RobotWorx' engineers and sales staff designed and manufactured
a robotic system that automates a portion of a SCBA (self-contained breathing
apparatus) tank line. Aluminum cylinders needed to be moved from a conveyor to
a lube station, then to an induction heater, then to a necking press.
Working with the customer, RobotWorx discovered the goals most important to the customer and made sure to address and achieve these goals.
Application Goals:
- Productivity: Cycle time was of utmost importance to the customer. The workcell would be integrated with existing machinery and equipment, so the RobotWorx robotic system would need to be at least as fast as the existing systems.
- Footprint: RobotWorx' engineers had limited space in which to integrate their robotic system. Existing machinery was not going to be moved to incorporate the new system.
- Price: Like most companies, this customer needed to stay within a reasonable price range for the system.
- Integrator Reliability: This customer wanted to work with an integrator they could trust. RobotWorx has worked with this customer on previous projects and met their goals and specifications.
RobotWorx Solution:
- End-of-Arm-Tooling: Several end-of-arm-tooling gripper designs were considered and developed to meet the customer's specifications. With available space and functionality in mind, the engineers decided to use a non-synchronous parallel gripper to grasp the cylinders.
- Compact Workcell - With a limit on the amount of space the workcell could occupy, engineers managed to fit the entire system into the footprint desired by the customer.
- Refurbished Robot Arm - To keep costs low, the customer decided to use a refurbished FANUC R-2000iA/165F robot arm. Possessing the same qualities, specifications, and performance as a new robot, the refurbished option saved the customer around 50% on the costs of a robot.
- Customer Runoff and Training - RobotWorx encouraged the customer to come in for training to become familiar with programming their system and troubleshooting when necessary. Parts were also run through the system for the customer to ensure that the process was correct and met their expectations.
