Focus Report Report Report

news
Issue 19
Focus
Report
Report
Report
Westfalia-Automotive
GmbH & Co.KG:
Flexible and highly
efficient production,
thanks to MOTOMAN
Minka Holz- und
MetallverarbeitungsGes.m.b.H.: Robots
for a large number of
different applications
“ÖKA“ – How a
Swedish project is
increasing productivity
and profitability
Dubourgel Grange:
Automation of injection
moulding processes for
the plastics industry
Foreword • Contents
Dear Customers and Colleagues,
Contents
My name is Koichi Takamiya, Chairman and CEO of MOTOMAN robotec. I am
very honored for the opportunity to give a message at the beginning of the
New Year.
The market situation and business environment that we now face is said to
occur once a 100 years. Presently, the most important issue for us is to support
each other, to focus on orders and to secure sales volume.
However, I ask you to please acknowledge the following items as well:
Foreword/Imprint
1.The future of the robot business
Yaskawa Electric is currently developing a business model for new robot applications like for example medicine, security, assembling, logistic for which the
well-known dual-arms robot is used. Our core business, the automobile related
business, is currently performing very poorly but will remain an important
market for the future.
However, I believe that a completely new robot business will be generated in
5 or 10 years from now. Germany as the core of the European market has and
will for the future have great potential.There is no doubt for this. So, please be
aware that we are expanding our business on a highly potential market.
Westfalia-Automotive GmbH & Co.KG:
Flexible and highly efficient production,
thanks to MOTOMAN
2.Towards the new MOTOMAN operation
The MOTOMAN operation in Europe is being newly generated. The headquarters has moved to Germany and the restructurings are carried out. I think
we will finish in the 2nd Half of 2009. The new German President will soon
assume office, for which an announcement will follow from myself.
Please keep in mind that as a European headquarters for the Yaskawa Group,
we have to become a strong operation,which can respond to the future growth
and business expansion.
3.Yaskawa’s philosophy “ES = Employee Satisfaction”
I believe you know the word “CS = Customer Satisfaction”. In addition to CS,
“ES = Employee Satisfaction” is one of Yaskawa’s management philosophies.
This means to have employees who are proud of their company and to become
a company with a high satisfaction level.
YEG (Yaskawa) in Frankfurt is already implementing this philosophy as a very
important management principle. As a company we have to generate profits,
particularly in an environment as we have now.However, the ES of each person
is also very important for improving the business process. I am aiming to introduce this philosophy to MOTOMAN Europe.
The market situation we are now having is still very difficult. However, by sharing the management principles and
taking various responsibilities in our own work,I strongly
believe that the situation will definitely improve.
I thank all of you for your active cooperation in reaching
these targets.
Yours sincerely,
Koichi Takamiya
Chairman & CEO
Imprint
MOTOMANNews
Issue 19 (2009)
Editor:
Marion Reisert
MartinaVogl
[email protected]
2
Powerful boost for MOTOMAN Sales Office
in Austria
3
New facilities for MOTOMAN robotec Czech s.r.o.
3
www.motoman.eu: The new European
MOTOMAN website is online!
3
Focus
4/5
Report
Minka Holz- und MetallverarbeitungsGes.m.b.H.: Robots for a large number of
different applications
6/7
Dubourgel Grange: Automation of injection
moulding processes for the plastics industry
7
“ÖKA“ – How a Swedish project is increasing
productivity and profitability
8
Labina Fundição Injectada Lda:
Powerful MOTOMAN robots ensure the
highest possible quality for the production
of aluminium and brass components
9
System partners
BDW technologies GmbH & Co.KG:
Technological competence in aluminium
casting applications
10/11
Pemamek Oy:“PEMA vision robot system“ –
more production power
12/13
Teknodrom Robotics & Automation Inc.:
Robot-based waterjet cutting –
Easy and quiet
14/15
Innovation
Trento Special Equipment & Robotics B.V.:
Successful cooperation allows first integrated
16/17
CAD/CAM robot solution in Europe
Siemens AG: Flexible automation of
CNC production in workshops
18
flexfactory ag: MOTOMAN-HP3XF gets eyes
19
Event
International “S.D. Fürst Joachim zu Fürstenberg”
20
Memorial Tournament in Donaueschingen
Fulda Technical College visits
MOTOMAN Training Centre in Frankfurt
21
YASKAWA Electric receives the award
“Germany’s best employer 2009”
23
Trade fair
Automation technology expert:“EuroBlech”,
Hanover, Germany
20
International trade fair for industry:
“vienna-tec”, Vienna, Austria
20
When the Occident meets the Orient: CeraCon
GmbH at the “Arabplast 2009”, Dubai, UAE
21
Informative meeting point in Northern Germany
21
„Forum Robotik 2009“, Bremen, Germany
Authors:
Design/Layout:
Matthias Grießel and
Angela Freiberger, Munich
Latest news
Alexander Steiger, Ananka Reitter, Annette Vorreiter,
Cagatay Nizam, Darany Crétal, Eddie Mennen, Johann Bauer,
Jukka Rantala, Jürgen Goroncy, Jussi Toivonen, Kajsa
Pettersson, Koichi Takamiya, Kristyna Kabrtova, Ludwig
Deimel, Marion Reisert, Markus Kreissl, Martina Vogl, Matthias
Sikhora, Max Hasselblatt, Mayu Olivia Kishinami, Michael
Petzmann, Norbert Hügel, Nuno Mineiro, Sabine Rothe,
Sandra Braterschofsky, Stefan Hagspiel, Torben Schäfer
Connecting Car Competence:“lZB” – International suppliers fair, Wolfsburg, Germany
22
For all sectors of the plastics industry:
“Fakuma”, Friedrichshafen, Germany
22
YASKAWA - Master of Motion Control:
“SPS/IPC/DRIVES”, Nürnberg, Germany
22
MOTOMAN Internal
HR (Human Resources) at MOTOMAN Europe
23
“Festive season in Bavaria” – Advent at
MOTOMAN
23
Latest News
Powerful boost for
MOTOMAN Sales Office in Austria
Together and in close cooperation with the customer, this is the motto of the
dedicated “MOTOMAN Austria Team” which constantly endeavours to design
economically and technologically excellent solutions for its customers.The team’s
long years of experience and the innovative spirit of the MOTOMAN-YASKAWA Group
form the foundation for achieving these goals.
Since 1st June 2008, is Michael Petzmann responsible for the
robot market sectors Handling and System Integrators (SI).
This is the respons of MOTOMAN robotec GmbH, based in
Schwechat, to the steadily rising demand for robots for a
large number of different handling applications in Austria.
Michael Petzmann began his career as a sales technician in the
robotics sector, before moving
to the plastics industry in 2001.
Most recently he worked as Sales
Director for Wittmann Kunststoffgeräte GmbH in Vienna, where
he was responsible for the sector
“Plastics Recycling and Granulators” and was able to gain
new experience in Austria and
Sales Engineer Michael
abroad.
Petzmann – Technical consulting and Sales Austria
The new European
MOTOMAN website
is online!
With its new online presence MOTOMAN offers
convenient access to product information, solutions,
training and support offers. In addition to this,
the company know-how is shown in application
examples of robotbased automation.
The new website,
“www.motoman.eu”
comprises 11
country pages and
a general, pan-European master site in
English.
Another reinforcement for the MOTOMAN team is Siegfried
Schneeberger, a service technician who joined the company in July 2008. Together with the more than 40 setup
and service technicians at MOTOMAN robotec GmbH,
Siegfried Schneeberger will mainly be responsible for customers in the Austrian market.
Siegfried Schneeberger began
his career as an electrical apprentice at VOEST Alpine AG in
Eisenerz. After several continuing
education courses in the electrical and automation technology
sectors, he previously worked as
a head of installation maintenance for Georg Fischer in AltenService Technician Siegfried markt. From his central location
in Upper Styria every customer
Schneeberger – Technical
can be reached quickly.
Support Austria
New facilities for MOTOMAN robotec Czech s.r.o.
At the end of December 2008,
MOTOMAN robotec Czech s.r.o.
moved into a modern building
complex, with new, brightly-lit offices and larger storage areas. The
new address:
In the Czech
Republic,
MOTOMAN
began the
year 2009
in modern
facilities.
MOTOMAN robotec Czech s.r.o.
