Back in early February, French robotics manufacturer Sepro named Charles de Forges as the group‘s new managing director.

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Sepro Group Named New CEO

Kuka is demonstrating this – not only at K 2022 – but also in a current customer project with Hauff.

According to the manufacturer, the stand-out quality of the KR Quantec is not only optimal production efficiency, but also its economical commissioning and maintenance concept.

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Top Rack Rollers for Dishwashers in Seconds

Sumitomo (SHI) Demag intends to go full speed ahead with its decision to develop automation solutions in house – including the SAM manufacturing concept.

To date, the focus of the SAM-C series has been on standard applications with manageable complexity. The new robot is set to change all that. 

SAM Robot for Complex Requirements

Apart from improving the efficiency of special solutions, the different innovations and developments in the field of automation are characterized in particular by increased flexibility and user friendliness. The interplay of these factors also plays a part in determining the cost-efficiency of production. 

Automatisierungskomponenten

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Werkstückzuführung

Automation (Trade Fair Report Fakuma 2009): Efficient and Flexible 

A new automated production line for the production of highquality interior parts was brought on stream. It was planned, manufactured and implemented by a single system supplier. 

Spritzgießmaschinen

Injection Molding: Seven at One Go 

The diverse nature of industries and their requirements is something that suppliers of automation solutions also have to take into account. ''Adapted automation'' is the magic word, because widely ranging batch sizes, an increasing number of product variants and short product lifecycles typify many markets today. Plans for attractive, innovative universal solutions are hidden away in many drawers. Now is the time to pull these plans out and make them a reality. 

Handling, Handhabungstechnik

Handhabungsroboter

Industry in a State of Flux: Batch Size Is Everything 

Tailoring automation to fit the project is a suitable approach to lowering unit costs. The role played by the awareness of this fact is not limited to high-wage countries. As a comparison shows, the higher system investments pay for themselves within a year’s time – provided the solution selected is tuned to the particular instance. 

Comparative Study: Tailoring Automation to the Project Lowers Unit Costs 

Fully integrated production cells with in-mold labeling, part removal grippers, quality control capabilities and packing units are sought more frequently than ever. The part handling system as heart of the entire manufacturing cell is required to be faster, more accurate and energy-efficient. To address these more demanding customer requirements, almost all equipment manufacturers are starting to offer complete systems. 

Steuerungen (Hardware und Software)

Greifer

Automation: Ready-to-Start Systems 

Car headlights and other automotive lights in sheet metal and glass are a thing of the past. Today, it is plastics that dictate automotive design. A ready-to-use hybrid welding system has now opened up new scope for the size and design of the lights. The concept behind the system incorporates the full welding technology in an industrial robot – including the quality assurance. In this way, the rapidity and flexibility of the six-axis robot can be exploited by the welding cell in its entirety. 

Kunststoffe

Plastics Hybrid Welding: Robot-guided Halogen and Laser Light 

A German engineering factory began switching its injection molding installations from linear to industrial robots in 2009 to help it cope with the increasing complexity of the production processes. An interim report on initial experiences. 

Industrial Robots: Life after the Removal 

Automation in the Plastics Industry in recent years has shown trends indicating greater integration of robots into injection molding processes and upstream and downstream steps. In addition, operation of the systems and human-machine cooperation is set to become simpler and more reliable. Another focus of the developers is on energy-efficient modes of operation and new applications, including in conjunction with overarching processes. 

Programmiergeräte

Automation in the Plastics Industry: Things are Moving! 

Time and qualified personnel are often in short supply when it comes to programming the automated workflows in molding shops. The use of interactive, intuitive programming and user interfaces that simplify the interaction between man and machine can remove this bottleneck. 

Robot Programming: Smart Control Over Complex Production Cells 

The production of eight million brake light switches annually is subject to its own set of priorities. Flexibility is less important here than other factors such as maximization of output and reliability of process. A pioneering plant with an efficient precision injection molding machine and two precision robots at its heart is taking care of those jobs where cycle time is critical. 

