Where just over four years ago ten robots were still in use on the predecessor model of this system, today four fewer do the same job. The aluminum profiles, which the fully automatic MWT211637 from Martinmechanic separates into small pieces without cutting, are delivered six meters long in long cardboard boxes. They are stacked in layers, first next to each other and then on top of each other. To do this, the servo-electric two-axis gantry with its eight suction cups picks up a complete layer of up to 20 aluminum strips and places them on one of the four storage locations. The transport axis pushes the strips one by one to the profile preparation area.

The fully automated system was designed so that the cutting process can be carried out four times side by side to reduce the cycle time to half a second. Four Fanuc3SiA robots and two Omron-Yamaha robots are used for this purpose. The feed axis picks up the foremost tube to transport it to the inspection station first. Color sensors check the strips on both sides for colored markings. These indicate defects and signal to the system at which point the aluminum profiles need to be separated and which profile remnants will be sorted out later. Depending on the specifications, parts between 100 and 200 millimetres long can be produced. The camera, which recognizes the start of the aluminium strip and the first cutting slot, also checks the quality of the surface. It is installed in a cell with darkened panes to avoid interference from possible extraneous light. The image processing transfers the values to the feed-axis system, which can correct the position of the aluminum strip before the cutting process.

A linear feed always pulls the strips forward at the same distance. The electrically driven cutting blade cuts the aluminum strips into individual parts at the pre-punched slots. After the cutting stroke, the Fanuc robot uses its vacuum gripper to place the finished parts next to each other from above in the exchangeable drawer. These delta robots, which are mounted on the ceiling of the cell frame, accelerate particularly quickly thanks to their powerful servomotors and complete their placement tasks at top speed with four axes, a rotary axis and the compact gripper arm. Once the removable drawer is filled with 20 finished parts, it moves from the loading to the unloading position. Four-axis robots take over the handling here. Each of these two Scara robots, which are responsible for two production lines each, has a load capacity of 20 kilograms and a reach of one meter.

They take one complete layer at a time from the removable drawer and place it in a magazine provided. The two Scara robots stack a total of 25 layers on top of each other in parallel. Once a magazine is filled with 500 parts, it moves on to the worker's workstation. The operator removes the magazine and inserts an empty one in return. The system is equipped with three light grids and the operator is protected when feeding and cutting the aluminum strips. Profile cuts and leftover pieces of aluminum are automatically ejected into the remnant container. pb