This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Fanuc tiñe de amarillo la tecnología

Get 4,700 visitors in a day of open doors in showing the latest

FANUC dyed yellow technology

Ibon Linacisoro15/06/2007

At the foot of Mount Fuji a very characteristic yellow light forests and wild nature. They are the colors of Fanuc, a Japanese company that has focused on the technology to gain world leadership in many segments in which it acts. Face the competition of cheap labour, Fanuc has finally opted for media production automated, not only to convince their customers that can save, but implemented in their own factories manufacturing cells that equate parts of his factory with science fiction. It is not, it is the factory of Fanuc, where robots are robots, but above all, to reduce time and costs in production systems. MetalUnivers was in April in the central facilities of Oshino-Mura, Yamanashi Prefecture to be surprised by this Japanese manufacturer.

With Mount Fuji in the background, Fanuc is surrounded by a gorgeous setting that takes care of the maximum.

On April 4 Fanuc organized an open day to which was attended by about 4,700 people, in a single day really worth wait in line to be informed about a particular product? Do scroll to this plant to learn more about their products? The truth is that Yes, the exhibition organized by Fanuc is a good reflection of what its production plant shows: that we are one of the companies with the most modern production systems in the world. And Fanuc to part of the future to surprise us. Literally. It seems as if the fact that when there is Monday morning in Europe is Sunday night had influenced his vision for the future. They live in the future of Europe. It was the vision of Seieuemon Inaba, 50 years ago, which allowed to begin the adventure of the current Fanuc and is the thrust of his son, Yoshiharu Inaba, and his own, that of the founder, which have been located to Fanuc where it is.

FANUC arranged in an own flag prepared for this purpose, all his knowledge. Advances in the CNC, the new functions of many of them, were presented with their robots, machines of injection of plastics, their motors, laser cutting machines, their specific applications for sectors such as automotive, Roboshot arcades and their equipment for EDM Robocut.

Some of the innovative products in the Open House were: various functions for five-axis machining as the command point of Court (TCP); the function anti-collision which ensures the absence of interference between tools, parts and table in three dimensional spaces; the new series of CNC 0i-TTC, intended for machine tool simple CNC with functionality and extended performance; laser of 4kW improved as regards the quality of court and speed.

In general, noting the exposure, was seen a trend in the manufacture of simple CNCs with more functions, precisely what is registering Manual Guide I.

In the field of CNC especially stressed the improved control of the five pillars, as well as the possibility of multifunction, with possibility of controlling turning and milling machine control with a control only.

Simplify the management is also one of the relevant objectives in Fanuc. The series 30i/31i/32i-model A improves the management of programming and provides programming templates that much facilitate the task of the programmer. A special solution for car that, until now, have been working with built-in PC was. It is proposed the use of standard numerical controls, using external PCs, something that can be considered as a trend in Asia and European OEMs in the automotive sector already seen with good eyes.

Robots tested before being supplied.

In the area of robots were appreciated that artificial intelligence is normal use in Fanuc. Before, if they were to be successful, the pieces that should take a robot should be well palletised for identification.

Now, the IRVision intelligent vision system ensures a good result even with curved surfaces, while the FS30 and FS60 pressure sensor provides a grip of parts provided to its weight and shape.

Also the expansion of the DiS series of engines of high par sincronos could meet with models of high speed of the same dimensions as the versions for low speed, thus extending its scope to include other machine tool. The incorporation into all the DiS series of a new absolute sensor, smaller size and ease of maintenance, offers solutions, economic and compact high-precision for rotating shafts. The new engines of high par sincronos Di85/1000, DiS110/1000 and DiS260/1000 offer a maximum speed of 1000 revs/min, and to reach the maximum values of pair, 85/110/260 Nm, than the standard models of the DiS series. Maintaining low fluctuations of torque and angular acceleration without load maximum of 100. 000grad/s2, these new models of high speed made possible applications of turning machining centres, extending its application to the grinders of tools and gear.

Also, you could see machines as Fanuc Robonano, a machine of five axes for nanopiezas which performs various functions of machining with nano servo-control technology and system of measuring in nanos, the machine of wire EDM Robocut ±-0iD ±-1iD and ±-1iDp and the Robodrill.

FANUC Ltd.y GE Fanuc had reached a production of more than 7 million of AC servomotors.

The day of open doors, there literally is to queue for information.

4,700 visitors in a day is a fact that says much of the technological level that occurs in these days.

Automate inside so they automate outside

Fanuc there are many things that attract attention, for example, the technological level (account with eleven r & d laboratories) and the diversification of its offer, covering CNCs, robots, tooling machines, systems, lasers, motors, drives, components for automation and machines for the plastic injection molding. An interesting fact: in their factories, almost all in same location of 1.4 million square metres, will consume 3,000 tons of iron cast a month. And another: Fanuc produces only in Japan, to ensure the quality and to avoid copies.