West Business Center Chrášt’any
Chrášt’any 206
CZ-252 19 Rudná u Prahy
Tel. +420 257 941 718
Fax +420 257 214 294
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.motoman.eu
www.motoman.eu
3
Focus
Flexible and highly efficient production,
thanks to MOTOMAN
WESTFALIA-Automotive GmbH is renowned for the high quality of its spherical head
trailer couplings for cars and lightweight commercial vehicles. At the main plant in
Rheda-Wiedenbrück in Eastern Westfalia, flexible MOTOMAN welding robots ensure
optimized and efficient production.
for welding processes at WESTFALIA-Automotive. “And we
really appreciate the highly available, quick and competent
customer service.”
Currently, WESTFALIA uses 27 6-axis robots from MOTOMAN: highly impressive are the short cycle times, precise
welding tasks for the safety parts, short conversion times,
high path accuracy and excellent reliability.
With more than 12 million produced coupling devices for cars and lightweight
commercial vehicles, WESTFALIA ranks among the world's leading manufacturers
of trailer couplings.
WESTFALIA-Automotive GmbH operates about a dozen
robot-based production cells in Rheda-Wiedenbrück. At
first robots from different manufacturers were applied –
but for more than ten years the company has relied exclusively on MOTOMAN technology. Customer requirements
have steadily increased over the recent years: just-in-time
production for assembly ex works, higher reliability and
larger quantities.
As the overall packages of other robot suppliers (production performance, availability and service) increasingly
failed to meet expectations, WESTFALIA decided in favour
of production systems with MOTOMAN robots and installations. “MOTOMAN robotec delivered robots with the desired degree of complexity. They smoothly perform all the
required tasks and moreover, they are very easy-to-use and
maintenance-friendly”, explains Ludger Arens, responsible
Up to 1,000 variants
The designs of the trailer couplings are nearly identical.
They primarily consist of a cross tube, onto which the other
parts are welded. Most structural components are made
of conventional steel, whereas heavily stressed parts such
as the cross tube are made of steels with a higher tensile
strength. WESTFALIA coats the welded couplings: the parts
are subjected to cathodic dip painting (so-called CDP process). WESTFALIA also performs the final assembly with
the electrical components. The complete trailer coupling
consists of 10 to 20 individual parts – depending on the
client and construction standard.
For some vehicles, WESTFALIA optionally offers fixed, hinged and removable variants: this means that the number
of produced variants is very high. In addition, there are
two different variant widths which form the standard for
smaller and larger vehicles. These are produced in different
production lines. The average batch sizes are normally less
than a hundred units. To ensure flexible and time-saving
production of the up to 1,000 different variants, tool and
welding program changes must be performed perfectly.
WESTFALIA uses the new MOTOMAN installations for the
WESTFALIA produces the trailer couplings for smaller vehicles in a 2-station welding installation with HP20 robots.
4
Focus
production of both variants: the smaller as well as the
larger standard variant. In both lines the MOTOMAN robots
perform all welding tasks. Part handling, on the other hand,
is carried out by the employees because for small batch
sizes the automatic clamping systems are too cost-intensive and for each coupling variant a special device would
be necessary. Mechanical devices allow significantly shorter
conversion times.
Each WESTFALIA trailer coupling passes through a measuring device in which the required data are recorded and
documented. Moreover, at the start of each batch size three
samples are produced. The first is calibrated exactly in a
measuring test device. The second is destroyed in order
to perform micrograph tests. If the safety-relevant weld
seams do not correspond to the specifications, the robot
controller must be re-adjusted until the micrograph image
is perfect. Only then the series production starts. The third
sample remains in the production cell.
Compact high-performance cell
WESTFALIA produces the trailer couplings for smaller vehicles with MOTOMAN-HP20 welding robots, which are
impressive for their precise repeatability of ± 0.06 mm, and
an NX100 controller.
The high-performance NX100 controller features a Windows CE teach pendant with colour touch screen and a
storage capacity of up to 60,000 steps, 10,000 instructions
and 10,000 PLC steps. Communication with existing networks is possible with Ethernet, Webserver options and
field bus support for the most common brands. The NX100
easily handles multiple tasks and performs the real-time
synchronization of up to four robots. In addition to this
the NX100 features the best possible path planning in its
category thus drastically reducing programming times.
For each trailer coupling variant the server offers the right
control program for downloading. In addition, WESTFALIA
has developed separate welding programs for each coupling variant which are stored on a server.
The high loads of up to 3.5 tons have several consequences. To ensure sufficient endurance strength, weld seams of
very large dimensions are required. Since the trailer coupling is a safety-relevant component, welding must always
be performed in gravity position and the robot moves
towards the part from above.
The thick weld seam also requires a high and thus longer
lasting heat input: negative effects with regard to distortion
and part tolerances are possible. For this reason,WESTFALIA
uses pre-curved cross members, which have a defined
shape after completion of the welding process. Distortion
tolerances are normally only accepted up to 0.5 mm.
The high-precision welding processes allow cycle times of
between three and twelve minutes – depending on the
coupling variant.
Double welding is time-saving
WESTFALIA produces trailer couplings for large cars and
vans with two MOTOMAN robots of the UP6 series and the
NX100 controller. Using the two robots simultaneously
increases the frequency and thus the throughput of the
installation. Another advantage: thermal distortion can be
reduced because heat input is performed on two sides of
the part. The installation features a rotary positioner which
allows welding on one side while the operator, who is protected by partition walls, loads and unloads the production
cell on the other side. In welding position, the rotary
positioner rotates the trailer coupling in a second axis so
that the robot can always perform optimized welding from
above.
“This allows cycle times similar to those of smaller coupling
variants even if the welding processes are considerably
more complex”, explains Ludger Arens. “We are very happy
with our MOTOMAN welding robots. But this is the logical
consequence of our decades of successful cooperation
with MOTOMAN robotec.”
WESTFALIA-Automotive GmbH
produces about 900,000 spherical
head trailer couplings for cars and
lightweight commercial vehicles
per year. The latest product is a carrier for bicycles. The company is
market leader in Europe for spherical head trailer couplings and supplies all major automotive manufacturers. With a total of around
850 employees, the company recorded sales of about 150 million
euros in 2008.
The trailer couplings for large cars and vans are produced with two MOTOMAN robots on a rotary
positioner. Using the two robots simultaneously increases the frequency and thus the productivity
of the installation.
5
Report
Robots for the most varied types of
applications at Minka/Austria
Minka stairs – globally
Minka, based in St. Lorenzen, Austria (Mürztal), is one of
the world's leading companies in the sector garret-stairs,
compact stairs and system stairs. About 130 employees
manufacture these products in a state-of-the-art production. The products are sold through building supplies
stores, DIY stores and importers. Thanks to the efficient
production, customers throughout Europe, America, Russia
and even Asia can be supplied. The large expansion (about
180,000 units are being produced this year) was only
possible with major investments and rationalization in
every area of the company. Today, there are already
13 robots working in different areas of the company.
Only in this way can Minka offer its customers the highest
quality combined with an excellent price/performance ratio
for all its products.
New investments
In order to increase productivity and flexibility, important
investments have been realized in the production sector
during recent years. At the showcase company, Minka Holzund Metallverarbeitungs-Ges.m.b.H., robots perform most
varied tasks such as:
● Palletizing
● Loading and unloading of machine tools
● Sawing, deburring, drilling, stamping, thread-cutting,
pipe-bending
● Adhesive bonding
● Welding, etc.
Example 1:
Palletizing of loft stairs
The task was to realize smoothing of loft stairs with different dimensions. Furthermore pallets with different formats
(Euro, non-returnable pallets) had to be handled from one
pallet supply stack.
A local MOTOMAN system partner, TBG Brunnthaler GmbH
(www.tbg.at), implemented the automation solution. The
special gripper forms the core of the installation. Via a host
computer the corresponding loft type is communicated to
the robot (MOTOMAN-EPL300). The robot grippers adapt
themselves automatically to the respective dimensions of
the loft stairs or pallet types. The gripper jaws are automatically adjusted to the respective dimension.
Example 2:
Universal robot cell for pipes
Saw removal, deburring, bending, stamping, drilling, threadcutting, separating, unstacking and many other tasks are
performed by a universal robot at Minka – almost without
human intervention in a 3-shift operation.
