We hope you’ll be encouraged by our case studies. If you want to know more about a specific case, please contact us

Challenge
Nibe’s 10 robotized arc welding cells (8 from MOTOMAN), each producing their own specific stove type, were being supplied with pressed parts from several manual production lines located far away. Valuable resources were spent in transport, storage and logistics to keep up the production, and Nibe wanted a more cost efficient and productive solution.

Solution
The whole production is initiated by the arc welding cells: When they are about to run out of parts for a particular stove type, one (or two) of the four press-brake cells will automatically start a batch production to supply components. The MOTOMAN press-brake cell chooses the right program, gripper tools, stocks the accompanying trolley with small sheets and then completes the bending process. Ready made parts travel in a pallet with RFID information on an automatic conveyor system to the expecting arc welding cell. Only one human operator is needed to supply material, and keep the four press-brake cells in operation.

Results
A production on demand with 90% reduced lead time means that it is possible to have a vast product range, without keeping a high inventory. With all the innovative equipment, such as multi-functional grippers, tool changing, pallet racks and pallets that are stocked with many different sheet types etc., the four press-brake cells are capable of handling up to 80 different sheet sizes. Due to the fact that a majority of the heavy sheet metal parts are now handled by robots, improved ergonomics and fewer injuries are also important benefits.

Challenge
Supplier of BILLY bookcase packages to IKEA needed to double productivity. BILLY is one of the hallmarks of IKEA’s furniture offer and bought across the world.

Solution
A complete robot system was developed and supplied by MOTOMAN Robotics, including integration with transportation lines, the control system and the gripper tools. The bookcases were already from the start collected in the boxes in which they were to be delivered to the customer. Ten robots first depalletize subparts transferred from the initial storage. The boxes are then transported in four parallel lines to one of seven packaging robots that continue by filling them with subparts. Eventually two palletizing robots takes the boxes to the final pallets before fork lifts move them to an intermediate warehouse, after which they are delivered to IKEA stores around the world.

One of the challenges was the size of the installation. The factory hall is 120 by 25 meters and a total of 20 MOTOMAN robots work along four parallel lines collecting parts for the BILLY.

A second challenge was to speed up the process. This took extensive integration with supplier of the conveyor system Intersystems as well as the developer of gripper tools P.D.Liftec. Another important matter was to develop an efficient HMI to help minimize stop times. Since stops do occur it is important to make the operators aware of them quickly so they can take fast action to get the line running. The goals were met and exceeded by January 2009.

A third challenge was the complexity of the system, that has to be able to handle a span of sizes ranging from big and heavy bookshelf sides down to small ten grams screws.

Results
Compared to a semi-manual packaging line, productivity increased from ten bookcase packages per minute to 20, or one every third second. This proves that many industries, such as the furniture business, still have great potential for increased productivity.

Mr Stefan Larsson, Project Manager at Gyllensvaans Möbler: ”As a supplier to IKEA, we have to be first in line. With this new plant we have taken a great step forward.”

Challenge
Pump manufacturer ITT Water & Wastewater needed to reduce product throughput times substantially.

Solution
Swedish pump manufacturer ITT Water & Wastewater is the world market leader in pumps. That position has been reached through continuous improvement of products, processes and working methods. The MOTOMAN robot cell in Emmaboda is a concrete illustration of that.

In Emmaboda a total MOTOMAN robot system was developed in close cooperation with ITT Water & Wastewater. The robot cell manufactures electric motor rotor axes using a Motoman ES165N with vision equipment. A four functional grip tool that handles diameters ranging from 15 to 160 millimeters, and that lifts between 1 and 25 kilograms was specially designed for the system.

The robot retrieves the rotors from a pallet and the axes are supplied by a conveyer. Components are identified by camera and placed in a hydraulic press. In the next sequence the rotor axis is moved to a CNC lathe. Finished products are palletized alongside with the insertion of inbetween covers.

Results
Batch output times for 200 pumps were reduced from 30 – 40 hour to 5-7 hours. 4.500 manual lifts per day were saved, giving room for the operators to take other, value-adding tasks. The intermediate stock could also be phased out.

Urban Svensson, project leader at ITT Water & Wastewater :
“Our operators did a marvellous job, but also Motoman, who had the overall responsibility for the total system solution development and installation.”

