Product category:
Robots and robotic systems
News Release from: Fanuc Robotics (UK) | Subject: FANUC R2000iA/165 robots at Perkins
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 13 November 2007
Automated cell brings machining back
in-house
Close partnerships between a diesel engine manufacturer, a robotics supplier and a machine tool company resulted in an 'in-house' automated cylinder head machining cell.
Close partnerships with FANUC Robotics (UK) and Heller Machine Tools have brought efficient machining processes back in-house at UK diesel engine manufacturer Perkins 'Manufacturing Coach' is a job title that becomes very obvious after only a few minutes talking to Tony Green of Perkins Engines, said FANUC
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 30 Apr 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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He explained the change in working practice had benefitted the company, and the UK, over the past three years.
* Manufacturing teams - teams in the Perkins machining facility at the Peterborough site are now as close as it possibly can be to being independent profit centres within the organisation.
In other words, the teams stand by the profitability of their individual operations.
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Green explained, in a report to manufacturingtalk.com, that his role is to facilitate the teams and empower them in all areas to achieve the manufacturing objectives.
A 'Manufacturing Coach' takes the position of manufacturing manager further as it covers additional functions, including maintenance, process engineering and training management to make employee ownership really mean something.
The Perkins Type 400D Engine cylinder head is now benefitting from this working practice with a newly commissioned fully automated machining cell.
Previously this component had been machined by an external non UK based contractor, but for the past three years Perkins procurement department has included its own manufacturing teams in the tendering process.
Perkins won the contract having put a bid in based around a totally automated cell, employing teams of four operating over three shifts, five days a week.
Core to the bid was its approach to producing a cost effective manufacturing solution.
* Close cooperation - to do this a Perkins' project team worked closely with two OEM Partners, FANUC Robotics and Heller Machine Tools, to produce a highly efficient approach.
The cell produces 'ready for assembly' cylinder heads from un-machined castings.
Operating a three shift system over 24h and 5 day/week the cell will produce 80,000 cylinder heads/year.
Each team comprises three operators and a maintenance person.
Green explained, "Skills and the right attitude are essential to success; and I believe attitude is of paramount importance - we can provide skills - attitude is a little harder.
Success relies on the team working together and sharing information and experiences with each other.
If there's a breakdown the maintenance team member will attend but also the operator will be sufficiently capable and willing to provide support until operations are resumed".
He said that the key focus was to release the full potential of the teams - giving them what they need and making sure they had the right tools.
Geen added that partnering with FANUC and Heller had been a core element in achieving this.
Initiatives at Perkins have included OEMs' support teams working on site with the Perkins' teams to completely rebuild older equipment.
In the case of FANUC Robotics, it sent two Perkins apprentices to work at FANUC's Coventry base for a four week period.
* Cell operation - pallets of cylinder head castings are delivered to the cell where a FANUC R2000iA/165 robot equipped with a FANUC V500iA/3DL vision system identifies the position of the heads and then picks them up using a magnetic gripper.
After re-orientating the head, using a fixture, the robot then places the cylinder head into a marking machine and then places it onto the machine cell input conveyor.
The vision system allows Perkins to use standard pallets and eliminates the need for special jigs and costly containers.
The robot is utilised further by loading finish machined heads into a leak testing machine and reloading them safely and neatly into the pallet.
The machining cell comprises six Heller machining centres - four for pre-machining and two for finish machining.
Two washing machines ensure complete removal of metal cuttings.
Two more FANUC Robotics R2000iA/165 robots are mounted on a 20m linear slide to service the machines.
Cylinder heads enter the machining area on a power and free conveyor and from that point are handled through the cell by the robots.
The two FANUC robots are identical and, although programmed to work together servicing the machines, each one is capable of servicing the entire cell independently - therefore providing redundancy.
Using a single gripper design, each robot is able to locate the cylinder heads in any of three positions dependent on the loading/unloading requirement.
The long radial reach of the robots of 2.65m allows the machines and processes to be accessed comfortably and still allow space around the machines for maintenance.
Before the finish machined cylinder head is leak tested, a further FANUC robot is used by the cell to load core plugs into the cylinder head at the core plug pressing station.
Green concluded, "The success of this project is down to partnership - the result of a ground up development to ensure the cost effective machining of the 400D cylinder head. Request a free brochure from Fanuc Robotics (UK) ...
It has retained machining work in the UK, improved product quality and has further enhanced best working practice within Perkins Engines.".
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