LEAD FEATURE AUTOMATION & SMART THINKING ON THE INCREASE
shows employees the necessary assembly information for each cycle
with machine-speci c work plans. Assembly processes of newly
implemented equipment or special options are aided by detailed
drawings, pictures and video instructions. Interactive checklists and
inspection plans document the entire assembly process in real time
and ensure continuous quality control during assembly.
All prices for monoBLOCK models have been reduced by
€10,000 and the accuracy package is also integrated as standard.
It results in a price advantage of €30,000 for customers, the
company assures.
Liberty Steel Group and Shiftec, two members of the sustainable
industry leader GFG Alliance, are partnering to deploy sensor
technology with the potential to enhance safety and improve
ef ciency at industrial sites.
Under the two-year project, Shiftec will test and pilot its Aquila
system, which uses a system similar to GPS, to track the precise
position of people, equipment and vehicles around factories in real
time. The system reduces workplace accidents, enhances the
ef ciency of movement and – integrated with Shiftec’s high speed,
long-range network solution – can allow for remote control operation
of equipment.
The £10 million programme is being funded by Innovate UK
through its Manufacturing Made Smarter Challenge, which is part of
the government’s larger Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
Shiftec will trial the technology at partner companies in the
metals, engineering and industrial sectors, including Liberty’s
Speciality Steels’ site in Stocksbridge and its Pipe Mill in Hartlepool.
At Liberty Steel’s site in Stocksbridge, the project will examine
technologies for semi-autonomous cranes, improved mill
measurement capability for the monitoring of product during rolling
and collect 3D scan data to create a working digital twin of at least
one of the mill stands. At Hartlepool, the system will improve the
measurement of pipe shape during forming.
(Read Machinery’s cover story of April this year, which also
had component tracking as a central element in engineering
company Dyer Engineering’s Industry 4.0 initiative –
www.is.gd/adavoq )
it is within tolerance. The measurement data is used to update CNC
machining parameters automatically to maintain control of the
process and prevent production of bad parts.
Additionally, the Equator gauge has been fully integrated into the
wedge production cell, removing the need for manual intervention.
Following machining, a robotic part handler retrieves the wedge from
the machine tool and places it onto the Equator gauge via a
pneumatic transfer system.
The robot and Equator gauge unit communicate with each other
using a digital I/O, with the robot communicating when a part has
been loaded and the Equator gauge communicating, once the
inspection cycle has been completed.
Renishaw’s Intelligent Process Control (IPC) software, which runs
on the Equator Controller, uses inspection results to generate tool
offset updates; the updates are then fed back to the machine tool
controller to automatically correct for any tool wear.
DMG Mori ( www.is.gd/elalut ) has revolutionised production of
monoBLOCK 5-axis machining centres with the opening of its new
4,000 m Excellence Factory at Deckel Maho Pfronten, Germany.
The ow-line assembly, based on an automated guided vehicle
(AGV) transport system, results in a productivity increase of 30%.
“Investments in innovations are the only way out of the current crisis,
so we are automating and digitalising our internal value chain,” says
Christian Thönes, chairman of the executive board of DMG Mori AG.
With cycle times of just two and a half hours, every monoBLOCK
machine can now be assembled in seven days, a reduction of 30%.
And this increases the capacity at the site from 600 to 1,000
monoBLOCK machines per year.
The AGVs optically navigate, moving the machines continuously
and autonomously through the assembly stations at a speed of
45 mm/minute. The complete model mix of the monoBLOCK series,
including all models with a pallet changer (DMC) and a turn-mill
table (FD), is built in a ow-line in 34 cycles.
The new factory also sets new standards in terms of digitalisation.
TULIP is an important component in the ow-line assembly. The US
start-up’s software enables users without programming skills to
create their own applications quickly and intuitively. With the help of
the no-code platform, DMG Mori has developed an app solution that
world of quality control and inspection. www.is.gd/afediv
The Haas Automatic Parts Loader (APL) is a simple and
affordable way to automate part production and boost productivity
on Haas turning centres. www.is.gd/muhoxa
Mike Wilson has been appointed chief automation of cer at the
Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC). www.is.gd/udumog
The A-series and H-series Doosan cobots from Mills CNC
Automation comprise six models in total, expanding on the M-series
(four models) previously launched in 2018. www.is.gd/zajejo
ABB’s new RobotStudio Augmented Reality viewer provides a
quick and convenient way of visualising where and how robotic
automation can t into a process, simply by using a smartphone or
tablet. www.is.gd/avirus
FANUC UK’s
managing director,
Tom Bouchier
(above), says:
“The IFR report
lays bare just how
far behind the many
of its international
counterparts the UK
is when it comes to
the use of industrial
robotics. Crucially,
it is a worsening
problem, highlighted
by the fi gures for
the compound
annual growth rate
between 2014 and
2019. For the UK,
this stands at -1%,
which contrasts with
the overall fi gure
for Western Europe
of +6%. This is a
shocking disparity
and shows how
UK manufacturers
are essentially
competing on the
world stage with one
hand behind their
back.”
FANUC has expanded its heavy payload M-900
6-axis robot series with the introduction of the long-reach
M-900iB/330L. www.is.gd/exufon
Grob Systems has developed a new linear pallet storage system
(PSS-L) – an automated, exible manufacturing line that
complements a wide variety of part types. www.is.gd/uzoneb
LVD’s MOVit is a range of automation systems, including the new
TAS (Tower Automation System) and WAS (Warehouse Automation
System) options for LVD Phoenix and Electra laser cutting
machines. MOVit systems also include LVD’s Compact Tower (CT-L),
Flexible Automation (FA-L) and Load-Assist (LA). www.is.gd/guloke
FANUC and RoboPod have developed iTend, a turnkey machinetending
cell for FANUC’s Robodrills. www.is.gd/hixato
www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets | November 2020 13
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