The system is the result of well-thought-out solutions from
Minka, with TBG Brunnthaler GmbH, and a MOTOMANES165N robot.
Depending on the pipe dimensions the robot picks up a
pipe from a saw or a pipe stack with its universal gripper.
The pipe is then deburred by a special spindle. Depending
on the pipe type or the task the robot can be moved to a
bending machine, a stamping press, a drilling station or a
thread cutting station. The buffering of the pipe rods and
the set down points for the machined pipes has been
designed to permit the operation of the robot cell during
several shifts without operator intervention.
If the buffering points are full or the installation is stopped,
an information system communicates the problem via text
message to the responsible operator.
6
Example 1: Palletizing of loft stairs: Highlight of the installation
is the special gripper of the MOTOMAN-EPL300.
Report
Dubourgel Grange
prefers flexible robots
from MOTOMAN
A MOTOMAN robot with a 3 kg payload
unloading an octuple mould.
The Dubourgel Grange company specializes in plastics injection molding processes.
Like their French competitors, the company had to face an increasing number of
mighty rivals worldwide at the beginning
of the new millennium. The necessary
answer was: increased productivity, higher
level of automation and first-class quality.
The Guignard company, based in Viry
(Departement Ain), was the first to react:
thanks to the integration of a MOTOMAN
robot, Guignard, specialized in the installation of 6-axis robots in the plastics industry,
was able to reduce manual processes. In
3-shift operation excellent payback periods
could be achieved. High speed and high
reliability of the installation – no malfunction during 30,000 operating hours –
have convinced the head of the company,
Gérard Dubourgel: “We chose the right
path to go.”
ment of new applications. In particular, the
usability of visual inspection systems is
being tested. This is made possible by the
excellent flexibility of movement of these
6-axis robots.
Technical Manager, Yves Dubourgel, predicts that two thirds of the presses will be
equipped with MOTOMAN robots by 2012.
For the remaining smaller machines, it
remains advisable to continue production
with the conventional, tried-and-tested
systems, not least because of the smaller
batch sizes.
The precision and flexibility of these robots
opened up a large number of further applications which require high repeatability,
such as inserting core parts in the injection
molds. This is an essential factor for this
technology where manual operations always involve a certain degree of risk.
Today, the employees of Dubourgel can
integrate their basic applications independently thanks to the easy installation and
simple programming of the MOTOMAN
robots.
The ISO 9000 certificated company has
focused its full attention on quality and has
reacted immediately to the need for new
technologies for clean room applications.
Thanks to the flexibility of the robots,
packaging processes were simplified significantly, thereby also considerably reducing
the risk of contamination by small particles.
High priority is assigned to the developExample 2: Almost without human intervention
the MOTOMAN-ES165N performs different tasks
in a universal cell for pipe production.
Loading and unloading station of a plastics press
with a MOTOMAN-HP20.
7
Report
“ÖKA” – A Swedish project to increase
productivity and profitability
MOTOMAN Robotics Europe AB (Sweden)
is currently running the project “ÖKA”,
which is Swedish for “increase”. The target
of increase in the context of the ÖKAproject, is quite naturally productivity and
profitability. Three Swedish cases illustrate
the diversity in MOTOMAN Sweden’s offer,
which helps increase productivity in environments with very different challenges.
Case 1: MOTOMAN Sweden made ITT
Flygt’s manufacturing six times faster
In the first case, the pump manufacturer ITT
Flygt came into in focus. The company is
the world market leader in pumps. Here
MOTOMAN Robotics Sweden developed
and delivered a complete automation solution at the pump manufacture’s plant in
Emmaboda. Through the installation of a
MOTOMAN robotic system, ITT Flygt achieved remarkable results.
The robot cell offered a complete solution
for the manufacturing of electric motor
rotor axes using a MOTOMAN-ES165N with
vision equipment. The robot cell was developed in close cooperation with Flygt’s
operators who were the professionals that
were found to have the best in-depth
knowledge of the process. A four functional
gripper tool that handles diameters ranging from 15 to 160 millimeters, and lifts
between 1 and 25 kilograms was specially
designed.
As a result of the ÖKA-project, product output times have been reduced from 30 – 40
Case 2: Sibbhultsverken
Sibbhultsverken, a former part of the heavy
truck manufacturer Scania, offered a complex challenge. The first MOTOMAN robot
was delivered in 2005, and was soon followed by others. The robots are mounted
on conveyer tracks, with lengths between
10 and 18 meters, allowing the robots to
reposition themselves quickly and accurately. Hence, one single robot such as the
MOTOMAN-ES165N can interact with several machines.
Today, Sibbhultsverken has eight MOTOMAN robots serving two or three operating
stations each. Operating in four or five
shifts and with a track record of very high
availability and dependability, productivity
has increased a great deal.
drastically shorter. Finally, a new investment
had to be made. In 2007, a MOTOMANES165N-100 was installed, to serve two
grinders CNC lathes.
The result is a system that can handle a
great variety of dimensions, from 10 mm to
400 mm in length and diameters between
60 to 230 mm using the same grippers,
specially developed by MOTOMAN for this
site.This has resulted in increased productivity, versatility and availability, at a lower
cost. From operating the same product for
months, CNC now has to change product
series every 3 or 4 days. A demand it can
live up to!
Summary
The above cases show that MOTOMAN
Sweden is eager to get involved in complex
operations of all sizes to develop complete
automated system solutions in close cooperation with the end-users.
Case 3: CNC-Production –
Ten employees and one robot
Also very small manufacturing operations
benefit from MOTOMAN robots, and the
ÖKA productivity project. CNC-Production
had managed to grow consistently over a
number of years, with number of staff
unchanged. But while volumes have increased, each product series had become
Case 1: At ITT Flygt, a MOTOMAN-ES165N with
Case 2: Mounted on a track, the MOTOMAN-
Case 3: A MOTOMAN-ES165N-100 serves a
vision system is used for the manufacturing of
ES165N loads several machines at Sibbhultsverken.
CNC-machine.
electric motor rotor axes.
8
hours per batch, to a mere 5 – 7 hours.
The ITT Flygt Emmaboda plant is a fine
example of MOTOMAN Sweden’s strive to
deliver total system solutions and in doing
so, taking great pride in involving endusers and utilizing their inputs.
Report
Powerful MOTOMAN robots ensure the
highest possible quality for the production
of aluminum and brass components
LABINA (www.labina.com) is a family owned company dedicated to the
die casting industry. Located in northern Portugal in the city of Braga, and
founded back in 1968, the company today has 60 employees and a turnover
of approx. 10 million Euro per year. Jorge and José Manuel Pimenta are
presently the two brothers running the company inherited from their father.
Operating exclusively in the die casting industry, namely producing aluminum
and brass components, LABINA supplies the automotive, general construction,
aerospace, and electronic industries.
LABINA has attained extremely high quali- fied, with MOTOMAN keeping up with the
ty and service standards, that have enabled planned schedules and interfacing perthe company to supply automotive cus- fectly with the surrounding machines.
tomers as AUDI, BMW, CITROEN, FORD, MOTOMAN IBÉRICA (PORTUGAL), based
GM, PEUGEOT, PORSCHE, RENAULT TRUCKS, on the customer’s requirements and exVOLVO, among others, and aerospace perience, developed the grippers and lubricustomers like AIRBUS and BOEING. The cating devices. Adaptation from the cusinstalled industrial means are presently of tomer to the programming and handling
16 injection moulding machines, ranging of the new MOTOMAN robots was surprifrom 200 to 1100 ton capacity, and in- singly fast and easy.
cluding machines like the recent state of Based on this success, MOTOMAN now
looks forward to new orders from die
the art “BÜHLER Evolution”.
With each injection machine, a pair of indus- casting industry players.
trial robots is mounted, so that one robot
unloads the part while another cleans and
lubricates the mould. The robot that unloads the part can also make additional
operations, like removing excessive material and palletizing.
The first 4 industrial robots were installed
Right from the start, the Portuguese company
in 1993, and today LABINA operates with
Labina was very satisfied with the automation
23 robots, of which the last 8 are from
solution.
MOTOMAN. LABINA, being very
experienced in the use of industrial robots, has now chosen
MOTOMAN as the new supplier,
due to the performance and
quality of the YASKAWA product. Eight robots were installed
in four pairs, using MOTOMANHP20 for handling parts and
the extremely fast MOTOMANSSF2000 for lubricating the
moulds.
