Every machine builder’s dream is to make use of the latest technologies to design and build a machine from the ground up – to do something that has not been done before. Motion Tronic and Gedore Tools have achieved this with an innovative grinding solution for Gedore’s 1B spanner series. Grinding ensures that the spanners have clean edges after they have been drop forged.
The system comprises a Kuka KR6 R900 Agilus robot, six Baumuller bmaxx5000 series modular servo drives and a Siemens S7-1500 PLC, all communicating over Profinet.
With a total of five Baumuller servomotor driven axes to perform the bulk of the work and another six axes on the robot to ensure quick and accurate handling, the machine carries out four grinding operations previously done by hand. Every aspect of the machine can be monitored and adjusted via an HMI touch screen. Fault reporting to pinpoint the exact problem reduces fault finding time and in turn increases productivity. By making use of standard recipes and the specified tooling changes, a full range of spanner sizes can be catered for.
The completion and commissioning of the grinding cell earlier in 2015 was a defining moment for Gedore Tools as it was the first robot the company had ever commissioned at its KZN plant.
With Gedore’s expertise in hand tool manufacture and Motion Tronic’s in automation, the two companies believe the new machine has all the right ingredients to make it a world class spanner grinding solution. After the huge success of this project, Gedore Tools envisages similar projects with Motion Tronic in the near future.
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