Fanuc Corporation, Oshino-mura, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan

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Pharmaceutical Cartoning System with Robotic Pick & Place - Trans Automation Technologies

Published on Jun 19, 2015

Pharmaceutical bottle packaging: Medical & Pharmaceutical Automation

FANUC America Authorized System Integrator Trans Automation Technologies was tasked to develop an automatic cartoning system for small pharmaceutical bottles. The system would reform a process that was erratic and inconsistent with an automated process that could provide reliability and consistent rates of packaging over 90 bottles per minute.

Trans Automation Technologies was able to provide an automated system to meet their customer’s needs. This reliable system starts as the small pharmaceutical bottles enter on a pre-feeder conveyor with a bulk hopper. A vibratory bowl feeder feeds the individual bottles upright into custom conveyors with line controls. A dual-sided auto-labeler applies labels to the bottles. Then, a camera with dual-sided vision inspects both sides of the bottles to verify tamper band presence and proper label orientation.

The bottles continue down the line to a gripper belt “bottomless” conveyor. The bottles are picked and placed into their packaging by FANUC’s high-speed M-1iA/0.5S four-axis delta-style robot. In addition to it’s unique speed and efficiency, the FANCU M-1iA robot’s compact size is a benefit to this system, minimizing its overall footprint. The FANUC M-1iA delta robot consistently provides packaging speeds of more than 90 bottles per minute.

Finally, a camera system verifies that cartons are full prior to closure, and the horizontal carton erector closes the cartons. To learn more about FANUC America Authorized System Integrator Trans Automation Technologies, please visit http://www.transautotech.com.

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RPC Robotic Palletizing Cell with FANUC Palletizing Robot - Pearson Packaging Systems

Published on Jun 26, 2015

Robotic palletizing: fanucamerica.com/industrial-solutions/manufacturing-applications/palletizing-robots

FANUC America Authorized System Integrator Pearson Packaging Systems’ RPC Robotic Palletizing Cell is a custom solution for specific project requirements and plant layouts. It features a multi-axis FANUC M-410iC palletizing robot, making Pearson’s RPC a highly flexible and reliable operation.

In this demonstration, sealed cases enter the RPC on a conveyor from three product infeeds, to be palletized onto two pallet build stations. Full cases are transferred from the length parallel to flow to width parallel to flow when conveying into the RPC. This system features a multi-purpose end of arm tool to pick the cases, as well as slip sheets and pallets. The FANUC M-410iC Palletizing Robot picks a bottom sheet from a slip sheet rack and places it on a pallet. It grabs the pallet with slip sheet and places it on the appropriate pallet load build station.

The packages arrive from the infeed conveyor traveling width parallel to flow, where they are accumulated into a partial pallet load. The packages are then conveyed into the pick area, where the awaiting FANUC M-410iC Palletizing Robot picks the required number of packages based on pallet pattern and case rate. Once a pallet is complete, the load is transported out of the RPC through a light curtain and the sequence repeats. Full loads are transferred into a pallet accumulation conveyor, and then transferred to an existing stretchwrapper.

Fast, pre-programmed changeovers and customizable end-of-arm tooling allow the RPC to easily palletize a variety of products and pallet patterns. To learn more, or to request further information about Pearson Packaging Systems’ RPC Robotic Palletizing System, please visit http://www.pearsonpkg.com.

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Il robot collaborativo Fanuc CR35ia

Published on Apr 14, 2015

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Published on Jul 2, 2015

Board palletizing system: fanucamerica.com/industrial-solutions/manufacturing-applications/palletizing-robots

This sheet and board handling robot cell was designed by Motion Controls Robotics to stack large panels of varying width, thickness and weight. Any flat panel product can be handled including poly-iso insulating board, drywall, cement board, wood paneling, door slabs, and specialty flat panel products.

The system includes two FANUC M-410iC robots with end of arm tool that utilize vacuum suction cups with zoned vacuum capabilities. The end of arm tool was developed using extruded aluminum to keep it flexible and lightweight. On-the-fly adjustments and zoned vacuum cups allow this system to run a variety of widths and board sizes.

A conveyor system is used to align the boards as they come in from the cutting area. This allows up to four boards at a time to be picked and stacked. Each robot also has access to separate stack stations for non-conforming, or rejected material.

Boards can be rotated 180 degrees to keep stacks neat in applications where board thickness may vary from side to side. Boards can be stacked onto pallets or runners. A separate robot can be provided to move pallets or runners into the palletizing position while the palletizing robot continues to work, uninterrupted. The system shown is capable of board speed of approximately 225 feet per minute, and systems are available to service 300+ feet per minute board speed depending on board size and other handling requirements.

FANUC's Dual Check Safety can be used to allow close access for manual quality inspection of the finished board product. Or, FANUC iRVision can be used for fully automatic board inspection, as well as for board alignment by the robot prior to stacking.

Motion Controls Robotics has installed these board handling applications in numerous locations throughout North America. With current production rates, the amount of boards stacked in these palletizing cells could completely cover the city of Columbus, Ohio. To learn more about FANUC America Authorized System Integrator Motion Controls Robotics, please visit https://motioncontrolsrobotics.com.