Challenge
When Wild Springs & Wireforms won the contract to manufacture the frame supporting the rear seat cushion in the latest Astra saloon cars, Vauxhall specified that the wire frame should be arc-welded rather than spot-welded. Full-volume production quantities of over 4,000 per week for delivery to the foaming plant, dictated the use of robotic welding at Wild’s Redditch factory.

Solution
The company chose MOTOMAN to supply a twin-robot MIG welding cell and a powered turntable with the assistance of Malvern-based integrator, Bauromat UK. Wild Springs had used spot welding cells from MOTOMAN since the 1980s. According to Tim Clews, project manager at the Redditch factory, the ongoing reliability of these early cells and the good service back-up over the years gave Wild every reason to return to the same supplier for this project.

The Astra seat frame comprises eleven formed components made from round, mild steel wire of 5 mm diameter, which are placed by an operator into a dedicated jig. During this time, 20 welds are deposited by the two robots to produce the previous frame. The turntable then swings through 180 degrees in a matter of seconds to present the unwelded assembly to the robots and the welded frame to the operator for unloading, ensuring virtually uninterrupted production.

Results
With the installed arc welding cell the cycle time is one minute, around 25 per cent less than for an equivalent spot welding cycle.

Challenge
Charwood Foods, one of the UK’s leading manufacturer of pizza bases with a volume of 63 million units per year, was starting a second production line and needed to palletize boxes of finished pizzas. In automating this task, a total of 12 different box sizes had to be accommodated.

Solution
A MOTOMAN SP100X 4-axis palletizing robot with a vacuum suction gripper was chosen for the application by the main contractor Crown Conveyors. The pallet layout programs provided by MOTOMAN reside within the controller. The robot picks up the correct number of cartons, normally three, from the end of the production line and stacks them onto a pallet. Case weight is between 16 and 19,5 kg. Within the robot cell, there is a rotating pallet wrapping station that secures the load prior to collection by a forklift truck from a parallel conveyor.

Results
Up to 320 cases per hour are palletized around the clock at the end of the second production line at Charnwood Foods, which had foreseen that a robot would be used for the palletizing operation, as it would be an arduous and repetitive task for an operator to perform. The quickest runner is processed at the rate of 40 cases per pallet and eight pallets an hour.

Challenge
Carefree Bathing, a manufacturer of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) bath ware located in Coventry, wanted to eliminate the arduous, noisy and dusty manual work involved in trimming and drilling operations. These tasks are not only unpleasant and exacting, but also labour-intensive and prone to error.

Solution
Carefree Bathing is a family-run business that prides itself on crafting its products around a rigid steel frame and chipboard base to prevent deformation and water leakage. The bath itself is made by spraying resin and chopped fibreglass to a thickness of up to 6 mm into a mould that has already been coated with colored gel paint. After curing, the bath is removed from the mould and undergoes manual deflashing to remove most of the excess material.

For the previously manual finishing steps, a 6-axis MOTOMAN UP50-35 robot was supplied through specialist integrator RobotSense, which programmed 24 GRP trimming and routing cycles plus 12 chipboard matching programs for the different styles and sizes of walk-in baths manufactured for the elderly and the disabled. In the robot cell, the GRP shell is automatically finish-trimmed and holes are drilled for the jet spa system using a routing cutter in a high-speed spindle mounted on the wrist of the UP50-35 robot. A typical spa system can have 24 jets.

Results
Due to the flexibility and speed of the MOTOMAN robot, the cycle time has been reduced by 85 percent, compared with manual machining. The cell paid for itself during the first four months of operation from April to July 2006. The robot’s work is also of consistently high quality, thus significantly reducing reworking and scrap rates.
Commented Mr Russell Freestone, Carefree Bathing's Production Director "Last summer we were producing 200 baths per month, many for the US market, and saved £40 in labour costs per bath using the robot. In addition, our outgoings are £2,000 less every month because we also machine our chipboard panels in the robot cell, instead of subcontracting out this work. Not only are we saving money, but automated machining has also eliminated a severe bottleneck in our manufacturing operation and boosted production output significantly."

Challenge
The French company Remorques Rolland is a leading European manufacturer of trailers and dumpers for the agricultural industry. To accommodate an increasing number of orders and constant demand for higher quality, the French manufacturer needed a powder coating system that could handle all possible component geometries.

