OEM & Lieferant Ausgabe 2/2019 - OEM & Supplier 2/2019 by VEK Publishing

154 Manufacturing User-friendly loading and unloading system for machine tools Machine loading easier and more productive than ever By Ralf Högel, Freelancer Robot cells for the automatic loading of machining centres are in high demand. But many users have reservations concerning robotics. Yet as far as a new loading cell from Kösters Maschinenbau is concerned, they are completely unfounded – as a first pilot project in the plastics processing industry shows. Anenormoussavingspotential lies inautomatic loading. Those at corporate headquarters are well aware of that, as are the management bodies of small- and medium-sized enter- prises. Reductions in downtimes, increased flexibility and autonomy extending as far as unmanned shifts – all trigger an urge to exploit the last remaining rationalization potential. Nevertheless, special robotics solutions are often not exactly user-friendly, as well as be- ing expensive and lacking flexibility. They may also complicate the processes and detract from system availability, in the worst-case scenario with a negative influence on overall cost-ef- fectiveness. It is precisely for this reason that Peter Kösters, Manager of Kösters Maschinen- bau, came up with a special solution. He sums up the main concerns of the expe- rienced mechanical engineers: “We wanted a fully automatic loading solution with six- axis robots that could be operated without any kind of prior robotics experience. At the same time, the robot cell should facilitate a far greater degree of flexibility that permits the processing of even the smallest batch sizes, in turn requiring only the shortest setup times.” An early agreement was reached on one of the main prerequisites for putting this into prac- tice. The user should not come into contact with the robotics, i.e. teaching and program- ming should be unnecessary. His tasks should be limited to the simplest operating steps, the supply of blanks and shipping of the finished parts. Pilot application in plastics processing The first prototype cell, installed at renowned plastics specialist ISO-TECH Kunststoff in Ahaus, is representative of how Kösters Maschinenbau implemented these require- ments in a practical application. The company is among the leading manufacturers and pro- cessors of thermoplastic materials. Its prod- uct portfolio consists of sheet materials and finished parts, including gear wheels, rollers, bushings, rings, sleeves and similar. In finished part production the robot cell han- dles the fully automatic loading of a Spinner machining centre, on which a variety of plas- tic parts are milled. Batch sizes range from a dozen to a small series of several thousand units; the number of variants is virtually un- limited. What immediately grabs the eye is the sturdy execution and professional design of the ro- bot cell, with rounded edges and a convincing design language that bears the hallmark of a knowledgeable industrial designer. System loading is particularly ergonomic and simple: the operator deposits the individual blanks randomly on one of three workpiece loaders and pushes the full loader in the working area of the robot. From here on a YASKAWA MOTOMAN MH24 six-axis robot assumes the fully automatic loading and unloading of the machining centre. The reason why this robot manages without programming and teaching on the part of the user is to be found in the cell Images: © YASKAWA The new Kösters robot loading cell is not only highly efficient; it also features convincing design and simple operation. The robot is positioned on a sturdy base directly adjacent to the cell. With its wide range of over 1.7 metres, it reaches all working positions without a problem.