From the very beginning the Two MOTOMAN robots in team work: A MOTOMAN-HP20 handles the parts and the fast MOTOMAN-SSF2000
customer has been very satis- lubricates the moulds.
9
System partner
Technological competence in
aluminium die-casting applications:
A long-established company sets
a high benchmark
The demands of the automotive industry are extremely high.These demands can only
be met by a high level of automation. Consistently high quality and independence
of the installation have the highest priority. Because of the part sizes the manufacturer
has to find reasonable automation solutions for the process.
The Bühler die-casting machine with a closing force of 3,200 t forms the heart
of the installation.
BDW technologies is an owner-managed, medium-sized
company with the main focus on partnership with customers with regard to research and development. BDW
technologies is aware of the importance of consistently
high quality and meeting deadlines. Thanks to flat organizational structures and short lines of decision the longestablished company is today a modern and flexible partner of the automotive industry. Die-cast aluminium parts
as structural components are the core business of BDW
technologies, based in Markt Schwaben near Munich.
Customers include Audi, Daimler, Porsche, Jaguar, VW and
ZF to name a few. With more than 320 employees BDW
technologies produces with a steadily increasing degree of
automation. “We have rarely seen a customer invest so
much in development and in innovative production and
assembly processes in so few years,” explains Alexander
Steiger, sales engineer at MOTOMAN robotec GmbH.
For many years BDW technologies and MOTOMAN have
been cooperating very closely. At the beginning of the
10
relationship, there was a benchmark. In this context, MOTOMAN demonstrated its competence in the Foundry sector.
In the past MOTOMAN has implemented several projects
successfully: the goal was to combine spraying robots with
unloading robots in a die casting installation. MOTOMAN
developed the necessary platform.
Last year a new project was initiated for BDW technolgies.
The new project concerned the production of light structural components for a renowned Bavarian automotive
manufacturer. The aim was production of parts around the
clock. Based on the good experience with MOTOMAN, the
logical consequence for BDW technologies was to rely once
again on the expertise of the specialists from Allershausen.
A new shop was built especially for the project. The excavation for the machine base in the shop resembled a
swimming pool. Now, a Bühler “EVO 3200” die-casting
machine is installed on this foundation. As the name
suggests, the machine has a closing force of 3,200 t and
forms the heart of the installation.
Shelf-type robot MOTOMAN-ES200RN-120
The shelftype robot MOTOMAN-ES200RN-120 is located on
top of the machine.
This industrial robot is a world record-holder with a reach
of 4,004 mm. After unloading the parts, the robot moves
the spray head (supplied by Acheson, Ulm) around the
mould and cleans it by means of an air/water mix. In order
to test the work process between the columns, also in
connection with the unloading robot, Walter Hohenadl of
BDW technologies performed a simulation of this sector
with the MOTOMAN software “MOTOSim EG“. Using this
simulation software, Walter Hohenadl could configure the
interference contours in such a manner that idle time was
significantly reduced. Moreover it was possible to evaluate
and to determine in advance the accessibility and the reach
of the robot. The result was another advantage: the simulation program served as the framework for further programming.
System partner
With a payload of 120 kg the MOTOMAN-ES200RN-120 is the largest shelf-type robot
worldwide and has a downwards reach (e. g. for loading and unloading) of 2,798 mm.
Unloading robot MOTOMAN-ES165N
The unloading robot integrated into the overall system is a floor-mounted
MOTOMAN-ES165N. In the first step the robot removes the parts from the
die-casting machine. Then the robot positions the parts that have a temperature of 450 degrees under a shower and inserts them in a press where
sprue and residues are removed.The MOTOMAN-ES165N puts the NOK parts
in the scrap flap. Now a tool change is necessary to remove the part from
the press and position it on the next conveyor. In order to ensure the high
quality standard, parts must be offloaded for a tensile test. Or the parts are
polished to detect the pore cells by means of a microscope. In this production process the quality inspections are indispensable.
The handling of parts of this size demonstrates clearly the necessity for
automation solutions. The installed system shows that parts of this size and
number can be produced autonomously with a consistent quality standard
and continuously in a 3-shift operation.
The unloading robot MOTOMAN-ES165N is
After unloading the parts, the MOTOMAN-ES200RN-120 moves the spray head around
The production of the light structural components
the mould and cleans it by means of an air/water mix.
is performed continuously in 3-shift operation.
located in front of the system.
Contact:
BDW technologies GmbH & Co.KG
Im Wiegenfeld 10
D-85570 Markt Schwaben
Tel. +49 (0) 8121 420-0
Fax +49 (0) 8121 420-429
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.bdw-technologies.com
11
System partner
PEMA Vision Robot System –
More Power to Production
Pemamek Oy is a world leading supplier of heavy
welding automation, mechanisation and work-piece
handling equipment.The company is acknowledged
for its superior product quality and capacity features
providing short pay-pack times on investments.
This is guaranteed by the experienced employees of
Pemamek, since 1970.Their fields of activities include
heavy robotics and engineering, automation for the
energy sector and shipbuilding production, workpiece
handling equipment and customer support.
The Vision robot system is best suited for the welding of panels that
are largely similar, yet still individualised. Pictured: a VRWP-8000/1 robot
portal with a MOTOMAN-SSA2000 robot at the STX Turku shipyard.
Pemamek, is since several year an official
system partner of MOTOMAN. Both companies profit from this partnership that
is characterized by great cooperation and
exchange of know-how – in this way several installations throughout Europe have
been accomplished.
The machine vision-based “Vision robot
system”, which utilizes MOTOMAN-SSA2000
robots, represents the very cutting edge of
Pemamek welding automation solutions.
Vision practically demonstrates how the
job description for welders is moving more
toward that of an operator, and how this
change enhances production efficiency.
The advantages of the PEMA Vision robot
system are made especially clear at shipyards, where as many as tens of thousands
of similar, but still individualised products
might be made at the front end of hull
production every year. This is exactly the
kind of production application where Vision
really shines. Machine vision provides clear
advantages. Developed by Pemamek, the
patented Vision is a machine vision-based
robot system. It offers an effective means
to enhance productivity in processes,
where the form, type and number of a
given workpiece requires easy and flexible
programming. The Vision system offers numerous benefits. Its key characteristics are
12
user-friendliness and fast workpiece programming. The programming required for
an entire 8-hour welding shift can be done
in 30 minutes. During a single shift, one
MOTOMAN robot equipped with PEMA
Vision system makes approximately 160
metres in welds, and, based on testimonials
from shipyards, it can even be programmed to continue welding during the night
shift. In addition to this, the quality of welds
is consistent. Pemamek has placed a special emphasis on the ease of system programming. Professional welders trained as
operators can use the system independently
after just a few days of training.
Offline system replacement
The Vision system is based on camera
scanning of the workpiece, where all the
necessary data of the scanned workpiece
is obtained. This is an especially significant
advantage over an offline system, which
requires an in-house engineer level programmer to do labour-intensive CAD modelling. The Vision system welder-operator
can independently handle the entire programming process, which results in exceptional production flexibility and efficiency.
Vision's other advantages over an offline
system include: ease of workpiece calibration; the absolute position of the panel is
ascertained during scanning; and changes
to the welding order or the addition of a
new seam can easily be done. Furthermore,
The VRWP-6000/1 Vision robot portal is a vital
The Vision robot operator can easily program
part of the panel production line at the Navantia
needed welds. An image of the scanned workpiece
el Ferrol military shipyard in Spain.
is displayed to the operator.
System partner
Vision produces an image of the actual
workpiece that also shows the various
support structures used by welders that do
not appear in CAD images. The Vision
system also improves work motivation, as
the welder who assembled and tack-welded
the workpiece is its operator. The system’s
high arc time ratio frees the operator to
also take care of other production related
tasks, which has a major impact on work
productivity.