Solution
Five MOTOMAN PX painting robots form the core of the new powder coating system that was designed, constructed and implemented by Haden Drysys France SA.
Because dumpers and trailers can be as long as 9 meters and up to 2.5 meters wide and 3 meters high, the robots were needed to provide maximum flexibility and to be able to spray all possible component geometries and sizes.

The arrangement, selection and design of the painting robots were all significant in guaranteeing the efficiency required of the system. Therefore the various robot combinations were first simulated and checked using a MOTOMAN 3D simulation tool. In order for all the areas of the largest trailer to be coated, i.e. the inside, outside and underside, the components are transported continuously by a chain conveyor through the painting booth. The course of the chain conveyor speed including the synchronous robot movements was also simulated based on the variable conveyor speed. The system included two PX2850 painting robots on a 2500 mm high base and another two PX2850 robots on an 800 mm high base. These are supplemented by a PX2050 for painting the underside. Each of the PX painting robots is equipped with a two-stream powder gun including powder preparation from Sames Corporation. The chain conveyor speed is forwarded to the painting robots by an encoder (conveyor function). This ensures that the powder spray is always applied with consistent thickness based on the speed of the robot movements and the amount of powder being applied (managed by the PX robot).

Results
The powder coating system has been operating two shifts a day since February 2005. Rolland’s new powder coating system is extremely flexible, fully automated and provides a consistent level of high quality from the biggest dumper to the smallest component.

Challenge
When Renault decided to modernize its production facility in Dieppe in Northern France, the company needed to meet new, stricter environmental requirements and wanted to introduce water-soluble paints. At the same time, the top coat painting lanes which still operated in manual mode should be automated.

Solution
The complete project, from the EMU dust extractor and paint supply to the robotic painting was realised by SAMES (Exel Group).
Renault opted for the „ACCUBELL® two-component solution” controlled by MOTOMAN PX-2900 painting robots for the base coat applicaion. This was based on the ability of the ACCUBELL® atomiser to change from solvent-based to water-based paints without interruption of production.

The base coat line processes approximately 20 colours which are applied by four MOTOMAN robots. Two PX painting robots with high-speed spinning atomisers apply a first coat. After this first coat, an additional two PX2900 robots apply paint to the required thickness with ACCUGUN® spray guns.
Between painting of two car bodies, the atomiser is moved to a filling station where it is flushed and filled with exactly the right amount of paint needed. The paint is not electrostatically charged until after decoupling from the filling station.

Results
The new painting lane, which produces 15 vehicles per hour, now tend to comply with the European directives regarding emissions of volatile organic compounds.

In 2007, the emission level compared with the beginning of 2006 will be reduced again by 32% due to the conversion by paint suppliers from solvent-based to water-soluble paints.

Challenge
To maximize its return on investment on a new five-axis Chiron CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining tool, Schnabel GmbH, a component manufacturer in Heppenheim, Germany, needed to automate production. However, the space available for the entire automation cell, including the robot, palletizing unit, turnover station and control cabinet, was extremely tight, measuring only 1,3 by 1,5 meters.

Solution
Only the MOTOMAN 7-axis IA20 robot could meet the requirements on footprint, outstanding mobility and large working envelope. With a footprint of just 280 x 280 mm and a height of only 160 cm, the IA20 was the perfect solution.

The motion sequence of this extremely flexible robot reveals why it has come to be nicknamed “the snake.” Moving like a snake, the robot can take certain positions within the available space that would be impossible with conventional kinematics. What makes this possible is the innovative design of the seven-axis single-arm robot which is similar to the human arm, only longer. Thanks to its ability to move in space, it can imitate the movements of the human arm and do things only a human could do before. It can also position a payload of up to 20 kg with a repeatable precision of 0,1 mm and a maximum reach of 1140 mm.

MOTOMAN’s system partner CNC-Automation Würfel designed a complete system around the IA20 that also includes double gripper arms, controls, a pallet store, a pallet lift and a turnover station, all of which were sourced from MiniTec. The cell’s pallet store can hold up to ten one-quarter Euro pallets, each of which can hold up to 100 kg.

Each pallet holds workpieces to be processed in positions defined for the robot. A lift positions each pallet correctly for the robot and always at the same level. Fitted with a double gripper arm, the IA20 robot takes the part and puts it in the Chiron machining tool, where it is clamped and finished on one side. In the meantime, the robot picks up a new blank part and uses its empty gripper arm to remove the semi-finished component before inserting a new one. The semi-finished component is placed on the turnover station, where it is picked up again by the other gripper arm and positioned for the final machining. The seven-axis robot thus does not return workpieces to the pallet station until they are completely finished.

Results
The solution designed by CNC Automation enables the system to work unattended for ten to thirteen hours. Maximum throughput for the pallet station is one ton. For Schnabel, this means that the expected productivity gains from the investment in the Chiron machining center have been realized. In addition, the whole robot cell is mobile, and can be moved around with a forklift truck at any time. So the unit can dock with any suitable machine at any time. Simple communication via an open bus system minimizes startup times without controls being required.

“This cell design with the MOTOMAN seven-axis unit could establish itself as the standard solution for loading and unloading CNC machine tools. When it comes to flexibility, this solution is virtually unbeatable. Simply change the gripper, and you can handle just about any part using the mobile unit – not forgetting its small footprint and the fact that it is easy to operate with maximum availability.” says Oliver Würfel, owner and manager of CNC Automation.

Challenge
BAK Boysen Abgaskomponenten GmbH mainly manufactures exhaust systems including top-range engines for the BMW 7 series, Audi A8 and VW Phaeton. Production consists of many variants and small batch sizes. As a system partner of the BMW group, Boysen has jointly developed the exhaust manifold catalytic converter module for the BMW six-cylinder NG-R6 engine. Unlike the other production islands at BAK, the new assembly line had to be designed for large series production.

Solution
The three main assemblies, exhaust manifolds, catalytic converters and exhaust pipes, are manufactured independently of each other in different areas within the assembly line. The sheet metal exhaust manifolds are manufactured in six sequential steps. In order to optimise the welding quality each MOTOMAN robot only welds one circumferential seam. Robot 1 welds the middle inlet pipe of the manifold to the collector. Robot 2 welds the right and robot 3 the left inlet pipe. The robots 4 to 6 finally weld, one after another, the sheet metal flange fillet with the middle, the right and finally the left inlet pipe of the exhaust manifold.

The production of the catalytic converter also requires high precision, which is one reason why Boysen has completely automated the so-called canning. Finally, the exhaust pipes are produced in two sequential steps – first a threaded socket and then an outlet flange are welded onto the prefabricated pipes.

In the final assembly a robot welds a manifold, a catalytic converter and an exhaust pipe together in two work operations.

Results
The modules undergo a 100 percent final inspection before delivery, where every assembly is automatically checked for evenness, geometry and leak tightness in a 3D robot measuring cell. This is usually a challenging process for quality assurance, but the combination of measurement technology and MOTOMAN robots made the design of a very flexible measuring cell possible.
With the many possibilities for visualization and documentation provided by the measurement results, production is now 100 percent traceable. Quality assurance thus now has a tool with which it can prove at any given time that parts meet the requirements of the technical specifications.

Daily production capacity in two-shift operation of the new production line is now 2,400 exhaust manifold catalytic converter modules.

Challenge
Leonhard Kurz GmbH & Co. KG, a world-leader in hot molding technology, needed a test and demonstration system that could manufacture parts under clean-room conditions.

Solution
The automation solution was developed by MOTOMAN´s system partner M.A.i., which has already integrated many MOTOMAN robots in systems. The complete system comprises a Demag Concept 100/500-310 injection molding machine; the tool area is designed as a clean room to ISO class 6. The robot used – a MOTOMAN-HP3 with the compact NXC100 controller – works in the clean room, from a suspended position, optimising access to the tool area. The NXC100 controller is fully integrated in the injection moulding unit and connected to it via a Euromap 67 interface.

Once the injection moulding machine opens, the HP3 robot moves rapidly to the fixture and picks up two parts with its suction gripper. It then turns to put the parts on a conveyor belt, which carries the cooled parts from the cell. The entire cycle time is about eight seconds, of which the HP3 needs less than two.
The robot is controlled via a small add-on control panel next to the machine control unit, which means that the machine operator does not have to use the robot software or deal with the teach box.

Results
The unit has been in operation since early 2006, and the staff at the technical center has come to appreciate how simple the system is to use. This is a major advantage, since regular changeovers and small sample series are the norm.
“The fact that the total system takes up so little space, and is so easy to use, and the MOTOMAN robot is so flexible and reliable, really fascinates our clients. We look forward to continuing to work together!” says Arthur Schwab, managing director of M.A.i.

Challenge
Isringhausen GmbH & Co. KG, is the leading manufacturer of seat systems for commercial vehicles in Europe. In March 2006, Daimler Chrysler began serial production of the successor to the reliable “Sprinter” van. Isringhausen, who have been delivering complete seats for the “Sprinter” since 1994, were again involved, and invested in new locations in Germany as well as in their plant in Lemgo, where a new welding shop was built providing additional capacity for joining technology.

Solution
The master plan was broken down into several production lines: seat upholstery (components and upholstery) and frame, where MOTOMAN robots are utilised in a variety of ways in the production processes.

The “seat upholstery components” production cell comprises a UP50N robot with an integrated projection welding machine and vibratory conveyor for the welding nuts. The UP50N is equipped with a gripper that takes different components from the conveyor belts and then positions the parts to be welded under the stationary welding machine and puts them back after the joining process.

The “seat upholstery” production system contains a 2-station positioner (RWV2 M1) with EA1900N welding robot and a ES165N robot for handling. The 2-station positioner allows the operator and the robots to work in parallel - while the operator is loading the fixture, the robots weld synchronously. The pre-welded component is then removed by a ES165N robot which pass it to the other EA1900N robots that process the remaining welding seams while the component is moved in the work area by the ES165N (“jigless welding“). Here the “multi-robot synchro“ function of the NX100 controller is used. This software function was developed specially for jigless jobs with several robots, which allows work to be done in a very compact area because everything is managed from a single controller. This takes away the conventional I/O blocking, and “arm cubes” can be formed to avert collisions between the robots.

In the “seat frame” production cell a operator loads the 3-station positioner (“RWV-3”) and all the individual parts are secured. The table indexes and the components are welded by the spot welding robot ES165N. Other ES165N robots are used to remove the component from the fixture and to finish the spot welding with fixed welding guns. The “feet” are welded on a separate fixture that is automatically rotated into the robot's range.

Results
Several robot production cells now work at peak production operating three shifts per day at Isringhausen. The welded seams are also checked by a camera system in a PC-based control system that records system status, error messages and quality parameters. All data is available from a main computer for authorized personnel.

“The intensive planning and co-operation at the start has shown that with well thought out processes we can keep jobs in Germany and still remain competitive” commented Willi Stadhaus from Isringhausen's production planning division.

Challenge
Frank Haug, president of Frank Haug GmbH in Straubenhardt, Germany, had been looking for an automation solution for feeding an erosion machine for nearly a year that would meet his customers’ requirements for quality.

Solution
Frank Haug met with MOTOMAN and Thomas Stumpp, president of MWTS Mechanische Werkstätten GmbH (a MOTOMAN system partner), in Straubenhardt to discuss the feasibility of automation and the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches. Based on this exchange of ideas, MWTS proposed a system based on the 6-axis UP50N robot.
In addition to the erosion machine and the robot, the system consists of a pallet magazine for blanks and finished parts, a drive-through station for cleaning and anti-corrosion coating of processed workpieces, an assembly station and the usual safety casing and system controller.
The robot is fitted with a triple gripper tool for holding the workpiece, the electrode and an assembly workpiece carrier. The workpiece being a dosing piston for high-capacity combustion engines. A pallet for receiving finished parts and a pallet with blanks are provided in the pallet magazine in the robot’s working area.
The robot takes five blanks at a time and places them on a carriage in front of the cleaning station, which cleans them of anticorrosive as they pass through. On the other side, the UP50N robot removes the five parts and mounts them on an assembly workpiece carrier (AWC) at the loading station. When the erosion machine operating in parallel has finished its cycle, the robot exchanges the AWC, and the machine continues operating immediately.

Results
The system produces 30 parts per hour. With its buffer capacity of 650 blanks and finished parts in the pallet magazine, the system can run automatically for 21 hours. In addition to saving labour, Frank Haug is now able to operate an unattended night shift.

Challenge
At its plant in Dingolfing where aluminium front-axle beams for its 1 and 3 series cars are manufactured, BMW needed to produce the same output with fewer workstations and robots and less operating staff as for its 7 series.

Solution
MOTOMAN first built the finished system in its own facilities to do a test run, and verified the basic functionality of the system in comprehensive tests. In addition, a two-station welding system was set up in Dingolfing where all the welding processes for the production of parts were optimised in co-operation with BMW.

The practically identical production lines are highly automated and need very little operating staff. The only manual production activity is that some individual parts are loaded by the operating staff on cassette belts, largely irrespective of the cycle time. Then the handling robots place all the parts in the appropriate welding fixtures. Here complex geometries with very narrow tolerances have to be loaded onto the fixture at high speed with repetitive accuracy. In order to accomplish this within the required cycle times, complex gripping systems that can hold the finished welded constructions as well as the individual parts are used. A special feature of the system layout is the flexibly designed welding cells. Depending on the requirement, either robot-mounted torches are used, or the welding fixture is handled by the robot under fixed welding guns. Depending on the workpiece, the welding processes are broken down into several stations, or are welded with several guns at the same time in order to achieve an even heat input and optimum time cycles.

All welded seams of the entire front-axle beam are checked to 100%. In addition, all the important parameters, such as the rim width and hole diameter, are measured exactly on the finished front-axle beam with laser triangulation.

Due to MOTOMAN´s multi-robot technology, BMW has at present in Dingolfing up to three robots with 18 axes plus a turnover fixture that are connected to one controller. This allows the robots to work simultaneously at the multi-station table more easily. For example, if work is interrupted the robots stop at precisely defined positions at the same time. If the disturbance is corrected, the work step will be continued automatically at the place of interruption. Altogether in Dingolfing 78 welding robots and 20 handling robots (each six-axis articulated robots) are grouped into 17 welding cells and three separate production lines for the BMW 1 and 3 series. The work cells also include various 2, 3 and 4 station positioners.

Results
The front-axle beams are produced in three identical lines in 3 shifts per day. Six processing cells per line have been set up with a cycle time of 60 seconds. A crossmember is made up of about 25 individual parts that are joined by aluminium gas-shielded welding in about 100 welding steps with a total seam length of 7.2 metres.

Unique is that all production steps from the loading of the parts in the welding fixture through the welding process up to removing of finished modules are completed by robots.

Challenge
Dura Automotive Body & Glass Systems GmbH makes front and rear doors for the Ford Focus and Ford C-Max (B-pillar and C-pillar), and wanted to automate the application of a melted butyl adhesive onto the ABS plastic panels.

Solution
MOTOMAN created a solution based on a UP20 robot with a built-in dosing head, where the robot is used to apply a butyl adhesive to the plastic panels.
The operator manually puts the panels in the specific part carrier. The coded carriers are designed so they can be replaced quickly using a plug-in system. The coding selects the right programme for the device automatically, and the panels are automatically transferred into the robot working area on the turntable. The robot now applies the butyl on three sides of the panels. at the top and opposite the wrap-arounds. Adhesive is only applied to the back of the panels. The sealing bead on the panel must be positioned with an accuracy of 0,3 mm, and the thickness must be accurate to within ± 0,2mm. The bead is applied continuously with a dosage volume that increases linearly. The sealing bead thickness can be adjusted or varied while it is being applied.

The melting vats is placed immediately adjacent to the cell so it can be easily accessed from the outside, and an empty vat can be replaced without causing any major interruption.

Results
The industrial robot saves considerable space and provides a highly compact and flexible production cell. The compact robot cell is built on a self-supporting base frame with a moveable base plate. The base frame carries the side walls, the MOTOMAN-UP20 robot and base, a motor-driven two-station positioner and the adjustment control system. The base frame enables the cell to be lifted with a fork lift so that the unit can be set up and taken down quickly to suit changing production conditions.

The first system went into operation in 2005 and two more identical units followed.

Challenge
Kreier Mechanik GmbH in Bubikon, Switzerland supplies high-quality, precision CNC (Computer Numerical Control) parts to leading Swiss industrial companies. When the company invested in a new five-axis CNC machining center, managing director and owner Felix Kreier had to decide whether to continue operating this new and efficient machine manually in one shift or to take the next step by automating the loading of the machine.

