OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 2/2020

111 to be permanently leak-proof, especially in the case of containers for hydraulic oil,” says Wolfgang John. In practice, one can onlymarvel at howdynam- ically the slim welding robot with its internal hose package does its work. Even in corners or tight radii, the MA2010 hardly needs to reduce its welding speed. Largely spatter-free weld- ing shows how safely controlled the process is. The DX200 controller smoothly handles the synchronization of the total of eleven NC-con- trolled axes - six of the robot, three of the gan- try and two of the positioner. The lot size 1 challenge However, the greatest challenge for the plant is the small batch sizes, which increasingly tend to be lot size 1. Nevertheless the com- pany is well equipped to deal with unproduc- tive set-up times, as Martin Braun, the Arburg Group Manager for Electrical Equipment De- sign, assures: “We consistently rely on the op- portunities provided by offline programming. In addition, we have invested a great deal of creativity in the design of an intelligent fixture carrier with a highly flexible clamping system that allows us to securely clamp all machine stand variants simply within minutes. This is the only way we can meet the challenge of batch size 1.” Offline programming makes the impossible possible Arburg uses YASKAWA‘s MotoSim offline programming system for programming new components on the computer and the oper- ators are very enthusiastic about the system. It permits designing a realistic 3D simulation by using the same kinematic model as the DX200 robot controller. The programming language is also identical, making it possible to completely develop welding programs offline. “With MotoSim we reduce the programming times considerably and limit the effort for final on-system teaching by about 80 to 85 per- cent”, says Martin Braun. At present, almost 100machine stand variants are stored in the memory of the control sys- tem, more will follow. After the changeover from one component to the next, the opera- tor only has to select the appropriate program and the robot carries out its welding program. In order to ensure the highest level of safety, the welding cell is equipped with a wide range of sensors and special measuring equipment to ensure system geometry. This means that each individual robot axis can be measured individually by approaching special calibra- tion points and, of course, sensors monitor the secure clamping of components weighing several tons. Industry 4.0 at its best. Cooperation and partnership as a factor for success The know-how of the Arburg team, which has developed over decades, made a decisive con- tribution to the fast and uncomplicated com- missioning of the plant. The specialists from the Black Forest with experience in robotics also get on very well with the welding cell during operation. And robots and components from the Japanese supplier are also renowned for their reliability. So it’s no surprise that the plant has been operating reliably since its com- missioning in August 2019 and that it has met the high expectations. Even though the demand for external services will remain manageable in the long term - Arburg has an excellent maintenance team - the Black Forest company is particularly keen to maintain a good relationship with its sup- pliers: “We have been using YASKAWA a prod- ucts for many years and value their quality. But we also know that we can rely on YASKAWA’s support in an emergency. And that’s what counts,” concludes Wolfgang John. YASKAWA Europe GmbH www.yaskawa.eu.com Websites ARBURG GmbH + Co KG www.arburg.com The robot moves to the automatic burner cleaning station at fixed time intervals. At ARBURG, nothing is left to chance: The TCP is checked regularly at this station. ARBURG Group Manager Martin Braun (electrical equipment design) is enthusiastic about the opportunities offered by offline programming.