Effective solution for the needs of shipyards
The advantages that Vision offers shipyards
have been widely recognized and numerous solutions based on it have been delivered. Customers are typically shipyards
which build highly demanding and complex cruise liners or warships. Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri Riva Trigoso and Spanish
builder Navantia el Ferrol have both purchased the Vision system. Fincantieri has
also ordered the second one and el Ferrol
two new to strengthen the fleet of Vision
robot systems they already have. A similar
application has also been delivered for
example to Croatian shipyard, 3 Maj. STX
Finland Cruise Turku and Rauma shipyards
have also improved their production efficiency with a Vision robot systems. They
currently have several Vision robot portals
in use and, among others, a bulkhead line
with two twin-robot welding stations
equipped with total of four MOTOMANUP6 robots. Head of robots on STX Turku
Shipyard Mr. Tommi Reponen was also
involved in the development of the Vision
system’s usability. “The ease of robot programming that the Vision system provides
saves on resources and enhances productivity in panel welding,” explains Mr. Reponen. Pemamek proceeds with the Vision
robot system, developing numerous new
applications for the already exceptionally
advanced system.
Contact:
PEMAMEK Oy
Lamminkatu 47
FI-33201 Loimaa
Tel. +358 2 760 771
Fax +358 2 762 8660
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.pemamek.com
Co-operation results in satisfied customers:
Ab A. Häggblom Oy
Ab A. Häggblom Oy, based in Kokkola, is
Finland’s leading manufacturer of undercarriages and spare parts forearth-moving machines. The quality of its welds are
crucial to the company, as the machines,
which are designed for demanding
working conditions, are constantly placed
under enormous loads. Commercial success has led to the rapid growth of Häggblom, and the company has made major
investments in production throughout the
2000s; for example, the productivity of
MAG welding in production applications
has been improved through automation.
When it comes to welding robots, Häggblom has benefitted from the MOTOMAN
and Pemamek co-operation and mutually
complementary product offering. The
company purchased its first welding
robot from MOTOMAN in 2003. The experiences were so positive that the company wanted to expand its use of robot
welding. The demand for its products
forced Häggblom to accelerate production, and robot welding has proven to be
faster than manual welding on numerous
occasions. It has also resulted in savings
on material costs. A new Pemamek welding robot station containing a MOTOMAN-UP20MN robot was just purchased
for the welding of large pieces needed on
heavy-duty equipment.With this new addition, 85 % of the production is covered
by robotised welding.
Pemamek supplied Häggblom with a new
floor type of robot station, with external
X-Y-Z axes for the robot and a threeaxis Skyhook positioner combination.The
application allows the welding of very
long and heavy workpieces always in an
optimal position. As opposed to the conventional single-axis positioner, a threeaxis positioner ensures an optimal welding position, which, in turn, provides a
high welding speed and excellent degree
of quality. Workpieces can be processed
on the positioner at a low level, and a
palette mount speeds up the changing
of workpieces. The application offers the
IGRIP Ultra Arc off-line programming
system and multi-pass welding, Pema cell
control (software) runs robot programs
and welding parameters. All the application is an integrated complete supply by
Pemamek.
The robot welding station, with the MOTOMANUP20MN, during factory testing at Pemamek.
13
System partner
Robotized water jet cutting –
Easy and silent
Oyak-Renault, established in 1968, is one of the leading automotive manufacturer in Turkey.
Manufacturing the “Symbol” and “Mégane” models, Oyak-Renault is a market leader on the
domestic market.
Water jet technology
prevents a morph
structure after cutting.
And maks quality
analyses easier and
more precise.
At the Oyak-Renault factory, 15 MOTOMAN
robots was installed on motor subframe
welding line by Teknodrom Robotics
(www.teknodrom.com), the exclusive distributor of MOTOMAN robots in Turkey.
In addition, a rear axle welding line with 13
MOTOMAN robots and abrasive water jet
cutting solution was also developed and
manufactured by Teknodrom. Teknodrom
Robotics was founded in 2003 and developed quickly into a leader in its field, and
has already integrated over 350 MOTOMAN
robots and over 70 system solutions in
Turkey.
Recently, due to factors like provided surface quality, accuracy and low cost etc.
water jet cutting application has prevalent
usage in most of the developed countries.
Generally, surface treatment with water jet
is commonly applied with 2 dimensional
CNC machines. Integrating 6-axis robots to
these systems had no remarkable progress
until now.
Quality is one of the facts for gaining competitive capacity in the market and which
differentiates companies. Therefore, quality
control processes are one of the tools of
ensuring high quality production. Especially in the automotive industry, welding
quality of the products is very important
and accuracy of that quality analyses de-
14
pend on correct cutting point and smooth
cutting. Consequently, usage of abrasive
water jet cells is becoming requisite for
automotive industry. That same necessity
made Renault invest in this project.
System Process
The operator integrates the suitable fixture
to the system and mounts the part that will
be cut. The system is programmed for cutting 4 different parts, thereof are subframes
and rear axles produced in the line that
was built with MOTOMAN robots by Teknodrom. After mounting the part, the operator chooses the appropriate program
from the control panel and the cutting
starts. Thewater jet pump and nozzle was
selected from Projet System AB (Sweden).
Pressured water and abrasive powder can
reach a speed of 2 Mac (which equals to
twice as much as the speed of sound) and
pressure of 4,000 bar. In order to optimize
the cutting speed and quality, analogue
adjustable abrasive powder feeder controlled from robot the control panel is
used. The flow level can be adjusted to cut
thin materials, preventing powder waste,
or thicker parts as well. Including fixture
change, the cutting process cycle takes
overall 30 minutes.
Special features
To reduce the powder waste the water jet
tank bottom was designed with a pyramid
shape so it is easier to recycle the abrasive
powder. The function of the system is to
remove the sludge from the water jet
cutting tank, separate reusable abrasive
from waste, wash and dry the reusable
abrasive and deposit it back into the bulk
feed hopper.
Another feature of the system is auto turn
off. In case the water and abrasive powder
pipe or nozzle flowing is blocked, the
system automatically perceives that failure,
gives a warning and then stops working.
The system was built after analyzing possible effects of abrasive water jet cutting at
high pressure like, safety problems, high
volume, high dense steam etc. These analyses have shown that, the primarily necessity is choosing a robot with a high protection class, especially on the wrist, which is
directly exposed to water. Therefore, the
MOTOMAN-HP20 robot was preferred, since
it has protection class IP67. Furthermore,
the rest of the system was also chosen from
high level protection class materials and
equipments.
On a regular abrasive water jet cutting
system, noise inside of the cabinet reaches
90 decibel and outside approx. 75 decibel
System partner
Advantages
of cutting
underwater:
●
Less noicy working
environment
●
Less steam and perspiration
inside the cabinet
System equipments:
1) Water balancing and sludge cleaning unit
2) Isolated cabinet
3) Water jet pump
4) Abrasive powder feed hopper
5) MOTOMAN-HP20 (general purpose robot)
(differs to cabinet isolation). Reducing the
noise about 60 decibels is up to cabinet
isolation but achieving this will be difficult
and costly. For isolating the high noice, that
occurs while cutting, system cabinet walls
were constructed of 2 layers and between
them polyurethane isolation material was
used. On the other hand, in spite of protection class of high materials are used on the
system, accumulated steam and perspiration effect in the system cabinet could
damage the robot and the other materials
and the system could be break down in a
long period, besides, water gathering and
dripping could occur problem because of
the accumulation on the area used for
disposal of the steam.
Considering the high noise, corrosion of
the fixtures and cutting equipments, water
dripping etc., Teknodrom decided to make
the cutting under water. After investigating
former robotized water jet systems in
Turkey, no former similar application was
found. Thus, Teknodrom decided to be first
System installed at the customer plant.
●
Visually controllable
process
●
The underwater cut
is achieved, as the part
is rotated in the tank
to create an underwater abrasive water jet
cutting system in Turkey.
The water jet tank was designed for underwater cutting and a laser sensor was added
which measures and calculates water depth
so water level of the tank can be controlled
in changes of even “mm” degrees. This
system differs from the regular underwater
water jet systems with a fixed work under
water, since this laser system is also guaranteeing an underwater cut even if the
work that will be cut is moved by an
additional axis. Water level can be adjusted
to needed height over the part, so the
system can provide the perfect cutting
performance for every condition and every
position.
After comparing underwater cut with cutting over water asignificant decrease of the
accumulated steam and perspiration was
found. Because of reduced steam and
spreading water inside of the cabinet, the
operator can watch the whole cutting process easily from window of the cabinet.
