NPE 2000 Showcase - Automation:Automation gets even faster, simpler

What impressedus three years ago at NPE'97 was the speed of robotsand the simplified controls. At NPE 2000 the robots were evenfaster and the controls even simpler. Much simpler, in fact. Inspite of that, what had to impress any molder walking the aisleswas the sheer variety of automation options.

The technology is here now to run lights out or put numerousvalue-added operations alongside or in the press, unattended,and with optimum quality control. Beyond secondary operations,containerizing, packing, inspecting, and palletizing are in theno-problem category. Multiaxis robots are being made for moldingapplications, not adapted to them. As for linear robots, theirrange of performance and affordability, on top of the great varietyof choice, make them seem like shoppers' specials.

There is also a lot of flexibility in today's robots. Besidesbeing easily programmed to support many different production routines,they will also store those routines like molding machines do.The limiting factor to radically increasing automation may benothing more than our own ability to visualize a work cell inthree dimensions with multiple robots handing off to each other.It takes thinking out of the box, as they say, not to mentionhaving the confidence it will all work as planned.

Here is a look at many of the new and upgraded products andsystems we saw at NPE. Brilliant though they may be, how you putthem together can make them even better.

IndustrialRobots

Six-axis articulating-arm industrial robots first were featuredprominently two years ago at K'98. Their flexibility is provingattractive to molders looking to automate more postmold processes.That trend continued at NPE this year and shows no signs of abating.Many firms have developed industrial units, or created allianceswith established manufacturers.

Automated Assemblies has allied with Fanuc to integrate industrialrobots into total solution packages across the board. A floor-mounted,six-axis, articulated-arm unit from Fanuc rapidly and preciselymanipulated a truck instrument panel throughout its large hemisphericalwork envelope. Automated's Sales Manager Norton Kaplan said atthe show that "NPE is validating the fact that the molderwants a total solution that lowers the cost of producing quality,and adds value right at the molding machine. That often callsmore for system integration than for simply adding a robot orpicker."

Fanuc showed a variety of its newest industrial robots forthe first time and introduced the smallest members of its ToploaderSeries for injection molding machines. The SR Mate 100iH and SRMate 200i (SR = Shot Robot) are designed for tending 50- to 300-tonmachines, performing insertion, extraction, and postprocessingoperations such as deflashing, palletizing, labeling, and packing(see photo, above). Extraction times for these two units can beas fast as .75 second which, while not a match for the fastestservo linear robots, is more than respectable. The linear robotscan't match these units' range and versatility, and that's whydeciding on a robot requires a lot more study and planning thanever.

The two SR Mates-one of each was operating in Milacron's booth-offerthe reach of a linear robot with the range of motion and dexterityof the articulated arm. Payloads can be from 3 to 8 kg (6.6 to17.2 lb). Rail speeds are 1700 to 2000 mm/sec over a travel rangeof 1130 to 1500 mm. For payloads up to 70 kg (154 lb), Fanuc announcedthe M-710iT Toploader prior to NPE. Its rail axis lets it servicemultiple machines (horizontal or vertical) or stations with sixaxes, one linear and five rotary.

In its booth, Fanuc ran a six-axis M-16iT Toploader rail-mountedtransversely on the fixed platen of an injection machine. Thoughthe overhead mount means wide functional variety and a large workenvelope, it will most likely use less floor and overhead spacethan many gantry robots. Even with a downstroke of 1.6m, it needsonly 34-inch overhead. The rail can also be freestanding and parallelto the main machine axis for increased secondary operations. Repeatabilityis within .001 inch, full speed, fully loaded, and models areavailable for loads of 6, 16, and 70 kg (13.2, 35, and 154 lb).Fanuc says the cost premium for articulating-arm robots has diminishedto about 10 percent, while the robot's range of motion can oftenlower the cost of EOAT (end-of-arm tooling).

Motoman, which, as part of Yasakawa, is a global supplier ofindustrial robotic systems, introduced the shelf-mounted UP6Rsix-axis robot at NPE (see photo, p. 46). Motoman says that witha composite speed of 1640°/sec, this is the fastest robotin its class. Aimed squarely at the injection molding market,the shelf mounting provides better access for top loading of insertsand unloading of molded parts. It will perform side loading andunloading equally well. One of the six-axis robot's main advantageslies in its flexibility for insert molding. A newly designed slimstructure has few interference areas and allows the UP6R to beplaced closer to workpiece holding fixtures, improving part accessibility.

