Güdel puts robots in their place

Citation

(2002), "Güdel puts robots in their place", Industrial Robot, Vol. 29 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2002.04929caf.002

Güdel puts robots in their place

Güdel puts robots in their place

Keywords: Robots, Fanuc

Precision linear positioning equipment from Güdel UK has been specified at the heart of advanced work handling systems at specialist automotive parts supplier Carringworth Ltd – not just once, but six times during the past year!

The Güdel equipment is used to position Fanuc type M16 industrial robots quickly, consistently and with pinpoint accuracy, as part of fully automated parts loading solutions installed by Fanuc Robotics in six flow line manufacturing cells at Carringworth's Sussex-based production plant (Plate 2).

Plate 2 With the ability to position the Fanuc robots to within ±0.2mm anywhere along their linear runs, the GÏdel linear modules provide precise seventh axis control - to enable the work handling systems to load and unload parts from machine tool collet chucks with no more than ømm clearance

Carringworth is a leading producer of components such as fuel pumps, rejectors and power steering equipment for tier 1 and 2 motor industry supply chain organisations throughout the UK and Europe. It employs around 300 staff and has further manufacturing sites at Baglan, near Port Talbot and Chalon-sur-Saone in France.

"Most of the parts we manufacture are high volume items, which are produced 24 hours a day, five days a week", says Carringworth's operations director, Bob Hare. "Competition in our sector is extremely fierce; so we employ lean manufacturing methods and organise our facilities into single item production cells, so that we can keep costs down and throughput up.

"We recognise that the key to productivity is control; and that the key to control is consistency", he continues, "and that's just what the new work handling systems provide."

Each of the manufacturing cells equipped with the advanced Fanuc/Güdel equipment incorporates five machine tools and dedicated induction hardening equipment, which are employed to produce power steering input shafts.

In operation, raw material blanks are initially picked from the input track and loaded into a twin spindle lathe. Once the turning operations have been completed, parts are then transferred in sequence by the robot to a gun drilling station and one of three machining centres. They are subsequently positioned in the cell's induction hardening station before finally being returned to the output track.

"By mounting our robot on a Güdel Track Motion module, we have extended the equipment's operating envelope to allow all the machines in the cell to be serviced effectively", explains Fanuc's area sales manager, John Rainer. "During the manufacturing process, the parts are loaded into collet chucks with no more than ømm clearance. That's why handling accuracy and repeatability are so critically important.

"We selected Güdel equipment to provide the seventh axis motion for the robot because of its proven ability to position loads of up to several tonnes to better than ±0.2mm, anywhere along its linear run".

Güdel systems are used extensively throughout the automotive and metal cutting sectors, as well as in foundry, nuclear, pharmaceutical, aerospace, defence and electronics industry applications. Many installations operate as part of continuous production processes, in extreme temperatures and in dirty, corrosive or radioactive environments – underlining that their capabilities are backed by exceptional in-service reliability.

Close collaborationThrough close collaboration with Carringworth, Fanuc developed a custom-engineered control system for the cell handling equipment that communicates with the various machine tools via a central touch screen panel. Not only does this allow operators to adjust individual cutting tool offsets without stopping production, but the control system also incorporates a reporting facility to monitor historical information such as cutting tool life, parts produced per shift and stoppage time.

For further information please contact: Gary Ottley at Güdel UK Ltd on 024 7669 5444 or see Güdel UK's Web site: www.gudel.com