But since then, manufacture without human cells are its main attraction. FANUC is immersed in the development of complete production cells - called Robot Cell - which offers its customers around the world. But before all "self in their own flesh". In its factory are already 13 lines that work without people, each with a variable number of machine tools and intelligent robots, in the production of parts for its own use. One way to combat labour cheap from countries with emerging economies. Of course that are not only these robots in their factories. A walk through the same surprise anyone. Surprise dancing robots in production, its accuracy, its harmony in a hard environment of machining. They are everywhere. They are neither more nor less than 1,180 robots that Fanuc has on staff. A figure that he says much, especially if set with approximately 400 employees of flesh and blood who are engaged in work of production, which contrast with the more than 600 involved in r & d. A firm, clear, with many technology.

The plant of machining, in addition to the above-mentioned 13 robotic lines, is also equipped with many robots, as well as many brands of front line: Mazaks, Makinos, Hitachi Seikis, DMGs... FANUC does not stint when produce is.

After his first prototype of Intelligent robot, many years ago, today, not only are the basis of its own production, but that they stained yellow many factories around the world. Could it be otherwise, with a monthly production of 2,500 robots. Many of them are built by beings of the same species. A small robot can be made by robots in a process of three hours.

High market shares

FANUC sells around 15,000 CNCs per month. In Europe account with 35 percent of CNCs and Japan this percentage market share rises to 75 percent.

The servo motors, which is producing 80,000 per month, are another specialty Fanuc.

2,500 Robots per month, designed primarily to manufacturers of automobiles, machine tools and, in general, for those manufacturers who have good engineering teams are currently being manufactured. But with the concept of robotic cells, the recipient would not be already just such a manufacturer, but also machining workshops, so that the number of potential customers is multiplied. The software that dominates the entire robot and machine is called Roboguide.

The origin of the visitors is mainly Japanese.

FANUC in Spain

The marketing of the products of Fanuc in Spain is carried out by different companies:

GE Fanuc Automation - Spain: sells the products of this company in 1986 with the joint venture of General Electric and Fanuc, Ltd. They are mainly CNCs, various engines and solutions paraautomatización.
fanuc robotics: responsible for the sale and service of Fanuc robots.
Comher - machines of EDM wire Robocut and Robodrill machining centers.
Guzmán polymers: plastic injection machines.

Robot Cell: 720 hours per month without operator

FANUC has developed a system of mechanized called Robot Cell which uses intelligent robots and that is the last of three generations of automatic machining systems developed in the past 20 years.

In the 1980s, he completed the system of the first generation that could operate 24 hours continuously, including the night. This first generation allowed the automatic change of pieces by placing the parts loaded with their attachments in a "warehouse of pallets unit".

In the 1990s he introduced, as a second generation system, "vertical warehouse of pallets", who accumulate numerous pallets allowing the extension of the continuous operation without operator. This system made it possible to 72 hours without operator function, but the extension of the time of the automatic machining caused an increase in the number of moorings and the labor necessary to fix the pieces in the same. As a result, a new system was required to reduce the costs of equipment, manpower and machining.

The Robot Cell has automated the loading and unloading of parts on the moorings by intelligent robots to detect a piece at random in a pallet using a visual sensor and collects it by means of a servo hand. It compensates for variations in the position of the piece in the hand with a three-dimensional sensor, and then load the piece at the mooring.

It has developed a visual sensor that allows to take a piece placed randomly in the pallet. The image captured by visual sensor is a two-dimensional processing and the position and direction of the piece are transmitted to the robot, so that it can take the piece placed randomly.

In addition, it has developed a hand servo to grab different parts. A servo motor controls the position of the clamp of the hand and the holding power of the piece, so that it can hold pieces of different sizes and weights.

On the other hand, a 3-D sensor faces the deviation due to the differences in way of the castings. The 3-D sensor installed separately of the manipulator robot detects the piece in the hand and compensates for the diversion, so that it can be loaded with precision at the mooring.

Finally, a function has been developed to control the strength of thrust of the robot when it loads the piece at the mooring. The piece is duly moved towards the subject and fixed with accuracy, as does an operator.

These technologies are integrated into the robot, constituting the first system in the world in which a smart robot loading and unloading the pieces of the moorings rather than an operator.

7 million engines

FANUC Ltd and Fanuc GE have reached a figure of more than 7 million of AC servo production, and provided that the number 8 million engine see the light in just a few months. The Fanuc AC servomotors are used in machine tools and robotics applications.

This year has given start to the production of engines in a new factory robot, equipped with the most advanced technology, which produces a total of 150,000 servo motors a month between its units for the manufacture of engines.