1. LEGO Automation Examples
D. Mikkel Hansen 11/26/12

2. Overview – Current State
Based in Billund, Denmark
Founded in 1949
LEGO molding factories in Denmark, Hungary and Mexico
400 billion bricks since 1949
19 billion annually
306 million mini rubber tires per year
Complete automation
18 out of 1 million bricks wasted
.0018%

3. Overview – Where, Who, What, When
Inside the LEGO factory
Class Application: What type of automation is used?

4. Overview – Where, Who, What, When
Sensors
AGV
Conveyors
AS/RS
Fieldbus
Grippers
Networks
Etc.

5. Overview – Costs $8 billion revenue yearly – 3rd largest toy retailer
No official data on production costs
“Because we have so many specialized pieces, the average cost per piece is difficult to name. For example, a 2x4 Lego brick does not require the complexity to produce as a Lego mini figure or a Lego fence piece. The molds that we use to create Lego elements are very expensive to design and produce.”
About 0.42 cent per piece
AGV – $100,000+
AS/RS – $5 Million
Conveyors – Thousands

6. Overview – Supporting Technology
Mainframe – “the brains of the LEGO factory”
CAD systems
NX since 2008
Optimization
Stress analysis
Technicians
Programmers

7. Industry – Application Rules and Limitations
Tolerance of 10 micrometers

8. Industry – Primary Vendors

9. Industry – Existing/Evolving Standards
Themed new sets
Star Wars
Harry Potter
Atlantis
Mindstorm
LEGO theme park
Improving robots
Design methods

10. Application – Technical Paper
Collaboration with Mindstorm experts
Payment with LEGO sets
Piracy of proprietary Mindstorm programming
The Dream Factory
Link to technical paper

11. References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego