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URC Screwdriver Robot Loading
When this project was first implemented, it is
believed by the end-user that URC Automation was the first company
to successfully automate a hard slug, soft over-mold process for
screwdrivers.
We designed the cell, robot tooling, controls,
fixtures, and software. We provided and installed the
equipment, programmed the parts and provided on-site training.
The slide shuttles were ergonomically designed
for operator loading to reduce fatigue.
Safety mats prevent the slide shuttles from
moving when the operator is loading the racks.
Several variations have been implemented on
these cells. For handles that do not require shanks in the
molding process, a handle stripper pulls the handles off the core
pins and into a bin.
The bin is then shuttled out of the cell for
hot-stamping.
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Rigid and
Craftsman screwdrivers with a soft over-mold process on the
handles are being processed by these robot cells.
There are two injection presses in each cell; one for the
hard slug, and one for the soft over-mold.
The robot tool
has been designed for a variety of handle sizes.
Changeover for the robot involves setting the proper
carriage racks in the cell and selecting the proper robot
program.
 Screwdriver
Video
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| URC linear
slide shuttle tables index raw components into the cell and
finished product out of the cell. A cooling table
is placed between the presses so that the hard slug can cool
prior to being placed in the over-mold press.
The operator loads the shanks on the carriage racks and
indexes the table into the cell.
The robot picks up the rack and moves to press 1 |
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As the robot
moves into press 1, sensors scan the shanks to insure that
they are all present and at the correct height. The
robot places the raw rack into the mold, flips the robot
tool 180 degrees, and extracts the hard slug rack.
The robot tool has sensors to indicate presence of racks
and has pneumatic push-off pins to insert the rack onto the
transfer pins in the mold. |
| After removing the slug rack,
the robot places the rack onto an open slot on the cooling
table.
The robot keeps track of where all the
racks are in the system and picks the coolest rack for
placing in press 2.
A slot is reserved on the cooling table for racks that
fail the shank count and height sensor test. |
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The robot
places the hard slug rack into the mold, flips the robot
tool 180 degrees and extracts the finished product.
The finished rack is placed on the slide shuttle table.
When the table is full, it is indexed out of the cell.
Priming functions for an empty cell are part of the
system software.
Turnkey cost per cell was approximately $160K. |
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Robot Loading Benefits |
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Labor Reduction and Reallocation
Lower cycle time, 25% to 400%
Integrate existing machine tools, saving more
money
Throughput and Yield Improvement
Reduce Stress Injuries
Injury Avoidance and Safety
ROI's 12 - 18 months
Quality Improvement
Predictable Production
Flexibility
Material Savings
Reliability and Downtime Reduction
Great for dull, dirty and dangerous jobs
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