© 2023 Author(s). This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). 7 ARCHIWUM INŻYNIERII PRODUKCJI PRODUCTION ENGINEERING ARCHIVES 2023, 29(1), 7-13 PRODUCTION ENGINEERING ARCHIVES ISSN 2353-5156 (print) ISSN 2353-7779 (online) Exist since 4 th quarter 2013 Available online at https://pea-journal.eu Concept of an innovative technological line for the processing of linear profiles Tomasz Gustowski 1 , Waldemar Kurek 1 , Rafał Grzejda 2* 1 AGICO Group, Miła 1, 70-813 Szczecin, Poland; t.gustowski@agico.com.pl (T.G); w.kurek@agico.com.pl (W.K.) 2 West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, 19 Piastów Ave., 70-310 Szczecin, Poland *Correspondence: rafal.grzejda@zut.edu.pl Article history Received 28.07.2022 Accepted 09.01.2023 Available online 20.02.2023 Abstract The paper presents the concept of an innovative technological line intended for the processing of long linear profiles used in engineering steel and aluminium structures, which can be both hollow and open section profiles. The line is set up with seven main sections: profile loading system, input roller con- veyor, plasma arc cutting section, circular saw cutting section, robot welding section, output roller conveyor and profile packaging system. The assumptions adopted to create the concept of the techno- logical line were specified. A block diagram of the line and drawings showing the structure of its selected elements were depicted. The features of the technological line documenting its product and process innovativeness were indicated. The proposed technological line is built in the AGICO Group company, but it can also be successfully implemented in other companies dealing with the processing of long linear profiles. Keywords Linear profiles Automated technological line Plasma arc cutting Circular saw cutting Welding robot DOI: 10.30657/pea.2023.29.2 1. Introduction One of the main functions of operational management in an industrial company is production planning (Cheraghalikhani et al., 2019; Wolniak, 2020). The management processes of own means of production lead to the reduction of production costs (Krynke, 2021; Setamanit, 2019). It is possible, inter alia, by combining various distant production stations into one technological line. Then, it is advisable to automate manufac- turing processes, which additionally reduces costs and in- creases the repeatability of the created details (Pérez et al., 2020; Siderska, 2020; Biedermann et al., 2021). This paper concerns the concept of a technological line, which was created in a company called AGICO Group dealing with the processing of long linear profiles used as load-bearing or supporting elements in steel structures (Biegus, 2015a; Bie- gus, 2015b; Gosowski et al., 2016). The processing of these profiles on the designed line takes place in the following three main stages: cutting holes with plasma, cutting to size with a circular saw and welding with robots, while usually this is performed on three separate production stations. The combi- nation of the above-mentioned operations into one line is the process innovativeness of the designed technological line (Kozioł et al., 2015). At the same time, the systems for loading and packaging profiles, as well as the plasma arc cutting sec- tion, constitute the product innovativeness of the technologi- cal line (Szopik-Depczyńska et al., 2020). The concept is be- ing deployed with the use of the European Union funds. In this sense, the paper should be treated as a preliminary note pre- ceding future publications on the results of implementing the technological line in the own business activity of the AGICO Group. 2. Literature review Currently, profiles are joined into structures by using multi- bolted (Biegus, 2015a; Sheet et. al., 2013) or welded connec- tions (Havula et. al., 2018; Mirghaderi et. al., 2010). Both hol- low section (Singh and Singh, 2018) and open section profiles (Zeinoddini and Hosseini, 2013) are used. Various methods can be applied for cutting profiles, which allow to obtain dif- ferent properties of the surface layer of the cut edges (Maier- Komor et al., 2010; Węglowski and Pfeifer, 2014; Lipiäinen et al., 2021). In the literature, one-station methods of profile processing are most often described. Kanyilmaz and Castiglioni (2018)