Product category:
Handling and automation equipment
News Release from: ABB Robotics | Subject: Geku 6-axis robots
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 20 December 2002
Six-axis robots to speed up moulding
systems
Robots will become increasingly familiar in injection moulding processes as cycle times are reduced and post-moulding processes need to be performed more efficiently then ever before.
ABB, the global power and automation technologies group, has appointed the automation and robotics supplier, Geku, to develop the integration of its world-class, 6-axis robots into UK manufacturing industries Geku is a turnkey solutions expert with substantial process knowledge and over 15-years experience in the plastics industry and is set to become a perfect ally as ABB increasingly moves towards selling robot solutions via preferred partners
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 27 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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ABB produces more than 12,000, 6-axis robots each year and believes that the robots will become increasingly familiar in injection moulding processes as cycle times are reduced and post-moulding processes need to be performed more efficiently then ever before.
Colin Jakes, ABB Account Manager for Plastics Industries, comments: "Six-axis robots, which are fast and flexible and can be quickly adapted for different applications and product design variants, are perfect for manufacturers dealing with complex injection moulding jobs.
They can be used for a wide range of value-added tasks from insert loading through to assembly and packaging.
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This flexibility makes them ideal for the varied and fast-paced plastics industry." Geku's joint Managing Director Nigel Richardson believes that ABB's strategy is a perfect match for his company: "We are looking forward to combining our specialist systems integration knowledge with ABB, which has world class robotics technologies and unparalleled Industrial IT software competencies.
We complement each other well and by joining forces we will be able to develop optimum automation solutions for industry." Geku has recently secured an order as a result of its new partnership with ABB.
The customer, an established plastic moulder supplying the building tool industry, required a significant reduction in post-mould deflashing cycle times with consistency in quality to be considerably improved, and looked to six-axis, robot-based automation for the answer.
Traditionally the company had employed manual deflashing but this required between five to six people per shift with each person taking between three and four minutes to manually remove flash from just one item, and this was creating a bottleneck in the manufacturing system.
The company turned to Geku to provide a turnkey solution which would replace manual deflashing and improve quality.
The Geku system incorporating the ABB 6-axis robot has reduced the customer's deflashing cycle time for one item to just 15-20 seconds.
An important feature of the system is its ability to identify many different product variants.
Geku was presented with the challenge of designing a vision system for the robot which could identify up to 40 different product variants presented randomly.
For example, on a typical production run for product 'A' , approximately 14 different tools would be required, so not only would the robotic system have to identify the product it was working on, it would need to recognise all that product's variants and change tools and programs accordingly.
Geku introduced a low-cost vision system that was integrated with the robot while also working with the customer to introduce a unique, yet unobtrusive, indent on each product that could be instantly recognised by the robot.
Nigel Richardson, Geku, comments: "Smart plastic injection moulders are moving away from traditional approaches to automation, and six-axis robots, which offer the benefit of enhanced flexibility and have an ability to adapt quickly to additional operations, are increasingly being offered and used within our applications.
As a systems integrator, Geku is finding that the 6-axis robot is more frequently becoming a valuable asset in finding the best solution to our customer's requirements." . Request a free brochure from ABB Robotics ...
(This was Manufacturingtalk's Top Story on 19 December 2002).
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