capabilities.”

Investment in the working environment

A major objective of the investment was to improve the working environment. Complex cutouts and other profile processing operations previously had to be done using manual plasma torches in the main production shop near other workstations. Containing the cutting fumes and airborne emissions was an ongoing challenge.

In the V807, plasma cutting takes place inside a fully enclosed, automated processing chamber. Cutting fumes are captured at the source and routed through a filtration system. As a result, reliance on manual plasma cutting and worker exposure to cutting fumes are significantly reduced, improving overall air quality in the production area.

“This is not just an investment in productivity. We are moving a large portion of manual plasma work into a controlled automated process separated from the operator. Therefore, it is an investment in quality, our people, and the next stage of Maru Metall’s development,” Zukovits stated.

For the client, this new capability means a shorter, better-managed production process, consistent quality, reduced risk of error, and greater freedom when designing steel structures and connection joints.

The investment was co-financed by the European Union through the Cohesion Fund under the project “Maru Metall AS Resource Efficiency Investments.” The grant amount is €380,002.50, administered by the Environmental Investment Centre (KIK).

Maru Metall is one of Estonia’s leading steel structure manufacturers and exporters. The company’s production facilities are located at the Ardu plant in Harju County. Maru Metall manufactures CE-marked steel structures up to execution class EXC3 and holds an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) detailing the environmental impact of its products.

 

Further information: Heiti Zukovits, Chairman of the Management Board, Maru Metall, +372 509 2599, heiti.zukovits@maru.ee

 

 

The Voortman V807 robotic profile processing line enables complex geometric end cuts that would take a human worker several hours to execute manually.