Robots and the experience of full control
26.10.2018
Many people think of robots as labour-saving devices, but I find that to be a very limited view. Certainly robots can optimise employee utilisation, allowing personnel to be more productive and to enjoy more interesting and satisfying work, while robots handle the tedious, repetitive tasks involved in injection moulding. However, the fact is, the biggest benefit that comes with robotic automation is control.
With robots, plastics processors experience a much higher level of control over almost every aspect of their business. To understand how, let’s take a quick look back 25 or 30 years to a time before moulders used robots for part removal.
Before robots were first used in injection moulding, parts either dropped from the mould onto a conveyor or into a bin, where they could be damaged physically or cosmetically. The only alternative was to use a human operator to manually open the IMM gate, reach into the machine and pull the part or parts out of the mould. This gave processors some control over the moulded part and prevented damage. However, the trade-off was that the operators, being human, performed inconsistently. They might be slow to remove a part, delaying the start of the next cycle and reducing the number of parts that could be produced in a given span of time. They might take breaks or need to go elsewhere in the plant for supplies. Meanwhile, the machine sat idle while the material in the barrel overheated and the mould surface cooled, which meant that when the next few parts were produced, their quality could be compromised.
Robots, on the other hand, could do the same thing over and over again, tirelessly and flawlessly. That meant, for the first time, moulders knew their machines could run far more consistent cycle times and deliver higher quality and productivity. They knew that they could rely on consistent throughput for each robot-equipped press, hour to hour and shift to shift. With greater control over the part, the cycle, and other key production metrics, moulders found that they could schedule their presses more tightly, improve equipment utilisation rates and be more confident of maintaining production levels and meeting deadlines. They took control of more variables of business success.
When robots were paired with customised, multifunctional end-of-arm tooling, insert feeders, and inspection, assembly and packaging systems, moulders could deliver components to their customers in a more finished form. This moved secondary manufacturing operations out the customer’s plant (reducing their costs and increasing efficiency) and into the moulder’s plant. And it gave moulders another degree of control over the growth and profitability of their business.
Putting you in command
At Sepro, we understand that our robots help you to control the injection-moulding cycle and many other aspects of your company. We know that your ability to control production processes is vitally important, so we give you as much of it as possible, starting with the amazing Visual control platform. Developed by Sepro specifically for injection moulding, it makes programming Cartesian robots easy, from the smallest and simplest pick-and-place unit to the largest and most technically advanced. And, when we found that moulders using articulated-arm robots often had to use a different controller developed for general industrial applications – and frequently needed a programmer with advanced training – we adapted the Visual platform to make programming in six axes almost as easy as in three. This effort was so successful that it won a 2017 Silver Mechatronics Innovation Award as one of the best European innovations in technology combining electronics and mechanical engineering.
To put you, and keep you, in command of your own success, Sepro will introduce an entirely new generation of robot controls at K 2019. They will include ergonomic features, similar to those found on tablets and smartphones, plus simulation and learning functionality to make programming even easier. Software plug-ins will actively assist operators with functions like optimisation of the robot cycle, routine maintenance and troubleshooting.
Just as robots help you control much more than part removal, Sepro gives you control over much more than the robots. It starts with ‘choice.’ We have the largest and most diverse line of robotic solutions in the plastics industry – almost 50 models in all -- including those designed and built entirely by Sepro and others developed with outside partners like Stäubli, Yaskawa Motoman and Machines Pagès. So, in this context, control means there is no need to compromise. You select the ideal combination of size, capabilities and economics to suit your application needs.
Choice without compromise means that you also have the option to automate any brand of injection-moulding machine, new or existing, and you can buy the machine and robot separately or as part of an integrated package with most of the major IMM brands. Sepro has forged partnerships with more than a dozen moulding-machine manufacturers and, in most cases, the robot controls can be integrated into the IMM controls for simpler set up and operation. So, if you want an IMM/robot package, you are in control. Your choices are not limited to just a few suppliers.