In addition, the noice level was greatly reduced. In case of the system cabinet door
closed, the 75 decibels of noise becomes
imperceptible with the new system. Due to
the isolated cabinet and underwater cutting, the system assures a healthy and silent
working environment.
The lamp over the control panel warns for powder
The MOTOMAN-HP20,with the high protection
or water shortages.
class IP67, is integrated in the system
Contact:
TEKNODROM Robotics
& Automation Inc.
GOSB Teknopark
TR-41480 Gebze/KOCAELI
Tel. +90 (0) 262 678 88 18
Fax +90 (0) 262 678 88 21
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.teknodrom.com
15
Innovation
Successful cooperation allows the
first integrated CAD/CAM robot solution
in Europe
How can an existing CAD/CAM technology be connected to a MOTOMAN robot? This, three
years ago, was the question facing MOTOMAN Benelux,Trento Special Equipment & Robotics,
4C Creative Cad Cam Consultants (www.4cccc.nl). Provided that this integration could be
realised, would an optimized technology, as it is used for CNC milling machines, be possible
for many more standard applications? MOTOMAN and 4C Consultants saw many potential
applications, not only for the milling sector but also for gluing and cutting applications, etc.
Offline programming
Offline programming, such as that used for CNC machines,
is not normally performed for industrial robots. This is why,
in most cases, the programs are created by using the
robot’s teach pendant. However, this is time-consuming,
particularly for complicated contours, and impossible for
milling of 3D shapes.
The challenge was big.The matter was not only how to find
a solution for the compilation of the CAD/CAM information
into the MOTOMAN control. The overall system also had to
be reliable and at the same time easy to use. MOTOMAN
and 4C Consultants cooperated with Trento Special Equipment & Robotics in order to develop this technology together and to launch it on the market. The integrated,
newly-developed system is very easy to use for users
familiar with CAD/CAM and CNC technology and is also
extremely reliable.
offline. Moreover, the robot doesn’t need to stop production during programming. Now the user can produce small
series and even individual parts with the robot.
Compared with convential CNC machines, machining with
a robot offers many advantages: flexibility is extremely high,
the robot requires very little space and covers a very large
workspace. 5-axis simultaneous machining poses no problem and other machining functions such as drilling, threadcutting and deburring, etc. can be carried out with ease. The
possible process accuracy is between 0.2 mm and 0.5 mm.
The method
VX CAD/CAM forms the heart of the application. Within
VX CAM the user can choose from a broad spectrum such
as drilling and thread-cutting or even 3- or 5-axis milling.
With VX CAM a Cutter Location File is generated, the socalled CL file. This file is loaded into the simulation software
and then an analysis of the robot movements is performed.
Due to the fact that a 6-axis robot has much greater freedom of movement than a CNC machine, this offline programming step is the most important. The software is
absolutely unique because problems are not only recognized but also eliminated within this program in a very
user-friendly way. And the system has been conceived for
users with little or no experience of robot programming.
Only now follows the last step: the compilation of the CL file
into a MOTOMAN job file. This ensures that a selected
machining process really works according to plan.
The advantages of the system
The system reduces the time required for the programming
of the robot for complex shapes and contours from days to
hours. The program is simply generated from the 3D CAD
model and program execution is tested with the existing
simulation software. The adaptation of undesired movements can be realized simply and intuitively with this
software.
The advantages for the user are clear: both simple and
complex contours can be programmed quickly and easily
1
16
2
3
4
Innovation
VX is an overall package for the complete 3D design of objects (from left to right: loading a file, definition of milling paths and a perfectly
created 3D model).
In advance, the test department of Trento carried out intensive long-term tests with the different machining types,
tools and materials in order to ensure the suitability of
the system for the market. As a result, the customer gets a
reliable system and the essential expertise acquired means
that help and advice can be provided for the customer. And
this regardless of the tools, process parameters, clamping
possibilities, etc., applied.
Application examples
This technology is not only suitable for milling a large number of materials such as EPS foam, polyester, wood and
aluminium, but also for many other types of machining
tasks. Trento is currently processing a request for forming
and finishing of polyester tank caps. It is difficult to describe these spherical caps in an conventional way. With
VX CAD/CAM the numerous variants with different shapes
and dimensions can be produced in any order. The production of individual parts is no longer problematic. Another
significant advantage: with the same clamping arrangement shaping and also milling of openings are possible,
e. g. for tank connections. The robot works with a complete
range of tools and is thus much more flexible than a CNC
machining centre. In this case the milling spindle can easily
be replaced by a forming tool.
ly integrated within VX: modifications in a 3D model can be
converted immediately into adapted milling paths.
With VX CAM 2-axis machining processes such as drilling
and thread-cutting are possible. These processes can be
realized in any machining surface. Moreover, 3-axis machinings and 5-axis simultaneous milling can be executed:
the result is an endless variety of applicable technologies.
Furthermore, the paths described by VX can be used for
milling operations and a large spectrum of tools such as
cutting tools and grindstones can be controlled.
If the user already uses a CAD system, 3D models can
easily be loaded into VX using the comprehensive import
options. Supported file formats are, amongst others, Iges,
STEP, Parasolid, but also STL files. 2D contours can be processed by means of dwg or dxf and scanned models can
be converted into surface models, if desired. Because of
the fact that VX is hybrid, the models do not have to be
repaired, however, an excellent milling surface is ensured.
With VX CAM the user can choose his preferred strategies.
It goes without saying that the user can enter his own tools
in a library and save his machining processes which can
then be applied to other products.
Contact:
Trento Special Equipment
& Robotics B.V.
Nusterweg 80
NL-6136 KV Sittard
Tel. +31 (0) 46 - 420 17 17
Fax +31 (0) 46 - 420 17 27
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.trento.nl
VX CAD/CAM
The package for the installation comes from VX CAD/CAM.
The package originally developed for SAMSUNG has been
successfully implemented for many years for engineering,
design and control of CNC machines. VX is an overall package for the complete 3D design of objects. VX is a hybrid
CAD/CAM system that does not distinguish between
closed (solid) and open (surface) models. CAM is complete-
5
6
7
With the newly-developed technology different materials can be machined and a large
number of applications can be covered:
1 Deburring of cast iron
2 Milling of a model
3 Milling of fiberglass
4
5 Milling of HR foam
6
7 Milling of flexible foam
17
Innovation
Flexible automation
of CNC production in workshops
SINUMERIK and MOTOMAN robots can be used for all
machine tool applications
With the standardized and open interfaces of the “Sinumerik 840D sl“ controller
(www.siemens.de/sinumerik), Siemens makes the simple integration of robots in
workshops possible. Users of machine tools can realize standard tasks and also flexibly
adapt to automatic or series production.
By means of automated operation, e. g. for
machine loading with robots, machine tools
can also be operated during non-working
shifts and thus achieve a greater utilization
of the installation.
Via the open interfaces of the “Sinumerik 840D sl”, not only turning machines,
milling or grinding machines can be connected to the robot, but also any
One important point is fast single-piece production. But
there is also a need for fully automated production of
smaller and medium-sized series. A modular, reusable and
simple solution must be implemented. The result: the
system pays for itself quickly – an extremely important
factor especially for medium-sized companies. The combination of “SINUMERIK“ and MOTOMAN industrial robots
offers an efficient and economical solution for workshop
production with robots.
other machine tool.
The platform for both user-managed operation and automatic series production is the operating and programming
tools “ShopMill” and “ShopTurn”. By means of these tools
the machines can be easily configured and workpieces can
be programmed via a graphical user interface. Changeover
to automated series production can be realized in only a
few steps. For the first time, Siemens demonstrated the
integration of industrial robots in workshop production at
the “AMB” trade fair (Stuttgart, 9 – 13 September 2008)
where a MOTOMAN robot was shown.
Highlights of the robotic application
●
Production of completely different workpieces
●
Single-piece production during manual shifts/during
workshop operation
●
Partial series production during unmanned second
and third shifts
The robot can also be used for several machines. The result: increased
installation utilization, reduction of the ROI of the machine and securing
of competitiveness, especially for medium-sized manufacturers.
18
●
Changeover to workshop operation in only a few
quick steps
Innovation
MOTOMAN-HP3XF gets eyes
Quick and reliable provision of components is indispensable for assembly processes.