Conair also joined the industrial robot fray with demonstrationsthat show the flexibility the units offer. The first integrateda six-axis Fanuc unit in a simulated vertical insert moldingcell. The Fanuc Mate 800i worked with an integrated vision systemto sort nickels by heads and tails orientation. Another industrialrobot, the M6i, demonstrated auto EOAT switching while it playedtic-tac-toe with a Model 3021 linear robot. The M6i even performedits own victory dance after each game won. The Model 3021 hasa 13.2-lb payload capacity and is designed for machines of 80to 300 tons. The M6i also has a 13.2-lb capacity and axis speedsranging from 120° to 450°/sec.

LinearRobots

Not to be outdone, traditional linear robots make up what theylack in versatility with speed. Every supplier at NPE showed offa new linear system touting short in-and-out times combined withtotal cycle time reductions.

One of the speediest units at NPE was Sailor's side-entry model,which was removing and stacking DVD cases from an eight-cavitymold. It was in and out of the mold in less than .3 second. Operatingon a 4.8-second cycle, that mold/robot setup can make 225,000pieces in an 8-hour shift.

Sailor also introduced its N Series digital servo beam robots.Also fast with a .5-second dry cycle takeout and 3-second overalldry cycle, these robots offer lots of flexibility and make iteasy to do mold and EOAT changes. Sailor will design custom EOATto suit the application, and its One-Touch Quick-Change toolingsystem means changes can be done in 10 seconds. It uses thick-wallaluminum construction and a rack-and-pinion direct-drive servoactuation system. Three wrist turn units-A, AB, or D-are available.

Thanks to a very rigid beam, the traverse stroke of the N Seriescan extend to 79 inches (2000 mm) from the mold center withoutadditional support. Repeatability is listed at ±.004 inch,and on top of all that is a new simplified touch-screen controlsystem with a user-friendly teaching mode. It stores 200 moldsetups for easy recall.

Typifying the trend in expanding lines and increasing sophistication,Automated Assemblies brought to NPE a new line of sprue pickers(see photo, left), the AX Express with all-linear-bearing design,and an enhanced AZ-100HP three-axis servo robot (see photo, above).The latter operated during the show monitored by a digital timerto show its speed. Takeout times can be as fast as .22 second,and the graphical interface is now standard.

AA's Servo Express robots, considered an economy line at $33,900,have also been improved and now run 25 to 50 percent faster thanbefore. But Automated is responding to customer needs on manyfronts, so it showed the result of two joint ventures it recentlyformed. One featured an AA servo robot operating with secondaryautomation equipment from Innovative Products & Equipment,one of the leaders in total automation systems, that include assembly,painting, palletizing, packing, material handling, and more. Theresult was a workcell for medical disposables.

Mark 2 Automation's new 320ELH three-axis servo robot combinesa linear motor on the traverse drive with a high-speed verticalassembly to support sub 4-second cycles on 50- to 150-ton presses.Dry cycle extraction is .5 second. The EC2 sprue picker for pressesup to 100 tons is available with two different vertical strokelengths: 15 and 20 inches. Also offered is Mark 2's solid-statesprue sensing system and easy mechanical adjustment for differentmold openings.

The new TA series of InSol/Ichikoh servo robots offers a varietyof configurations, including a three-stage retractable arm designthat was operating on the Ultima 1550-ton all-electric machinein Ube's booth (see photo, below). The arm uses a ballscrew instage one and belt drives in the other two stages to extend at3200 mm/sec, the fastest vertical stroke around, according tothe company. The robots, which are accurate to within .05 mm,are ideal for insert placement/part removal and offer an extra500 to 750 mm on the vertical stroke so that people and partsconveyors can be at floor level. The company is providing EOATthat converts a takeout robot to a sophisticated insert systemand says many of these are already operating in what it describesas a very active market for insert molding, particularly in E/Emarkets.

