Unternehmen & Trends - Ausgabe 1/2018

When the new cell was first presented, the mobile system was enthusiastically received in professional circles. The idea behind this sturdy, mobile construction is convincing, thus raising the question: Why did users have to wait so long for a loading cell of this kind, although the components used are anything but space technology? RILE Manager Peter Radlsbeck is quick to supply an answer: “With our loading cell it is much the same as with other convincing things in life: at first one thinks there is only one way to do it. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent how much know-how is embodied in the detailed solu- tions of a relatively simple system. Although this cell demanded somewhat more develop- ment work, the result has justified the effort.” The basic formula is simple: take a sturdy base frame, a rotary table for manual loading in parallel, highly flexible workpiece carriers and a slim high-performance, six-axis robot – and the cell is almost complete. But certain sacrifices must be made, as RILE sales man- ager Michael Füller stresses: “In the design of Innovative loading and unloading system boosts flexibility and productivity The all-rounder robot cell By Ralf Högel More and more users are employing robots for loading and unloading at machining centres. While special solu- tions are often complex and expensive but lacking in flexibility, a new mobile loading cell and integral robot RILE demonstrates how simple and at the same time highly flexible the automatic feeding of machine tools can be today. 74  Unternehmen & Trends Images: © YASKAWA Martin Bohmann, Head of Technical Operations; Jürgen Riedinger, YASKAWA Sales; Peter Radlsbeck, General Manager and Michael Füller, Sales Manager (left to right) are enthusiastic about the mobile loading cell. the cell we concentrated on the essentials and reduced the number of components as far as possible. We refrained from in- stalling a vision system, limited the use of sensors and other electronics to a minimum and didn’t even afford the rotary table the luxury of its own drive. We left this task to the robot. With this minimalistic ap- proach we achieved an availability rate of close to 100%, and that’s what our customers really value.” Exclusive use of first- class components The use of high-quality components and above- average production depth are, of course, essential factors for system reliabil- ity. Even the steel structure for the loading cells and The mobile, minimalistic cell features clever details and requires only a small footprint. switch cabinet were executed by RILE under its own direction. “We don’t build everything ourselves. For example, we purchase the ro- bots,” Füller reveals with a grin. “But we used only the best components such as the brand new six-axis MOTOMAN GP12, or for higher payloads YASKAWA’s MOTOMAN GP25.” This new generation of robots is predestined for use on machine tools. Thanks to its ex- tremely slim design and cables routed inside the arms, the six-axis robot offers excellent manoeuvrability, even in extremely confined spaces. In addition, the wrist is optimally pro- tected against the penetration of machining residue and cooling lubricants. Besides all this, the YASKAWA robots are well-known for high availability. Consistent design processes Although the loading cell was reduced to the bare essentials, no compromises were made when it came to good ideas. The robot is mounted on a slanting, stable plinth directly on the cell, ensuring a perfect working po- sition of the six-axis robot for loading and unloading. In addition, robot and cell form a complete mobile entity that can be easily