The reliability and throughput on a hot-plate production line at Slovenia’s leading foundry has been improved with the installation of 36 axes of servo control.
The bending and welding production line at ETA Cerkno was suffering from reliability problems and unacceptable levels of downtime. Breakdowns meant that bending or welding had to be carried out manually, a costly exercise. Availability of spare parts was a further issue, while replacing the six machines was prohibitively expensive.
“The mechanical side of the machines was fundamentally good,” says Marko Vrabl, manager of PS Logatec, Control Techniques’ local drive centre, “and so ETA brought us in to upgrade the electrical control system. In four of the six production cells there is a three-dimensional wire bending machine and a four-dimensional SCARA robot for assembling and welding the wire contact onto the heating plate. Two other cells have just a SCARA robot. Before the retrofit, the program was written in a low level language and was loaded from a PC that was wheeled between cells as required.”
According to Vrabl the system is now much easier to program and use. Each cell has its own control cabinet complete with seven Unidrive SP AC drives working in servo mode and with a position controller and touch screen terminal. To program a bending machine is now a simple matter of keying in a set of parameters. Each cell has a high level of security and safety, with power immediately turned off if the door is opened.
The upgraded hot-plate production line at ETA Cerkno
The robot is programmed using a teach-in feature on the Unidrive SP drives. This has proved very popular with ETA. An operator is able to go safely into a cell and, using just a 48 V power supply, drive through all of the robot axes using a handheld control unit. This rehearses all the movements and actions that are needed. Then, when the operator is out of the cell and the door is secured, the full power can be restored and the robot is ready to go.
Unidrive SP is a ‘solutions platform’ AC drive which is configurable into open and closed loop, vector, servo and regenerating modes. It has connectivity to most industry standard networks, is configurable for all types of AC motors including linear motors, and accepts 14 position feedback protocols.
Robotic solution for adhesive tape application with flexible control Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice Robotics & Mechatronics
In industry, even elaborate processes, such as the application of adhesive tape to parts with varying geometries are automated. Innovative Automation has developed a platform with Beckhoff control technology and a remote feeding module, which increases productivity and enables flexible customisation for different requirements.
Read more...New AI advisor for robot selection igus
Editor's Choice Robotics & Mechatronics
igus’ new AI chatbot has been added to the online platform RBTX.com. The interactive consultant is designed to enable companies with little previous experience and technological expertise to quickly and reliably put together low-cost automation solutions to becoming more competitive.
Read more...Vertical labelling of test tubes in clinical laboratories Omron Electronics
Robotics & Mechatronics
Werfen has implemented a new automated machine for the supply of reagents to drug toxicology laboratories, built by MACCO in collaboration with OMRON and Marini Pandolfi. It uses OMRON SCARA robots and advanced vision systems to ensure reagent quality through vertical handling and labelling process of test tubes.
Read more...Embracing robotics for SMEs Yaskawa Southern Africa
Robotics & Mechatronics
As industries increasingly integrate robotics and automation into their business operations, South Africa’s SMEs are beginning to recognise the benefits of robotics, and want their piece of the pie.
Read more...Autonomous robots revolutionise green logistics in warehouses DNH Tradeserve t/a DNH Technologies
Robotics & Mechatronics
In 2007, Heinrich Amminger and Martin Trummer from Austria had an idea for revolutionising warehouse logistics. They developed the automated small part warehouse – an intelligent and very environment-friendly logistics system that is winning an increasing number of customers for Ylog, a startup company.
Read more...Diving robot cleans up canals Beckhoff Automation
Robotics & Mechatronics
Around 70% of the waste in water sinks to the bottom of the ocean or decomposes into micro and nanoplastics, amounting to tens of millions of tons. So the European Horizon Maelstrom research project put together an international research team and developed the Robotic Seabed Cleaning Platform.
Read more...Automating precision tasks
Robotics & Mechatronics
A new low-cost modular robotics kit from motion plastics manufacturer, igus, makes automation extremely easy and affordable for manufacturing companies in South Africa.
Read more...The importance of precision and accuracy in manufacturing robotics
Robotics & Mechatronics
When it comes to robotics and automation in the manufacturing industry, precision and accuracy are crucial for seamless operations. Jan ‘t Hart, national sales manager of Yaskawa South Africa, details what goes into ensuring precision as a leading manufacturer of industrial robots.
Read more...Caster for service robot applications
Robotics & Mechatronics
As part of a drive to get robots into more workplaces, operating side by side with humans, a team of expert development engineers at NSK has come up with a novel way to improve the mobility of cobots.
Read more...Future-proofing SMEs with cobots Omron Electronics
Robotics & Mechatronics
Many countries around the world are likely to experience skill shortages over the coming decade, especially technical specialists. At the same time, product lifecycles are becoming shorter. Collaborative robots are easy to set up, and offer a quick and cost-effective solution.
printer friendly version