OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 1/2019

117 buffer segment. A major advantage is that these tasks can also be carried out during the machining process. Brief description of the workflow After the start of automatic operation the workpieces are fed by the supply belt to the robot’s workspace. The MH12, which on ac- count of the identical width can handle the entire range of parts with one gripper, picks up the parts and inserts them one by one into the machine’s clamping fixture. Once all the nests of the clamping fixture have been loaded, the robot applies tension to the blanks and gives the enable signal to the machine. The machine then rotates the loaded side of its swivel table into the machining area and transfers the fin- ished parts to the loading and unloading zone of the robot. The six-axis robot then picks up the finished parts and places them into the waiting metal bins. Then a new cycle can start. Jürgen Eisinger is extremely satisfied with this solution: “Our particular concern was the process reliability of the infeed and robotics. Stoppages or even extended disruptions are unknown to this automatic machine tool. In addition, the system has set a benchmark in terms of cycle times, currently four parts per minute.” The Wieland team was also im- pressed by the attainable autonomy, which may be several hours depending on the com- ponent variant. Crucial factors for longest pos- sible autonomous operation are the maximum possible stockpiling of blanks by the feeder system and provision of the maximumnumber of empty metal bins in the system. Focus on employees But for Jürgen Eisinger, Group Leader Produc- tion Planning, autonomy and productivity are not the only aspects that speak in favour of the automation solution. Employee welfare is a priority for the production strategist: “Per- manent contact with the connector housings in manual handling involves certain risks. The parts are contaminated with cooling lubri- cants that can cause skin irritation. For this reasonwe ensure that our employees perform the pleasant tasks, while the robots take on the monotonous and dirty work.” In contrast to its human colleagues, the YASKAWA six-axis robot is unaffected by cool- ing lubricants or swarf. Thanks to the design of its hand axes in protection class IP 67, the MH12 is unimpressed by rough blowing off of parts and clamping fixtures in the machine. EGS has equipped the robot with a blowing device to enable it to perform these cleaning tasks. There was a further valid reason for selecting the MOTOMAN MH12, as Röhrig points out: “We also chose the machine due to its excellent working range. It enabled us to position the robot at an adequate distance from the ma- chine tool, so it can be operated manually if needed. Wieland wanted to keep this option open for manual machining of small series.” The machine tool automation solution de- veloped by EGS in close cooperation with the decision-makers at Wieland has met all expectations placed in it. “The system oper- ates reliably with high availability, the em- ployees have been relieved of dirty tasks and they have learned new, fascinating robotics work content. Productivity has improved significantly – and our goals and expecta- tions have been completely fulfilled,” sums up Eisinger. The six-axis robot picks up a housing part at the delivery point … … and inserts it into the clamping fixture of the Müga S500. The robot drops finished parts into a waiting metal bin. YASKAWA Europe GmbH www.yaskawa.eu.com Websites EGS Automatisierungs- technik GmbH www.egsgmbh.de