CUSTOM SYSTEM DESIGN

Weldon Solutions developed an automated robotic system to remove impurities from metal chips. The system uses an in-feed tray, black light box, a software interface to tell the robot where to pick the impurities and a FANUC robot with vacuum attached. There is also a conveyor system to carry the metal chips through two cycles of impurity removal.

Sheet metal forming.

• Robot picks sheet metal blanks
• Robot holds metal as it is formed in Press Brake
• Complex bends achieved through Robot regrip of part
• Robot works without ever taking a break!

The quality of your end of arm tooling (EOAT) is closely tied to the performance of your robotic system. Weldon Solutions is committed to providing quality end-of-arm tooling solutions that fulfills your application requirements.

Robotic End-of-Arm Tooling Types

• Gripper – There are many different gripper styles. These EOAT options grasp products. Friction grippers use force to pick up an object, while encompassing grippers act like a basket to pick up a product.
• Vacuum Cups – These tools handle objects using suction.
• 3-jaw Chucks – This tool is used to produce cylindrical parts. The outside jaw has a concave grip, and the inside jaw helps hold the workpiece tightly. A three jaw chuck has a clamping range from 2-30 mm.
• High-Speed Spindles – These rotating tools are used to hold and drive cutting tools.
• Cylinders – Attach these EOAT if you need compressed gas or air – welding applications will utilize these attachments.
• Drills – Creating holes is fast and easy with automated drilling tools.

Weldon Solutions has engineered a compact robotic cell to automatically deburr small parts. Compliant tooling, programmable robot path and an ID/OD gripper provide the flexibility to deburr a broad range of part profiles with a single machine. The features include:

• A compact, portable design
• Multi-feature deburring of up to 6 parts per minute
• Flexible design and construction allowing for simple changeover when deburring different parts

The field of robot vision guidance is developing rapidly. The benefits of sophisticated vision technology include savings, improved quality, reliability, safety and productivity. Robot vision is used for part identification and navigation. Vision applications generally deal with finding a part and orienting it for robotic handling or inspection before an application is performed. Sometimes vision guided robots can replace multiple mechanical tools with a single robot station.

A combination of vision algorithms, calibration, temperature software, and cameras provide the vision ability. Calibration of robot vision system is very application dependent. They can range from a simple guidance application to a more complex application that uses data from multiple sensors.

Algorithms are consistently improving, allowing for sophisticated detection. Many robots are now available with collision detection, allowing them to work alongside other robots without the fear of a major collision. They simply stop moving momentarily if they detect another object in their motion path.

Robotic vision makes processes simpler, more straightforward, thus cutting costs:

• Fixtures: Robot vision eliminates any need for hard tooling or fixturing. Now, products can be identified and applications performed without any need for securing.
• Labor: There are labor and machinery savings that come with robotic vision. There is no need for sorts, feeders or upstream actuators anymore. Nor is there any need for labor to load or orient parts.

In the machine tool industry our automation solutions set the standard for reliability and affordability. When compared to traditional gantries, articulated robotic solutions enable you to…

• Achieve shorter installation time resulting in lower integration costs
• Replace part carousels with pallets for part queing to reduce overall system costs
• Eliminate some moving components such as rotary actuators to minimize maintenance expenses
• Use one robot to tend multiple machines with multiple operations to lower your capital investment
• Have more vaulable floor space available