Fanuc GE and Fanuc Robotics to automate the environment of machine tools

The robots are used ever more frequently for the automation of manufacturing cells, as well as for continuous production processes. Not only for production on a large scale, but also for the manufacturing of small series, there are appropriate and innovative robotics solutions: for example, the so-called intelligent robots, equipped with a camera and special devices of mooring. These robots are able to identify the position, size and the form of different pieces, as well as grabbing them and carry them with total reliability, that he has claws servocontroladas, enabling them to control the force with which to grab the pieces. In this way they can manipulate different types of pieces deposited without a warrant on a palette or a conveyor belt. Nor is it necessary to use special tweezers, so adjustment of these processes are eliminated.

This type of robotics solutions are fully developed in the process of machining of metals. This is demonstrated by many examples in practice, as the company Alfing Kessler Sondermaschinen of Aalen, Germany. This supplier of production facilities key in hand for the automotive industry, noted some years ago a continuous decline in the volume of production required. Production plants should, therefore, be able to re-equip more quickly and economically. Preliminary tests, in which the conventional solutions of portico were replaced by more flexible articulated robots were made. The results were extremely satisfactory. Possible reserves in relation to the difficulties in terms of their programming and operation, as well as to their reliability dissipate them Fanuc Robotics and GE Fanuc which follows with statistical data, the time between failures (MTBF). GE Fanuc, for example, the average time between failures of CNC controls is more than ten years, which statistically means that they have passed more than ten years of normal functioning of the machine so that there is a failure because of the control. The connection of the robot to the CNC control unit is easy with the Fanuc solution. The machine and the controller of the robot are connected through a single cable, forming a system of quick and easy implementation in progress and simple handling.

The plant of Chiron in Tuttlingen, Germany fell by 82 per cent of production costs declined in the five years that the manual loading was replaced with automatic loading. In 2004, Chiron presented the Flexcell Duo, an advanced flexible manufacturing for machining cell full of 6 sides, combining two centres of Chiron FZ 08 W machining with a robot M-6iB of 6 axles Fanuc. It has on one side of a store of pieces, from which it takes parts in raw and in which deposited the finished parts. The burden of the Bureau of food takes place parallel to the main proceedings. However, the capacity for implementation of a robot goes beyond the loading and unloading of parts. You can run secondary processes such as the cleaning of the machined parts, marking and palletizing. Equipped with adequate vision systems, you can also perform deburring and control tasks associated with the system of quality control. Chiron uses not only robots with the Flexcell Duo. The Quattrocell, presented a year ago, and that integrates two consoles of milling of dual-head on a linear motor, is offered as solution Duo automated using robots.

The use of the robots is not limited to the applications of milling and turning. Also grinders manufacturers now offer this type of solution, for example, Ewag AG in Switzerland and Walter Maschinenbau at Tübingen, Germany, both belonging to the Schleifring group. In Ewag Easygrind the grinding machine for grinding four-axis precision tools is used for the manufacture and reafilado of polycrystalline materials of PCD and PCBN cutting plates. The LR Mate 200iB of Fanuc robot can be attached easily on the outside of it. The robot is primarily responsible for rapid loading and unloading of the plates of court. Take the pieces rough of a palette located under the entry to the workspace and then deposits them on a device within the work area. After machining, replaced the plate finished on the other hand to mechanise. Especially advantageous are short cycles of loading and unloading, 6 to 8 seconds on average. Grinding machines machines Walter Helitronic Maschinenbau also benefit from these advantages. This company has designed, among other things, a variant in which a robot LR Mate 200iB of Fanuc is integrated into the machine. In this case, the robot is responsible not only for the exchange of pieces, but it also performs functions of measure and change of teeth grinding. The connection to the machine is simple: the robot is connected to the machine as a slave via I/O Link of Fanuc. This contributes positively the existence of an interface between the robot and control of the machine, a series CNC GE Fanuc 310i.

Robot applications in machine tools, in addition to to handle flexible tools and grinding teeth, are also suitable for integration in a complete system composed of measurement and processing machines and peripheral modules or to interconnect several machines forming a cell. Thus it considers Spinner Automation GmbH in Marktgröningen, Germany, a subsidiary of the company Spinner Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik, of Sauerlach. Spinner Automation is currently experiencing a huge demand for automation, especially by small-sized companies and a half with no ability to relocate their production abroad. They made most of the orders of machines with Automation according to their needs, so that they can improve their productivity. Given that this specialist in automation builds and manufactures its own machines, can offer customized solutions, from simple systems of manipulation to interlinked plants. Spinner Automation has already wide range of applications, for example classical solutions in which the robot is situated front of the machine. In addition to loading and unloading, it deals with the measurement, cleaning and other tasks, thereby creating an additional utility. As such, robots can also be installed to be used in two or more machines, which reduces costs. Often they are used from above, combining the advantages of a gantry loader, for example access to the machine does not change, with the flexibility of jointed-arm robot. An integrated solution offers the advantage of a minimum space requirement. The robot is situated in the machine in a constructed building. However, this should be met certain requirements, such as space, small series and reduced generation of chips. The robot carries out very short cycle times, due to small movements.