The Sterltech division of Sterling presented its new SA Serieslinear traverse robots at NPE and the emphasis was on acceleration.These three-axis units are digitally driven using linear motorsthat have established themselves in semiconductor production andsilicon wafer fabrication. The braking is equal to the accelerationand the overall result is one fast robot. The speed is complementedby accuracy, another feature of linear drive motors.

Sterling's design includes a high-strength modular traversebeam and dual rack-and-pinion wrist rotation. Extending its rangeof automation solutions, Sterltech has formed a technical/marketingpartnership with ABB and will integrate the latter's articulatedarm and gantry robots, plus other automation equipment, into completesolutions for molders (see photo, right).

Tec Engineering's Zip-Tec system is designed to move moldedparts from the press to the warehouse without crossing the floor.It's an intelligent overhead monorail system that brings emptybins to the press and takes full ones to the warehouse, downstreamwork stations, or to a sealer/palletizer. Expandable by machineor warehouse area, Zip-Tec has controls to monitor, sequence,and record production by machine and will work in a lights-outoperation. Boxes/bins-and it knows which ones to bring to whichpress-are supplied and removed on a JIT basis.

Designed to work with Tec box-filling systems, additional equipmentsuch as carton makers and bar code readers can be added to thesystem. Normal clearance is 7.5 ft, but it can be higher if needed.The computer system is Windows-based and can be networked outto 21 miles. Individual tracks can extend about 200 ft and multiplerails are available to handle cross traffic. It will also pickup and drop off boxes at a series of machines for serial subassembly.

Wittmann's array of new automation products is wide, and insidethat range is a choice of options that hasn't existed previously.The line between articulating arm robots and traditional linearunits is crossed by the new A-C Servo Wrist Wittmann has designedfor its top-entry, six-axis robots (see photo inset, right). Mountedat the end of the arm, its combination of A and C wrist axes yieldsup to 6° of articulation that can handle demanding part removalfrom cores that are charitably called unique when they are actuallyjust plain difficult. The A-C Wrist will do what your wrist doesin such a situation: It carefully manipulates the part free fromthe core.

This technology also offers advantages for tiebar clearance,part placement, and repositioning parts for downstream operations.Wittmann also introduced the largest of its Six series of top-entry,six-axis robots, the Model W670 (see photo, below). Made for machinesfrom 2200 to 5000 tons, it can handle loads up to 100 kg (220lb) on its standard C-axis wrist and has the torque needed tohandle large EOA tools.

A number of its new linear robots, sprue pickers, and end-of-armtools were packed into Yushin's display to show their power andflexibility. Its new VNXII three-axis servo, designed for near-zeromaintenance, was also using Yushin's newest operating and lead-throughteaching software. Living up to its name, this software lets theoperator lead the robot through an operating sequence using simplifiedmenu choices. The variables are then stored with names you chooseand the routine is memorized without ever reverting to programminglanguage.

Yushin's new MI Decker bin-handling system for bulk packagedparts garnered attention at NPE (see photo, above). Squeezinga lot of functionality into a compact press-side footprint, theDecker, during 8 hours of lights-out running, sorts out rejectparts, keeps counts of each bin, puts a lid on each bin to keepparts clean, and even places a part for quality control into aspecial holding area on top of the bin.

Nissei used a 945-ton Model FV9200 all-hydraulic press at NPEto showcase one new model of its own line of space-saving takeoutrobots called the T1 (see photo, right). The T1 three-axis servorobot looks like a machine-mounted Scara. Controlled by the Nisseimachine's controller, like all of Nissei's robots, it stands only1590 mm high at full extension, carries a payload up to 15 kg(33 lb), and unloads machines in 1.7 seconds.

Nissei's new T2 five-axis servo robot doesn't take up muchairspace either. It looks like your basic traverse-type, exceptthat the T2 runs along the machine axis to deposit parts off therear end of the press, perhaps onto a space-saving conveyor runningin an aisle between similarly equipped Nisseis. The company'ssmallest robot, the pneumatic T3 sprue picker, has a one-of-a-kindjointed-arm design that enables it to descend vertically to removesprues and runners, ascend, then pivot horizontally for unloading.

