Automated aluminum casting process. Robots integrated with furnace molds and controllers. Met customer's required cycle time for various parts.
Project Challenges
- Automate aluminum casting process.
- Increase production.
- Cycle time must be less than 60-second mold-open time.
- Integrate Customer supplied furnace, clam shell-type molds, and programmable controllers.
Motoman Robotics Solution
Motoman Robotics provided a flexible solution to ladle molten aluminum into sand-cast cores in molds, extract and degate the castings, and clean the crucible, including:
- NY300-II robot with MRC controller
- NY170-II robot with MRC controller
- Heat-resistant robot jacket
- Customer supplied 45-kg (99.2-lb) steel crucible (ladle) with red clay coating
- Crucible blow-out station
- Quick-change end-of-arm tooling (mechanical gripper) for sand-core handling (Customer supplied)
- Quick-change end-of-arm tooling (mechanical gripper) for casting handling
- Tool table
- MR300, 180° indexing positioner with 300-kg (662-lb) weight capacity per side, 4-second index time and
- ,524 mm (60") diameter table top
- Operator station
- Core-breaking station with reciprocating chisel and sand collection chute
- Degating saw with scrap chute
- Inspection table with hydraulic push transfer
- Customer supplied casting station with two stationary fixture benches
- Customer supplied Allen-Bradley PLC5 and Motomansupplied Xycom industrial computer with RSView32®
- Motoman Allen-Bradley Remote I/O (MARIO) link
- Search function
- Customer supplied crucible heater
- Integrated work cell protection package, including: woven wire perimeter safety fence, safety mats, zone ring, robot status beacon, muting light curtain, and two safety interlocked gates
Ref: ACS-024