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MOTOMAN ROBOTICS (UK) LTD |
Press Release
ROBOTS ARE FOUR TIMES FASTER AT POLISHING continued
Additionally there are two infeed and two outfeed stations for products; and a 24-position rack for housing tools, consumables and suction heads on two levels. Tools on the top have dedicated positions for each robot, but as they both share the lower positions, a safety cube for collision avoidance has been set up in the software. Programming is via a hand held pendant and is assisted by pull down menus and icons.
Control is provided by the latest Motoman XRC unit which synchronises the movements of robots and peripherals. Advanced motion control optimises acceleration, deceleration and speed for circular and corner movements. Likewise, inertial compensation via the path control function maintains accuracy during high speed movements.
A typical production polishing set-up at the Chesterfield factory is as follows. Robot 2 fitted with a suction head picks up a WC from the first infeed station and places it on table 1 (rotary) for robot 1 to polish in an 18 minute cycle. Robot 2 then handles a bowl from the second infeed station onto table 2 (fixed), automatically exchanges the suction head for an abrasive tool and polishes the bowl in a six minutes cycle. The suction head is selected again and the finished bowl is taken to outfeed station 2. The bowl cycle is repeated twice more before robot 1 is required to remove the polished WC from the rotary table and transfer it to outfeed station 1, whereupon the sequence starts again.
Sissons is said to be the only manufacturer in Europe to take the polishing tool to the job, rather than the product to the tool. Patrick Mason says that the former configuration suits the large variety of Sissons products as well as the preponderance of internal as opposed to external polishing. Another first for the company is the use of fully reprogrammable robots rather than dedicated automatic polishing plant.
Concluded Mr Mason, “We chose Motoman at the outset as it was willing to tackle smaller projects and the price was competitive. The robots have proved reliable in operation and the first one for MIG/TIG welding paid for itself in twelve months of being fully operational.
“We anticipate good payback times for the latest robot cell, and for future polishing projects. Indeed, we are so committed to the concept that we are actively looking at automating other processes in our factory, such as feeding and unloading power presses.”
For More Information Contact:
Motoman Robotics (UK) Ltd
Johnson Park, Wildmere Road, Banbury, Oxon OX16 3JU
Tel: 01295 272755
FAX: 01295 267127
E-mail:
information@motoman.co.uk