System meets all project goals and challenges. Improved productivity allows customer’s cutting department to meet production requirements running only 1.5 shifts per day/5 days per week vs. 3 shifts per day/6 days per week. Flexible system manipulates a wide variety of parts for accurate laser cutting/trimming of various holes and shapes.
Project Challenges
- Manipulate several styles of automotive exhaust tubes under a Customer supplied, fixed-beam CO2 laser to cut various size holes, make a variety of end cuts, saddle cuts, angle cuts, and then place cut parts on an outfeed conveyor. Provide automatic tool change between part styles.
- Parts are stainless steel tubes, between 1.143 mm (0.045") and 2.032 mm (0.080") thick.
- Reliably laser cut various parts at the required tolerance of ±0.5 mm (±0.020") using stationary fixed-beam CO2 laser.
- Increase production capacity and system throughput by improving efficiency and reducing downtime.
- Improve operator safety and ergonomics.
Motoman Robotics Solution
Motoman Robotics provided a custom dual UP50 robot system, including:
- (2) UP50 robots with XRC 2001 controllers. Options included: – I/O expansion racks – Motoman Allen-Bradley remote I/O (MARIO) links – XOI01-2 expanded I/O modules – XEW01 analog output boards – MotoSim® advanced off-line programming package – Enhanced-accuracy programming filters – FormCut software packages – PCMCIA backup card
- (2) Robot base plates.
- Top-mount machine interface cabinet.
- Installation of Customer supplied tool change packages.
- Integration of Customer supplied laser package, including 4,000-Watt CO2 laser, beam delivery, and chiller.
- (2) MDGT-2000 flat tables, each with 2,000-lb (907-kg) payload capacity, easily removable, 762 mm x 1143 mm x 12.7 mm (30" x 45" x 0.5") thick steel table top, level bolt holes and anchor bolt holes provided, work surface approximately 914.4 mm (36") off floor, and sliding door barrier.
- Allen-Bradley SLC 5/04 Programmable Controller package with PanelView 600 operator interface.
- Two operator stations.
- PC HMI – Windows®-based PC with 15" color touch screen
- Class 4 laser workcell enclosure – 3.05 m x 5.18 m x 2.44 m (10' x 17' x 8') with integral (vertical sliding) barrier doors between robots/operator.
Fixtures/Tooling Details
Motoman integrated Customer supplied laser, beam delivery system and water chiller. The customer integrated their own end-of-arm robot tooling, consisting of dual parallel mechanical grippers, and automatic tool changers. Customer was also responsible for integration of their part nests onto the Motoman positioner, and for the integration of the off-load conveyor.
Ref: ACS-064