Especially for small light parts the Swiss company flexfactory ag, based in Dietikon, has developed
the Anyfeeder which is driven by servomotors.This shaker conveyor is equipped with a vision
system which recognizes the position of the parts on the feeder. An industrial robot is necessary
to pick up the provided parts. A 6-axis robot is the ideal choice for loading parts into a fixture.
Short cycle times
Joma Polytec Kunststofftechnik GmbH is a
medium-sized company based in Bodelshausen, Baden-Württemberg, and produces medical components and injectionmolded parts for the automotive industry.
After injection molding, metal bushings
must be pressed automatically into some
of these parts. The final challenge, then,
was to provide and position the more than
100 different bushings for the especially
constructed pressing station.
The requirements placed on MOTOMAN
were for a very nimble solution. 9 parts
had to be picked up by the feeder within a
maximum of 18 seconds, or even better 15
seconds, and then positioned in the pressing station. The MOTOMAN-HP3XF robot
was chosen for this task: its reach and speed
were the decisive factors. In addition, two
MOTOMAN-HP20 robots are also integrated
in the cell. A HP3XF loads the pressing
station and a HP20 positions the injectionmolded part in the station while the other
robot unloads and stacks the pressed part.
job is loaded into the camera and production can continue. Complicated mechanical modifications of the installation are no
longer necessary.
Quick change
But not only the excellent cycle time was
decisive for Joma Polytec: another requirement was extremely high process reliability. A second feeder had to be integrated.
In this way continued production can be
ensured while the second feeder is already
loaded with new parts of another type.
The position in X and Y as well as the rotation angle of the parts on the feeder are
recognized by a Cognex In-Sight camera
and communicated to the robot. So-called
macro jobs, specially programmed by
MOTOMAN for communication with Cognex cameras were used here for the first
time. The challenges for the robot were the
short cycle time and the possible frequent
feeder changes during a feeding operation.
If one feeder is not able to provide parts,
the bushings must be picked up from the
second feeder. A specially programmed
macro job makes this possible.
In order to reduce the time necessary for
communication with the camera, a parallel
job is integrated in the process. When the
robot unloads the part, it knows already
from which feeder the next part must be
Highest flexibility ensured
Because of the large number of different
parts the feeding system had to be very
flexible.That's why Joma Polytec decided in
favor of the Anyfeeder instead of a conventional spiral conveyor. A decisive advantage
of the Anyfeeder, which is
driven by servomotors, compared with a spiral conveyor,
is the large number of different parts that it can handle.
Each component has to be
taught only once in the
camera system and is then
saved in a job. When making
a production changeover with
a corresponding component
change, only the respective
Robot with feeder and Cognex image processing.
picked up and where it is positioned. The
result: the desired cycle time of 15 seconds
or even less can be reached.
Excellent cooperation
Thanks to the excellent cooperation with
flexfactory a test set-up was quickly realized at MOTOMAN in Allershausen. Here
the customer could be convinced of the
success of the planned concept. Moreover,
a Plug & Play interface was created by
adapting the standard MOTOMAN macro
jobs to the communication with the feeder.
By means of this adaptation and the provision of a basic job for the MOTOMAN
robot, the set-up time of the Anyfeeder
system can be reduced to a minimum in
the future. The close cooperation between
MOTOMAN and flexfactory is also set to
continue in the future. The created standard interface can be ordered from MOTOMAN at any time.
The first installation was put into operation
in April 2009 at Polytec. Other fully automatic loading stations are already planned.
These, of course, will also use MOTOMAN
robots and Anyfeeders from flexfactory.
For more information, please visit
www.flexfactory.com, www.motoman.eu
or send an e-mail to: [email protected]
19
Event • Trade fair
Automation
technology expert:
“EuroBLECH”
Hannover, 21. to 25.10.2008
At “EuroBLECH 2008” in Hanover (Hall 13, Stand E21), MOTOMAN presented powerful and
efficient production concepts in the fields of folding and forming technology, special
arc welding and spot welding robots, a modular system for positioning technology and
state-of-the-art robot kinematics.
The 7-axis welding robot MOTOMAN-VA1400
The MOTOMAN-VA1400 is the first industrial robot worldwide in the arc welding sector
with seven controlled axes. The lean design of the flexible 7-axis robot provides an
immense freedom of movement even in narrow work spaces.
The compact MOTOMAN-VS50 with a payload of 50 kg
The second novelty was a 7-axis MOTOMAN-VS50 robot. The VS50 is impressive for its
high payload capacity of 50 kg and an extremely compact design. Thanks to a special
kinematics the robot is perfectly suited for spot welding applications as well as for a great
number of different assembly and handling processes – particularly for workpieces with
several hard to reach surfaces.
All in all, an extremely positive trade fair participation for MOTOMAN with numerous
potential customers and excellent international contacts.
International trade fair
for the industry:
“vienna-tec”
Wien, 07. to 10.10.2008
The “vienna-tec” trade fair in Vienna closed its gates to visitors after four days. Every
two years, the exhibition offers trade fair visitors from the industry, and especially the
manufacturing industry, six renowned trade fairs under one roof. The Austrian sales
office of MOTOMAN robotec GmbH was also on site and was highly satisfied with
the success of the trade fair. The audience of industry insiders showed great interest
in the 6- and 7-axis MOTOMAN robots which demonstrated welding, handling and
assembly applications. A MOTOMAN-HP3J was available to the visitors for hands-on
programming tests.
International “S.D. Fürst Joachim zu Fürstenberg”
Memorial Tournament, Donaueschingen
The 52nd International “S.D. Fürst Joachim zu Fürstenberg” Memorial Tournament in Donaueschingen is
one of the most traditional horse shows in Europe.
The particular attraction of the venue, the park of the
Fürstenberg, is absolutely unique. The Tournament
was held from 18 to 21 September 2008. MOTOMAN
robotec GmbH supported the well-frequented and
extremely successful event with sponsoring activities.
20
Event • Trade fair
Fulda Technical College visits
MOTOMAN Training Centre
in Frankfurt
The Applied IT department of Fulda Technical College normally develops software
and hardware solutions for state-of-the-art
IT applications. In addition to the development of networks and operating systems
this also includes the integration of multimedia applications and products.
In the context of a current industrial project
with the task of developing a continuous
and practical data structure for a production line and software integration of the
system components, the students came into
contact with MOTOMAN. The industrial
partner provided a MOTOMAN-HP20 robot
which is to perform the automatic loading
and workpiece handling in the different
work stations of the planned production
line.
In order to familiarize the students with the
operation and programming of the robot,
MOTOMAN welcomed the whole project
group to the new MOTOMAN Training
Centre in Frankfurt in March 2009. Training
manager, Torben Schäfer, made a great
Training manager Torben Schäfer (left) with the
project group of Fulda Technical College.
effort and treated the complex issue in only
one day. But the students also had to work
hard: basic training normally takes 4 to
5 days. Together, however, the scheduled
objectives were achieved and many questions could be answered.
When the Occident meets the Orient:
“Arabplast
2009”
Dubai, 10. to 13.01.2009
At “Arabplast 2009”, CeraCon GmbH from Weikersheim (www.ceracon.com) presented its innovative foam sealing technology in the Middle East for the first time.
With the specially designed trade fair installation, saucer-shaped plastic premould components were provided with foam seals using different processes.
These were then presented to interested trade fair visitors as a souvenir. Two
MOTOMAN-HP3L robots with the NXC100 controller were used for this application.
Informative meeting point in Northern Germany:
“Forum Robotik 2009”
Bremen, 12. to 13.02.2009
The two-day “Forum Robotik” in Bremen is a meeting point established by robotics experts where the industry informs itself and discusses the latest trends and
the need for automation technology. Current topics from the fields of robotics and
automation technology are presented in a conference, an exhibition and additional workshops.
Whereas in the past the forum normally took place behind closed doors on the
factory site of Mercedes Benz, the new concept allows greater public awareness
of the event. Regional TV programmes and the daily press have reported in great
detail.The event is unique in Northern Germany and is also of great interest to the
neighbouring countries to the North.
MOTOMAN had a stand of its own for the first time. Together
with 4C Creative Cad Cam Consultants (www.4cccc.nl), solutions
for automatic handling and production were demonstrated.
