Achieved 14-second cycle time – 33% faster than 21-second requirement. Flexible handling system meets all project objectives.
Project Challenges
- Achieve 21-second cycle time.
- Glass tube diameter is approximately 25.4 mm (1") but may vary to 32.3 mm (1.3").
- Handle tubes that are unevenly spaced in the racks.
- Handle batch-processed parts in two different part lengths: 457.2-mm (18") and 1,219.2-mm (48") tubes.
- Pick 50 tubes at a time from conveyor and place parts in one of three rack stations.
- Pick 50 tubes at a time from one of three rack stations and place tubes back on conveyor.
- Stack parts in rack up to 100 layers high (about 5,000 tubes per rack).
Motoman Robotics Solution
- Motoman Robotics provided a flexible material handling solution, including:
- UP130 robot with XRC 2001 controller.
- Vacuum gripper, including pneumatics package.
- Three-color light beacon to indicate operating status of cell.
- Three rack station: two with fixed racks, and a third station that accommodates removable storage racks.
- Workcell protection package, including: wire fencing, light curtains, and two safety-interlocked gates. Equipment meets or exceeds requirements of the ANSI/RIA R15-06-1999 safety standard.
Fixtures/Tooling Details
Gripper array uses 4 cups per tube and 50 rows of cups to pick up glass tubes, which may not be centered due to 1.27-mm (0.05") part variance. The vacuum gripper is equipped with sensors to indicate part presence, rack stack height, and gripper readiness. Customer-designed part racks have ridges on the bottom to help space the first row of parts evenly.
Ref: ACS-040