Robotic press tending system meets all project challenges and meets or exceeds project goals. System easily achieves required cycle time rates of 575 pph for small parts, 525 pph for medium parts, and 450 pph for large parts. Highly flexible robotic system can be reconfigured as two “semi-independent” lines (dual-line configuration).
Project Challenges
- Load and unload various automotive stampings in a five-press tandem line. Parts are approximately 1,250 mm L x 1,200 mm W (49.2 L x 47.2" W). Part weight ranges from 11.6-17 kg (25.6-37.5 lbs). Parts are not flipped between the presses and are relatively parallel to the floor, requiring minimal side-to-side or front-to-back tilting from press to press.
- Achieve production rate of 460-575 parts per hour at 100% efficiency, depending on part size. Die size for large parts is approximately 1,500 mm (59.1") F-B; 1,000 mm (39.4") F-B for medium parts; and 750 mm (29.5") F-B for small parts. Rate assumes press operation of 30 spm (2 seconds for one complete stroke) and that robots can enter presses at TDC point (fully opened). Press spacing is 5,995 mm (19.7'). Part height from within the die to the floor is 900-1200 mm (35.4"-47.2"). Dies include part-present sensors.
- Provide flexible system that can be reconfigured as two “semi-independent” lines, with one line starting from Press #1 and the “second” line starting from Press #5. In this dual-line configuration, customer will supply second destacker, as well as temporary conveyor(s) between presses to enable robots to offload presses directly onto the temporary conveyor(s).
Motoman Robotics Solution
Motoman Robotics provided a custom HP50 press tending system including:
- (10) Six-axis Motoman HP50 robots with NX100 robot controllers. Each robot includes extended 10-m (32.8') manipulator cables; standard 8-m (26.2') programming pendant cable; and S-axis hard stop.
- (10) Custom mounting structures – used to mount robots to front and rear sides of presses.
- (4) Part shuttles with 3.75-m (147.6") travel; 2-second shuttle time (one direction); and maximum 50 kg (110.3-lb) carriage load (part and jig).
- (5) Press encoder packages (DeviceNet).
- (5) Press interface packages.
- (5) Three-color status beacons with audible alarms.
- (5) Local operator panels – Allen-Bradley PanelView® Plus 1000 Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs).
- Allen-Bradley® GuardLogix™ Integrated Safety PLC – provides line control and also serves as safety PLC for all safety guarding, gate interlocks, press E-stops, light curtains, robot E-stops, and other remote E-stop circuits.
- Motoman PC-HMI for line controller provides main operator interface for press line, including part recipe setup, maintenance features, online documentation, and viewing of production data, cell drawings, and alarm history data.
- Cell guarding package with 2.44-m (8') H woven wire perimeter safety fence; eight double-hinged access gates for operator access and tooling changeover; and four 914.4-mm (36") W operator access gates. Gates have positive-break safety switches.
Fixtures/Tooling Details
Customer provided robot end-of-arm tooling, consisting of vacuum gripper assemblies for each robot. Grippers handle one part at a time. Same gripper design handles multiple part models.
Ref: ACS-087