OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 1/2018

116 At HK-CON Maschinenbau GmbH over 60 employees design and construct turning cen- tres at a production plant of almost 4,000 m². Its product range comprises single-spin- dle and double-spindle turning and milling centres which can be used, among other things, for turning, grinding or milling. About 99% of customers call for complete systems that can be integrated into their processes. In addition, the Fulda-based high-tech company offers professional services for the design and maintenance of machines. Customers from the automotive industry also employ HK-CON solutions. As David Reinmold, Head of Sales, assures: “Our solutions enable re- ductions of over 50% in unit costs, particu- larly in large-scale manufacturing, resulting in a drastic cut in overall production costs.” That also has an economic component: the lower unit costs once again make it profita- ble to produce in central Europe. For Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH, based in Traisen/Austria, HK-CON has designed and constructed a complete machining centre for manufacturing malleable cast iron fittings. The challenge presented by the project: the installation was to be capable of manufactur- ing a total of 35 different final products – with an extremely low cycle time of five seconds per unit for the part with the shortest cycle time. Furthermore, it was critical that only absolutely immaculate parts be delivered to the cutting machine. That is the task assigned to the four YASKAWA MOTOMAN robots – two MH12 and two MH5 models – working in concert with the DX200 high-performance controls. They are supported by a camera system with a total of 6 cameras. The con- trol software employed here is the MotoPlus SDK. As an interface it is responsible for com- munication with the cameras and regulates cooperation with them. 35 possible final products In simplified terms, the facility has two turning centres located opposite to one another. Up- stream of each of these are two MOTOMAN robots. The robots are arranged cross-wise: the same models are situated bottom left and top right, and vice versa. This configuration has proved to be effective in achieving the necessary working range for loading – the ma- chines could not be located closer together for work safety reasons. The facility has a bunker for bulk material and a feeding bench for special parts, which are inserted in the correct orientation via pallets. The system can be operated either double-sid- ed by mass feeding or one-sided for special parts, and the parts are delivered already sorted. Georg Fischer GmbH produces a total of nine different cast iron fitting components with this facility. The different sizes result in a total of 35 different final products. Hitherto, three of their own systems were required for their manufacture. Retooling times are only incurred in the new HK-CON system when a different component has to be machined. For the most part, varying sizes can be inserted without further conversion. Robots and cameras work together Three cameras are situated on each side, close to the robots. The first of these tell the MOTOMAN robots where and how the Highest quality: handling robots from YASKAWA Assembly of turning machines for the manufacture of malleable cast iron fittings By Björn Matern, Sales GI Robots & Products, YASKAWA Europe GmbH, Robotics Division For over 15 years HK-CON Maschinenbau GmbH has been designing and building high-tech metal cutting machines at its Fulda site. HK-CON recently realised a complete installation for Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH, manufacturer of cast iron fittings. Besides replacing three previous installations, it satisfies the high customer expectations with regard to pro- ductivity and achieves exemplary cycle times despite its extremely complex design. Four YASKAWA handling robots are responsible for feeding: two MOTOMAN MH12 and two MOTOMAN MH5 robots, each of them operated with a DX 200 high-performance control. Manufacturing Images: © YASKAWA HK-CON realised a complete system for the Georg Fischer Fittings GmbH, manufacturer of cast iron fittings. It not only replaces three previous installations, but also fulfils the high customer expectations regarding productivity.

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