Solution
Working with SERO-TECH, a long-time MOTOMAN system partner, it soon became obvious that the task could be automated economically only with a robot in a very sophisticated and flexible solution. SERO-TECH responded by developing a custom solution for Kreier featuring a MOTOMAN-ES165N robot with a 2650 mm reach and a payload capacity of 165 kg.

The prerequisites for automation at Kreier were that not only small parts but also larger pieces with longer machining times could be automatically fed into the machine. A special changing system for the robot was thus designed for holding different gripping devices or pallets. The unfinished parts are fed into the system via a setup station, and the finished parts are removed via the same station. While workpieces are being loaded on to one side of the setup station, the robot loads and unloads the other side so that the work cycle is not interrupted by the loading and unloading of parts. In this manner three types of workpiece carriers can be fed to the system.

Results
The flexibility of the system allows automatic production of even the smallest repeat orders and contributes to optimum use of the machining equipment. The combination of the quick, accurate and reliable ES165N robot with SERO-TECH’s intelligent solution makes this an optimum solution for small batch sizes.

Challenge
Calypso Soft Drinks, a leading manufacturer of packaged soft drinks, wanted to automate their carton packing and palletizing operations - quite a complex task, with 56 pack variations demanding three different pallet stacking patterns.

Solution
Three robotic turnkey systems were developed and supplied by MOTOMAN:
One cell placed 200 ml six-packs and couplets into cartons as they came off the filling line, with a flexibility to pack the 200 ml six-packs at a density of four packs per box, and the couplets at a density of five layers of 20 per box. Specified packing time was four seconds per box for the six-packs. An additional requirement for the couplets was the insertion of a cardboard separator between each of five layers; around 20 seconds/box is allowed on this product.

A second cell on the same line stacked the cartons from the cup line onto pallets, with a maximum case weight of 12 kg for the cuplet boxes.

Alongside this installation is the palletising cell for the Tetrapak line. This is the most complicated of the three MOTOMAN-supplied systems as the robot needs to service up to three process lines simultaneously and in all there are 56 pack variations that demand three different pallet stacking patterns. It does this using an ingenious marshalling system, which is operated by the incoming trays, each of which has a product-specific barcode. Once the barcode is read by an integral reader, an electro mechanical path selection system directs the tray onto a designated pick-up conveyor. As soon as there are three trays on an infeed conveyor, an optical switch calls up the robot which lifts the trays, placing two in their designated position and leaving the third in a convenient pick-up position. When it next visits the same pallet, the robot again places two trays and makes up a third pair with the previously-deposited tray, placing that pair also. Programming the movements in this way offers the most efficient pallet stacking routine and appears strangely human-like. As with the pallet stacking robot on the cup line, pallet replacement is incorporated into the cell.

Results
“The system operates extremely well,” said factory engineering manager Chris Edwards. “Whereas keeping up with production on cuplet packing used to be a problem, the robots have allowed us to increase the speed of the line by 25 per cent. On the cuplets, presentation of the box is critical because we are dealing with individual product, so the robots are programmed to spiral as they place the product to ensure that the box sides do not hinder clean placement. This sort of versatility is something that we have come to appreciate as the project has progressed.”

Mr Edwards related, “When the robot cells initially arrived on the shop floor I found it difficult to see how we were going to benefit. However, once I had completed the Motoman training course and began to gain some programming experience as we developed the application, it began to make a lot of sense. It is actually quite easy to teach the robot what to do and it is also very satisfying.”

Challenge
Lifting cases with food products is a tough job, if lifted manually. At the Red Mill Snack Foods, in the West Midlands, they decided to put a robot through the task, saving both time and money, as well as staff from getting occupational injuries.

Solution
A robotic system based on a 4-axis MOTOMAN-SP100X palletizing robot with 160 kg payload replaced the arduous job of lifting cases by hand. The system also included conveyors and handling equipment supplied by Soco System Ltd.

Five bagging production lines are now served by the new system. Bagged products are packed manually, and then the case is top and bottom taped automatically before continuing its journey. Each product variety has its unique layer pattern programmed into the host computer. Once the complete layer is formed, the robot picks it up with a specially designed gripper and transfers it to one of five available palletizing positions. The robot control knows the appropriate number of layers to complete a pallet, and the height of a fully loaded pallet is typically 2.2 metres.

