Skoda's new servo press line PXL II at the Mladá Boleslav plant has commenced full operation.
The line enables large aluminium parts to be processed for the first time. Up to 23,000 press parts can be produced each day for various models. PXL II makes the production process significantly more flexible and reduces energy consumption by 15% compared to conventional systems. The automaker has created 140 new jobs on the line.
The new PXL II, alongside the servo-mechanical press line PXL I, which went into operation in 2013, is the second press line at Mladá Boleslav. Both are among the most advanced of their kind in Europe. There are only 20 presses of this type in the entire Volkswagen Group. One special feature of PXL II is the energy recovery system, whereby the energy released during the pressing process is recuperated and reused later in the production process.
The new press line enables a particularly flexible production process: The conversion energy can be adjusted and regulated as required via 14 decentralised servomotors. Add to this the ease of use and significantly shorter set-up times; exchanging a press tool now takes less than three minutes. Each one of up to 23,000 press parts produced daily on the new line goes through quality control.
Construction work on the 11,600 square metre hall four for the new press line began in late 2015, and the entire 3,000-tonne line was transported from Erfurt in spring 2016. Trial operation began in December 2016.
