AUTOMATION & INDUSTRY 4.0 ROBOTIC SOLUTIONS
In addition, industrial robots are usually
easier to repurpose if they are not required by
a particular machine tool any longer. CNC
Robotics sets up its systems so that they can
be removed from the equipment in around
ve minutes, either to be used on another
machine or in a completely different area of
automation.
As with many areas of automation, there
is often a fear that using robots for machine
tending will mean a loss of jobs. However,
robotic systems can give companies time to
train their staff in more productive work.
By removing the need to have operators
constantly loading and unloading machine
tools, time can be made available to increase
their range of skills, for example, by teaching
them to use a wider range of equipment, or
allowing them to add new abilities like CAD/
CAM programming.
The extra time can also be used to put
more of an emphasis on process control and
optimisation, so allowing for general
ef ciency to be improved.
HIGH-TECH
A recent machining project that CNC Robotics
has been involved in, has been installing a
robot-based system for LMD coating and repair
at ASCO Engineering and Surface Technology
( www.is.gd/9Ipy2d ), meaning the Lancashirebased
company can now offer a wider range of
machining, coating and repair processes.
The system is being used for laser-metal
deposition and hard facing cladding and has
extended the range of manufacturing
techniques at ASCO. Chairman Andy Deegan
believes the installation has made the
company more versatile than any equivalent
supplier in Europe, creating the “ultimate onestop
shop” for customers.
Laser-metal deposition and hard-facing
cladding allows coatings such as tungsten
carbide, Stellite, and Inconel to be deposited
with a signi cantly lower and more localised
heat affected zone (HAZ), even with materials
that are dif cult to weld.
This means the process has minimal
impact on the mechanical properties of the
substrate material and reduced potential for
distortion and damage to the chemistry and
structure of the base core material. In
addition, the small melt pool that is formed
enables the processing of very complex
geometries in a single set-up, when
depositing protective surfaces, undertaking
repairs, or creating near-net shapes.
The ability to work with very complex
shapes is supported by the exibility of the
robot cell. The robot offers six-axis
movement, while specially designed work
holding adds a further three axes, giving the
potential for nine-axis operation. In addition, a
novel head can be tted to allow the internal
cladding of bores up to two metres in length
and down to 55mm bore size.
“The robot system is at its best when we
are working with batches of parts,” says
Deegan. “We can process the rst part,
con rm that it is dimensionally accurate and
carry out full laboratory checks on the surface
integrity. Once we know we have set the
correct parameters for the rst part, we can
rely on the repeatability of the robot to ensure
that the rest of the batch will be equally good.”
“The repeatability also helps us to ensure
on-time delivery,” says Deegan. “After the
rst part has been completed, the time the
robot will take to repeat any task is very
predictable, which makes scheduling easy.”
GLOBAL REACH
Another company bene tting from an
automatic robot system from CNC Robotics is
Odyssey Studios ( www.is.gd/OFGvhe ) –
helping transform the props manufacturer
into a global reaching business.
The KUKA KR 210 R2700 robotic system
has enabled Limerick-based Odyssey that
specialises in making props – models and
scenery – for the art and entertainment
industry, to replicate designs and machine
props more ef ciently with shorter lead times.
“Sometimes we do some large, one-off
pieces and it could take artists sculpting
them quite a long time,” says founder and
chief executive of cer (CEO) Mark Maher.
Simplicity of operation is the key for
Odyssey, according to Maher, who says the
robot has made its work easier, faster more
accurate and productive and helped the
company to win new business deals.
“We work in a very fast-paced industry,”
explains the CEO. “Often we have pieces that
might take months to do by hand and with
multiple changes to get right. It was those
needs that spurred us to go with automation.
We are the only studio with it in Ireland. There
are not many anywhere in the world.”
The technology to machine small-volume
one-off parts was developed 10 years ago by
CNC Robotics founder and CTO Barker.
In his opinion, he believes manufacturers
like Odyssey Studios have seen positive
bene ts from incorporating additive
manufacturing and developing hybrid
solutions, enabling it to initially 3D print and
then mill back from near-net to net shape,
very quickly.
“For companies like Odyssey, the visual
aspect and creativeness that they add by
using a KUKA robot instead of a human being
is that they can get repeatable parts,
multiples of the same thing, but they also get
that one-off capability where they can drive
something dynamically,” says Barker.
The KUKA KR 21- R2700 robotic
system has helped to boost
business at Odyssey Studios
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