Twice the efficiency in maintenance

SJ and Jernhusen are jointly investing in a tandem wheel lathe with an ultrasonic robot that will make wheel maintenance twice as efficient.

It is the first time in Scandinavia that an ultrasonic robot has been integrated with a tandem wheel lathe in a single maintenance process. The solution has been installed at Jernhusen’s depot in Hagalund. It will not only double capacity for wheel maintenance, but also enable proactive, high-tech maintenance of train wheels.

“The new tandem lathe is combined with completely new measuring equipment and an ultrasonic scanner that allows us to detect defects deep inside the wheel with high precision. By integrating two critical maintenance steps into a single, high-tech flow, we are turning the lathe into a modern industrial process and can carry out reprofiling more effectively,” says Pär Söderström, technical specialist at SJ.

With the investment, maintenance will shift from being event-driven to more proactive. Inspections previously had to be carried out manually, whereas the robot works autonomously and with high precision. It requires a completely smooth surface to take accurate measurements. It is positioned in the process flow directly after the tandem lathe. All measurement data is then transferred automatically to SJ’s maintenance system.

Hagalund is growing

SJ owns the lathe and has signed a 25-year lease with Jernhusen, which is responsible for developing the depot area. The modernization of the 100-year-old depot will bring smarter use of space and more sustainable, modern buildings.

The new workshop hall housing the lathe has therefore been built with a load-bearing timber frame. The aim is for it to achieve BREEAM Outstanding certification.

Jennie Kastengren, Regional Manager Depots, Business Area Projects & Investments at Jernhusen says:

“We have come a long way in modernizing Hagalund into a facility that meets future requirements. For us, it’s about making the most of every square meter of railway land. With SJ stepping up as operator and opening the lathe to the whole market, we get robust infrastructure that benefits all our tenants. It is through partnerships like this, and our close work with the Swedish Transport Administration, that we can address the railway’s capacity challenges“.

The workshop hall and associated tracks represent an investment of SEK 266 million. The tandem lathe accounts for around SEK 35 million and the ultrasonic robot SEK 18 million.