The beauty of the installed system is its ease of use, high flexibility and reliability with minimal need for operator intervention. Additionally, as the MOTOMAN robot is picking complete layers of collated product and even though the combined total throughput is high for this industry, it more than copes due to its high-speed capability combined with flexibility and versatility

Results
The installed system eliminated the need to employ up to three operators per shift, 24-hours a day, Monday to Friday. According to Red Mill’s Manufacturing Director, Simon Faithful, payback was calculated at less than 22 months.

With the MOTOMAN robot now stacking the pallets, health and safety concerns relating to manual loading are no longer an issue, and personnel have been redeployed from the tiring and repetitive job to more amenable work within the factory.

Challenge
Sack handling at Premier International Foods´ Typhoo plant was very labour intensive; with 15 men depalletizing the 70 kg sacks of tea over five overlapping shifts during a 24-hour period. Even with the assistance of vacuum lifters, it was still an strenuous job with health and safety implications.

Solution
Two identical turnkey robot cells, with 4-axis SP100X-160 palletizing robots, were installed to take over from manual sack handling. Should one cell break down, pallets can be transferred to the other so that blending can continue. In each cell, pallets loaded with tea sacks are placed by lift truck onto a loop conveyor and the settings are entered on the central control panel. The pallets are indexed around the conveyor until the first pallet is photographed and then moved to the unload station.

All sacks on the top layer are sequentially placed on an inclined, linear powered conveyor leading to the blending area above. The robot already knows the height of the sack as the control system tells it which level is being depalletized. The gripper can therefore be traversed rapidly to within 400 mm above the sack, minimising the cycle time. The process continues until the last layer is left on the pallets.

After these sacks have been removed, the pallet itself is unloaded by the robot and stacked up to 10 high on three static stations using a set of electrically actuated claws mounted around the vacuum head on the dual purpose grippers. While this is happening, the next blend is loaded onto the loop conveyor by lift truck via an input station.

Results
Premier International Foods reduced the production cost for converting a tonne of tea into tea bags by more than 26 per cent, and payback on the investment was achieved within two years. The changeover from one blend to another is now faster than before, taking only seven minutes. Only six operatives are now needed to oversee all blending activities, from raw tea intake, through robot cell operation, sack opening and blending to filling.

Engineering Project Manager, Phil Valentine: ”We have processed 196 tonnes in 12 hours using the robots with both cells running, whereas our best performance with manual handling was 80 tonnes in the same time period.”
When asked why MOTOMAN had been selected for the project, Phil Valentine replied, "We looked at six or seven potential suppliers but MOTOMAN was the only one that could demonstrate the capability to tackle the job and offer solutions to our handling problems, bearing in mind this is the first time that sack handling has been automated in the tea industry.”

Challenge
KTM motorcycles manufactured in Mattinghofen, Austria are top performers, having won the grueling Dakar Rally six times and an incredible 120 world championship titles. Keeping weight light and delivering outstanding handling characteristics and performance demands precision manufacturing with zero defects.


Solution
Solution: KTM began using MOTOMAN welding robots in 1991. Today, the motorcycle manufacturer has nine robots in continuous operation on a three-shift production schedule. The robots are used to weld motorcycle frames and silencers which are made from stainless steel, chrome and molybdenum steel. The frames consist of about 60 parts, while silencers contain two to ten parts.

About 30 motorcycle frames are produced each day at KTM. The frames are not welded in one sequence but in different stages. The entire welding process for a frame takes about 45 minutes. During this process, production workers are constantly checking the production to ensure the highest standard.

For KTM, one of the most important advantages of the MOTOMAN system is its reliability. The most recent welding systems have been in continuous operation for three years without a hitch. MOTOMAN also provides fast and expert technical support through its sales office near Munich and can deliver spare parts quickly when needed.

Results
In comparison with manual welding, MOTOMAN’s robots have saved at least 50 percent in personnel costs and production time. The payback time for the robots when operated three shifts per day is about 1,5 years.

In addition, there is an optical advantage in mechanically welded seams. Between 5,500 and 5,600 motorcycle frames are manufactured per month with a scrap rate of less than 0,1 percent, and the repeatability of welding seams is almost 100 percent.

Mr. Zauchner, production manager responsible for the robots:
“The precisions and rapid repetition accuracy of the MOTOMAN robots is outstanding. Another plus is the high operating speed and very excellent availability of the robots. In addition, operation of the system is easy and uncomplicated.”