21
Trade fair
Connecting
Car Competence:
“lZB” – International
Suppliers Fair
Wolfsburg,
29. to 31.10.2008
In accordance with their motto “Connecting Car Competence”, the Wolfsburg AG organized
the International Suppliers Fair IZB for the fifth time, from 29 to 31 October 2008. Over
the years, the IZB has become one of the most important trade fairs and communication
platforms for a large number of suppliers to the automotive industry, both in Germany
and abroad. MOTOMAN robotec GmbH took the opportunity to present its products in
Wolfsburg at the MOTOMAN stand. Visitors were impressed by the company’s expertise
in the robotics and automation technology sectors.
For all sectors of the
plastics industry:
“Fakuma”
Friedrichshafen,
14. to 18.10.2008
At “Fakuma” (Hall A7, stand 7206), MOTOMAN presented technological innovations and
numerous automation solutions for the plastics industry for the first time. MOTOMAN
offers a large selection of shelf-type robots. The six models are used for injection
moulding, PET and blow moulding processes, to name a few. They load and unload,
they machine and palletize workpieces and perform subsequent, complex reworking
tasks.
The six shelf-type robots are especially impressive for their reduced weight and the
wide range of different reaches and working envelopes. The payloads range from 20
to 200 kg. At the same time, during design, the developers placed great value on the
tried-and-tested, lean MOTOMAN wrist.
In connection with the lean arm, it is also possible to reach into extremely narrow
workspaces. In practice, this means that the injection mould does not have to be
opened so widely, resulting in cycle time savings and optimized work processes for the
operator.
YASKAWA – Master of
Motion Control:
“SPS/IPC/DRIVES”
Nürnberg, 24. to 26.11.2008
Successful presentation of YASKAWA and MOTOMAN at „SPS/IPC/Drives 2008“
Powerful and convincing technologies were presented at the trade fair for electrical
automation at a stand covering an area of 187 square metres. The latest energy saving
solutions, linear and inverter technology, new products from the Motion + Control
sector, drives and MOTOMAN industrial robots – all this and more was demonstrated
with impressive demo models at the YASKAWA stand with the slogan “Masters of
Motion Control”. A huge installation with two MOTOMAN robots with a typical
Japanese “Shishimai” lion mask, two larger-than-life models of a motor and an inverter,
combined with an electronic display showing the production figures: a truly impressive demonstration of the YASKAWA success story since 1915.
The modern and open stand design provided opportunities for informative conversations with trade fair visitors and customers.
22
Event • MOTOMAN Internal
HR (Human Resource) at MOTOMAN EUROPE
In June 2008, the management took the
decision to set up a complete Human
Resources department. With regard to the
rapid expansion of MOTOMAN, this was an
excellent and important decision. In organizational terms, the HR department as a
staff unit is directly subordinate to the
European Chairman. Head of the department is Ananka Reitter.
Over the years, human resources management has become more and more important: better training and higher qualification levels have led to a more complex
self-awareness and self-confidence of the
employees.
The HR department's Power Team: Head of
Human Resources Ananka Reitter (front right)
with Monika Stark (front left), Irene Obermaier
and Sandra Dirlenbach (back, from l. to r.).
Since then, all decisions and modifications
with regard to human resources have been
made centrally by the HR department.
Tasks include: human resources management, personnel development, recruitment,
payroll accounting, travel expense accounting, time management, personnel planning
as well as development of benefits, bonus
systems, etc.
An essential part of the current structure is
the so-called “Blue book”. All agreements
and rules are recorded here and available
to each employee via the internal network.
Several innovations, such as higher company anniversary payments, awards for
recruitments and kindergarten allowance,
were also introduced in the second half
of the year.
Despite the financial crisis and a negative
economic forecast for the year 2009, the
HR department is willing to face these challenges in the coming year. The main goals
for the coming year are training of young
professionals, trainee programs for graduates and awards for suggested improvements. Only with qualified, motivated
and dynamic employees can MOTOMAN
Europe meet the increasing demands of
the future.
Ananka Reitter concluded: “I would like to
take this opportunity to thank Ms. Widmer
and Ms. Beermann at YASKAWA in Frankfurt, their staff, the whole workforce of
MOTOMAN, and last but not least the
company management for their help and
support in restructuring the HR department.”
Drive technology manufacturer
YASKAWA Electric Europe in
Eschborn receives the
„Great Place to Work® –
Germany’s
Best Employer”
award for the first time in 2009
The award stands for the special quality and attractiveness of the employer.
Patron of the award ceremony on 12
February 2009 in Berlin was German
Federal Minister for Labour and Social
Affairs, Olaf Scholz. Representatives of
the company received the prize. A
Great Place to Work® is defined as one
where employees have confidence in
their management, are proud of their
work and enjoy working together with
their colleagues.
Martina Widmer, General Manager Administration (right) and Anne Beermann, Manager
Human Resources (left) of YASKAWA Electric
received the award.
“Festive season in Bavaria” – Advent at MOTOMAN
The same procedure as every year: on 19 December 2008
the annual MOTOMAN Christmas Party took place at a
countryside restaurant. The management took the occasion to thank all employees for the successful cooperation
and exceptional dedication during the last year. In the
course of the Christmas Party, with a tombola and lots of
prizes to win, even Santa came along and received a warm
welcome from all MOTOMEN AND MOTOWOMEN.
The tombola tickets were rapidly sold out ...
... and Santa had a lot of tales to tell.
23
MOTOMAN offices and representatives near you
YASKAWA Electric Corporation
JP 2-1, Kurosaki-shiroishi
Yahatanishi-ku
Kitakyushu-shi 806-0004
+093-645-8801
MOTOMAN Group
Distributors
A
BG Kammarton Bulgaria Ltd.
MOTOMAN robotec GmbH
Wien +43-1-707-9324-15
CZ MOTOMAN robotec s.r.o.
Sofia +359-02-926-6060
CH Messer Eutectic Castolin Switzerland S.A.
Prag +420-251-618-430
D
MOTOMAN robotec GmbH
Dällikon +41-44-847-17-17
CZ Hadyna International spol s.r.o.
Allershausen +49-8166-90-0
Ostrava-Marianske Hory +420-596-622-636
MOTOMAN robotec GmbH
Sp-Tech s.r.o.
Frankfurt +49-6196-77725-0
DK MOTOMAN Robotics Europe AB
E
Nymburk +420-325-515105
H
Løsning +45-7022-2477
Budapest +36-30-9510065
MOTOMAN Robotics Iberica S.L.
Rehm Hegesztéstechnika Kft
Barcelona +34-93-6303478
F
MOTOMAN Robotics S.A.
Budapest +36-53-380-078
IL
Nantes +33-2-40131919
FIN MOTOMAN Robotics Finland Oy
Turku +358-403000600
GB MOTOMAN Robotics UK Ltd
Banbury +44-1295-272755
I
Flexman Robotics Kft
MOTOMAN Robotics Italia SRL
YASKAWA Europe Technology Ltd.
Rosh Ha’ayin +972-3-9004114
N
Optimove AS
Lierstranda +47-32240600
PL Integrator RHC Sp. z o.o.
Torun +48-56-6519710
RUS Weber Comechanics
Turin +39-011-9005833
Moskau +7-495-105-8887
NL MOTOMAN Benelux B.V.
TR Teknodrom Robotik
Otomasyon San.Tic. Ltd. pti
Son +31-40-2895500
P
MOTOMAN Robotics Iberica S.L.
Aveiro +351-234-943 900
SE MOTOMAN Robotics Europe AB
Gebze/Kocaeli +90-262-678-88-18
ZA Robotic Systems SA PTY Ltd
Johannesburg +27-11-6083182
Kalmar +46-480-417800
MOTOMAN Robotics Europe AB
Torsas +46-480-417800
SI
MOTOMAN robotec d.o.o.
Ribnica +386-1-8372-410
Ristro d.o.o.
Ribnica +386-1-8372-410
European Headquarters
Training centre and sales office Frankfurt
MOTOMAN robotec GmbH
Kammerfeldstraße 1
D-85391 Allershausen, Germany
Fon +49-81 66-90-0
Fax +49-81 66-90-103
[email protected]
MOTOMAN robotec GmbH
Hauptstraße 185
D-65760 Eschborn,
Germany
Fon +49-61 96-777 25-0
Fax +49-61 96-777 25-39
Technical data may be subject to change without previous notice
www.motoman.eu