Product category:
Automation and assembly systems
News Release from: EMC | Subject: EMC automatic component handling systems
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 12 August 2004
Handling systems allow unmanned machine
operation
Automatic component handling systems increase productivity by allowing the running of machines unmanned outside normal working hours and can also deliver controlled component batches to assembly.
With EMC's automatic component handling systems, companies can increase productivity by running their machines unmanned outside normal working hours The systems can also be used to deliver controlled batches of components to assembly lines
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 26 Apr 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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The EMC system automatically collects parts from any type of production machine and keeps them separated in controlled batches.
Each batch can be defined by number of parts, weight or running time, and is collected into a separate container.
Once a container is full, the next automatically moves into place.
Controlled batches of components support quality assurance and traceability, improve housekeeping, and protect delicate or expensive parts from damage.
From a health and safety perspective, the units free the work area from obstructions and mean that operators no longer need to lift heavy boxes full of components.
The reverse of filling the boxes up is emptying them - which is why the units can be equally effective for line feeding.
The unit is filled with the day's requirement of parts, either from stock or directly from a production machine, and simply wheeled to the line.
The units can be programmed to present the operator with a new container of parts after a specified time or on demand.
The operator does not have to lift heavy loads and empty boxes are stored in the unit so there is no clutter around the line.
Each system is tailor-made, and customers can specify the number and size of containers, with a capacity of up to 80kg per box, and the colour scheme for the unit.
If required, customers can have the unit built to take their existing boxes.
The units can also be built to act as a "setter's mate" and hold all the tools that the operator might require.
The units are based around PLC technology, simple to program and easily moved around the workshop.
This means that, in contrast to dedicated part collectors, they provide a flexible resource that can be used across a number of machines, depending on the current requirement.
To collect batches containing a specified number of parts, the PLC communicates with the mother machine via a simple plug-in connection.
Alternatively, the batches can be defined by programming the unit with the required running time or the weight of parts in the container.
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