Flexible robotic production cell assembles in 6s

Aylesbury Automation has supplied a lexible robotic production cell to assemble a range of similar, two pin electrical plugs and sockets and produces one complete assembly every 6s.

Aylesbury Automation has configured and delivered a flexible robotic production cell Deutsch UK to meet increasing product demand.

The robotic cell at Deutsch assembles a range of similar, two pin electrical plugs and sockets and produces one complete part every six seconds.

Production engineering manager at Deutsch UK, Matt Davidson, said: "The new machine is excellent.

We've had it running in production ever since commission.

It is extremely reliable and the amount of operator adjustment necessary has been far less than we expected".

* Robot replaces rotary table system - Deutsch UK makes interconnection equipment for harsh environments, and sought a flexible assembly system for its manufacturing plant at St Leonards on Sea.

Using a robotic system to replace a conventional rotary table, Deutsch is now able to simply reprogram the cell without having to buy new tooling.

Robots in manufacturing require shorter lead times than conventional systems as there are fewer mechanical parts to be changed when assembly lines and manufacturing processes are altered.

The Aylesbury Automation production cell ultrasonically welded plug caps and bodies in a single assembly fixture.

Two vibratory bowl feeders and linear drivers feed the parts into the cell.

The bowls and linear tracks have been tooled to orientate the parts into the correct position to be picked up by a Denso HS 45352G robot.

The robot was supplied by AA Robotics, the robotics division of Aylesbury Automation.

The cell's flexibility allows different similar components - where there is a change in shape of plug and socket body - to be easily assembled using interchangeable bowl tops and linear feeder tracks.

The robot loads the parts under a Branson ultrasonic welder, after which a stamp is applied to some of the caps.

A quality assurance, tensile (pull) test is made on selected products and the frequency of this testing is controlled by the customer, from the robot's HMI panel.

* No PLC used - there is no PLC in the production cell.

The multi tasking robot controller, using Devicenet I/O, directs and coordinates all the cell's functions and produces considerable cost savings.

Six background tasks operate to control 128 I/O points.

All status and error messages are shown on the robot HMI.

Deutsch has been using a robot for some time in the manufacture of products but, encouraged by the low capital cost of the Aylesbury Automation cell, the company is now investigating other processes which might benefit from robotic systems.

"I've been most impressed with the the machine supplied to us," said Davison.

"It has been running consistently in production since it was commissioned with products being manufactured and packaged directly into their shipping cartons.

I hope this will be indicative of future equipment supplied by Aylesbury Automation as this has been a most successful project".

* About Aylesbury Automation - Aylesbury Automation, a system integrator for AA Robotics Denso robots, is the UK's leading supplier of productivity solutions to the manufacturing sector with over 40 years experience gained throughout almost every type of industry.

The company's core products include a full range of tooled vibration parts feeders, associated handling equipment, robots and rivet setting machines enabling a complete and often turnkey service to customers.

The business runs a full IT capability, using networked computers and sophisticated 3D CAD systems and is ISO 9001:2000 and Investors in People accredited.

Aylesbury Automation employs approximately 28 people at its UK headquarters and manufacturing plant located in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK.

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