Automated Mass Production: Eight Million Brake Light Switches per Year 

In 1991, the management consultant Roland Berger recommended selling off what had formerly been the biggest brush manufacturer in the GDR for one Deutschmark, or shutting it down completely. The owner, which was organized as a cooperative, had different plans. It retooled the Saxon plastics processor as a high-tech company – and is now reaping rich rewards. 

The Plastics Processor Bürstenmann of Saxony, Germany, as a Pilot Customer of Zahoransky, Goes for Innovation. 

Kunststoff-Verpackungsmaschine

Spritzgießwerkzeuge

Schaumspritzgießen

An Economic Miracle in Brush-Land 

A production cell which produces automatically around the clock. Three six-axis robots which are fully integrated in the control system and operate in a synchronized manner. An injection molding solution in which machine, robotic systems and peripherals are supplied from a single source. All this is not a pipe dream of an efficient injection molding solution, but every day, well-proven reality at a plastics processor in Upper Franconia, Germany. 

Injection Molding Machine and Three Six-Axis Robots Work Together in Perfect Synchronization to Save Cycle Time 

A Trio Working in Synchronization 

How, and why, plastics processors should invest in flexible automation solutions.

A recent survey by Deloitte found that 62 per cent of manufacturers are forging ahead with smart manufacturing investments — despite the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, what does this look like for the plastics and injection molding industry?

Industrial robots have been used to great effect in the plastics industry for some time, primarily for unloading parts from molding machines. Today, developments in automated technology mean plastics manufacturers can deploy robotics along their entire production line.

Just like many industries, businesses in the rubber and plastics sector are looking for ways to reduce costs and increase productivity. Automating production processes is the obvious choice to achieve the output gains to take a business to the next level.

Offering improved efficiency, accuracy and consistency, industrial robots can work effectively in the tough and varied conditions of the plastics sector and — increasingly important following the pandemic — take on tasks that are difficult or dangerous for human workers. Despite the advantages, upfront costs for robots can be intimidating, especially for the small-to-medium sized manufacturers who stand to gain the most growth.

Flexible automation is essential for plastics manufacturers to embrace the technology. A robot that can automate several production stages at once means they can really maximize the benefits of automation — it is important to balance improvements across the production line, otherwise any output gained by automating one process will be limited by less efficient ones further down the line.

Combining this with easy reprogramming means, should products, processes, or needs change, the investment will continue to prove its worth whatever the next few years bring.

The <a href="https://www.tmrobotics.com/6-axis-tvm-range/" target="_blank">TVM series by Shibaura Machine</a>, formerly Toshiba Machine, is a range of 6-axis robots ideal for use in the plastics industry. This reliable robot demonstrates high productivity in transfer and assembly tasks. Importantly, its improved reach and payload mean it can work with large mold machines, up to 650 tones.

Historically, Cartesian X-Y gantry-style robots have been used to unload molding machines. However, 6-axis robots have improved greatly in speed over the last few years. Now, 6-axis machines can match, or even improve on, the pace of Cartesian robots.

Another benefit of installing a 6-axis robot in the production line is because these flexible robots are capable of multiple tasks. For example, as well as taking parts out of a machine, a 6-axis robot can handle or assemble products, or even carry out inspection tasks, if integrated with machine vision.

Whether a manufacturer is looking to invest in a single robot or upgrade a whole system, it’s important to consider how different assets will integrate with each other. By choosing a robot, for example from Shibaura Machine, to unload parts from the injection molding machines, manufacturers can take advantage of a perfectly integrated total solution.

While purchasing robots that are simple to integrate is helpful, so too is future proofing your investment with a longer-term plan for development, so that it is easy to grow your production capacity with your business. TM Robotics, for example, offers free online consultations to help businesses in the plastic sector plan their automation journey.

Whatever challenges the plastics industry faces, the need to increase production and efficiency will continue to drive investment in smart manufacturing, including industrial automation. Plastics manufacturers can achieve greater speed, accuracy, and quality control through automating their production processes, benefits which are all key to growing profits — and business.

Text: Nigel Smith is Managing Director of Shibaura Machine distributor, TM Robotics

The vertical articulated robot TVM series achieves high inertia and strong payload capabilities up to 20 kg, while at the same time the robot body has a reduced weight.

2022-09-27 - Shibura

issue 01/2023

issue 09/2022

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