An Adaptable Automation System in Action
Videos show how a flexible robotic system for part loading and unloading helped a shop increase capacity.
This article from our January issue describes how a job shop increased its capacity by using a flexible, easy-to-program system for automating part loading and unloading. Kilgore Manufacturing in Columbia City, Indiana, was looking for automated part-loading option adaptable to small-batch production, and the shop found it a robot system from Halter. These videos illustrate how the adaptable robot works.
The LoadAssistant from Halter works with any CNC lathe or mill. The operator interface uses a 12-step, icon-driven process to quickly and easily set up new jobs.
Once the system is programmed, the robotic arm picks up blanks from a turntable grid on the staging pallet and loads them into the machine.
When the cycle is complete, the CNC signals the system to remove the finished part from the machine and place it back into the grid.
After all the parts on one side of the grid are complete, the robotic arm turns the grid and begins loading the parts on the other side. The operator can unload the finished parts from that side of the grid and replace them with blanks.
Related Content
-
4 Steps to a Cobot Culture: How Thyssenkrupp Bilstein Has Answered Staffing Shortages With Economical Automation
Safe, economical automation using collaborative robots can transform a manufacturing facility and overcome staffing shortfalls, but it takes additional investment and a systemized approach to automation in order to realize this change.
-
Weiler to Debut New Automation Features For Its Lathes
Weiler’s V 110 four-way precision lathe introduces features new to the U.S.
-
Using the Toolchanger to Automate Production
Taking advantage of a feature that’s already on the machine tool, Lang’s Haubex system uses the toolchanger to move and store parts, making it an easy-to-use and cost-effective automation solution.