The largest robot at NPE was found in the Conair booth (seephoto, above). There was the Sepro Model 3071, with a 21-ft horizontalstroke and 200-lb payload capacity. First glimpsed at K'98 atthe Sepro booth, this giant is made for 2000- to 5000-ton machinesand has a vertical stroke of almost 12 ft.

But if your 5000-ton press is not in need of a robot, Conairdid offer alternatives for more common applications. Topping thelist is the Model 3020 HP linear robot, which demonstrated a .5-secondtakeout time in a 3.5-second overall cycle. Vertical stroke is43 inches and the 79-inch horizontal beam can be increased tonearly 10 ft. The kick axis is 21 inches and the payload capacityis 6.6 lb. The x-axis traverse motor is mounted on the beam, ratherthan the moving arm, to reduce the mass that's moved by the system.

In an effort to save molders space, Conair demo'ed the Model3041. It's mounted in parallel with the machine's centerline andcan deposit parts at the end of the press. Designed for moldingmachines in the 300- to 700-ton range, it also has a telescopicarm to help it fit in low-clearance areas. Payload capacity is44 lb and the horizontal stroke is 6.5 ft.

The HAS II Series three-axis servo robot, also from Conair,made its debut at the show. When equipped with a telescoping arm,the HAS II 200, for machines up to 500 tons, offers vertical speedsof 14.7 ft/sec and a takeout time of .95 second. Overall cycletime is 4.1 seconds. Conair also showed the HAS II 150, whichhas a .75-second takeout and a 5.7-second cycle on the telescopingversion. The straight-arm model has a 1.4-second takeout and a5.7-second cycle.

Automation Control

Programming and control are following the trend toward increasedcomputerized sophistication. At the same time, user-friendlinessand interface simplification make setups and maintenance faster.The variety of automation solutions available to molders was evidentin Yushin America's NPE booth. The company could not, however,show their YMAP II (Yushin Molding Automation Package) completefactory automation system. Even NPE is not big enough to bringin a complete factory, at least not yet. The melding of everyfunction from picking and counting parts to warehousing, qualitycontrol, and administration is a reality that a molder shouldsee, even if you're not yet ready.

YMAP's benefits, says Yushin, include shorter lead times, betteryield rates, reduction of WIP, and support of ISO 9000 programs-allcontrolled through the familiar PC. Judging by NPE, upgradingrobotic controllers by downgrading their complexity is happeningeverywhere. AEC/Automation Engineering's Excel series of spruepickers (60- to 450-ton machines) now offer a lightweight handheldpendant controller with an LCD display that prompts users throughprogramming sequences. It allows first-time users easy-accessprogramming of any sequence. Troubleshooting is easy via the four-line,20-character LCD display that shows full text messages. Performance?The picker itself can get in and out of the mold in less than.7 second with a total cycle of 3 seconds.

Controlling robots was also a theme in the Conair booth. Thecompany introduced the S900II control system. It uses SAP (systemassisted programming), which uses templates to construct basicsequences. It comes with a large, enhanced screen, a 32-bit processor,and allows simultaneous motion of up to five axes. For simplepick-and-place applications, Conair also showed the MPA II. Itcan be used to program continuous, multiple-axis motions and hasteach-and-learn capabilities.

Mark 2 Automation came to NPE with a new controller, the EPC3000.It uses a Pentium processor and WindowsNT operating system tosimplify operation, while the operating software was developedin-house specifically for servo robotics in the plastics industry.The user can program the robot on a color touch screen with asimple graphic interface. Profibus and USB ports allow easy connectionto CD-ROMs, vision systems, and many other devices. The EPC3000has become standard on all Mark 2 robots with no price increase.

Control at Sterltech is performed by the SA Series controllerwith a handheld teach pendant. Offline programming is done witha PC standard communications link, and an unlimited number ofsequences can go into storage.

Wittmann has made it significantly easier to program its robotswith the new Color Graphical Teachbox and C66 Controller. It expandsthe existing CAN BUS architecture used by the company with higherspeed, more I/O, and 32 vac-grip circuits. Programs can be selectedfrom preset sequence options that include conveyor indexing andnipper degating; an advanced user can switch to line programmingto write more detailed instructions. These can include peripheralssuch as degaters, box-fillers, conveyors, insert loading vibrationsystems, and more. Teaching and editing can be done online inthe factory.