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Automated Press Assembly Machine with Robotic Transfer for Geared Shafts - Compass Automation

Published on Jul 8, 2015

Geared shaft assembly: fanucamerica.com/industrial-solutions/manufacturing-applications/assembly-robots

This automated press assembly system was developed for a customer by FANUC America Authorized System Integrator Compass Automation to assemble two varieties of geared shafts.

Parts are transferred between different assembly operations by a FANUC M-10iA robot. First, the FANUC robot picks a shaft from the in-feed cart. The robot transports the shaft to a snap-ring assembly station, where a snap-ring is assembled into the snap-ring groove. Next, the robot finds the orientation of the keyway - one of the more complex challenges of the system. The FANUC robot rotates the gear into the shaft, and once the keyway is found the robot nests down, then transports the part to the assembly press.

At the assembly press, a pick and place presents a key, and the press assembles the key to the shaft. After key assembly, the robot orients the part vertically, so that the gear and bearing(s) can be assembled to the shaft. This application required a great deal of robotic dexterity. To meet this requirement, Compass Automation equipped the FANUC robot with a number of tools in order to enable it to pick the different part components.

After gear/bearing assembly, the robot either moves the assembly to the out-feed cart (assembly 1), or moves the part to the washer and nut assembly station, where a washer is placed, and a nut runner torques a nut into position on the end of the shaft. After washer/nut assembly, the finished assembly is placed on the out-feed cart.

Compass Automation designs, develops and integrates custom automation systems that help manufacturers optimize their production.

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Robotic Plasma Gouging System – GougeMaster from AGT Robotics

Published on Jul 17, 2015

Robotic plasma gouging: fanucamerica.com/industrial-solutions/manufacturing-applications/arc-welding-robots

FANUC America Authorized System Integrator AGT Robotics’ GougeMaster is an easy-to-use, versatile Robotic Plasma-Arc Gouging Solution. It can be used for applications such as vertical gouging, back gouging, weld metal removal, overlay and hard facing removal, weld preparation, and defect reparation. Fast and secure, GougeMaster is the perfect gouging solution for pressure vessels and piping, bridge fabrication, windmill towers, and any application where high volume back gouging is required. This robotic solution drastically reduces post-gouging cleanup time, and reduces noise and fume rates. Additionally, it provides extremely constant and high-quality gouged grooves through the use of FANUC’s highly reliable ARC Mate 100iC arc welding robot.

AGT’s robotic plasma-arc gouging system has a number of unique advantages when compared to other methods of gouging, such as air carbon-arc gouging, mechanized air carbon-arc gouging or automatic plasma-arc gouging. GougeMaster can perform on a variety of materials including steel, aluminum, and many more. It can gouge with no limits on groove length or width and up to a 38-millimetre depth with a U-shaped or 20-degree sidewall angle groove.

For more than 20 years, FANUC America Authorized System Integrator AGT Robotics has provided flexible robotic systems for the metal industry. Their expertise of this industry considerably improves their customer’s productivity and product quality. To learn more about AGT Robotics please visit https://agtrobotics.com

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Robotic Wrap-Around Case Packing System - Brenton Engineering

Published on Jul 29, 2015

Case packing bottles: fanucamerica.com/industrial-solutions/manufacturing-applications/picking-and-packing-robots

FANUC America Authorized System Integrator Brenton Engineering specializes in developing end-of-line packaging solutions for a variety of industries. In this video a system comprised of Brenton Engineering’s Series 100 Case Packing frame with four FANUC M-20iA robots make up a case packing solution for continuously moving products. The pucks carrying the product never stop in normal operation to allow for smoother operation.

The four FANUC M-20iA robots pick products from the inbound pucks and place them into the moving cases. Each of the FANUC M-20iA robots attend to a fixed area of the puck and case conveyors. Each robot controls the expansion of a specified product tool that is unique to the product type. The robot’s end-of-arm-tool adjusts to pick bottled product from a pre-positioned matrix of pucks, then collapses the end-of-arm-tooling to form the smaller matrix size necessary for insertion of the product into pre-positioned cases.

The robots use individual “line tracking” control to accurately follow the motion of the pucks and the opened trays/cases during loading. This ensures the bottles are accurately positioned in the trays/cases and allows the tray/case transport to be continuous motion. Each robot is equipped with a coupling device (EOAT changer) that is software controlled and allows the robot to automatically switch to an alternate EOAT when a command signal is issued. This allows the automatic changeover process to be initiated by a signal from the case packer PLC.

Each robot utilizes FANUC’s Collision Guard option for collision detection rather than mechanical clutch mechanism. Additionally, FANUC PickPro Software designates pick assignments for the robot. This option allows a single robot or multiple robots to be taken out of service while allowing the remaining robots to run at a reduced throughput.

The combined loading process of the four robots provides a product throughput of up to 320 bottles per minute and a packed case rate of up to 80 cases per minute. To learn more about FANUC America Authorized System Integrator Brenton Engineering and their wide range of end-of-line solutions, please visit https://www.brentonengineering.com.

[Airicist]

BM Silo, Fanuc Robotics bending system

Published on Aug 13, 2015

Dual Robotics bending system allows for unmanned operation and maximum machine utilization - Fanuc Robotics bending system, which increases productivity and profitability. http://www.lt-automation.dk

LT Automation is a leading engineering consultancy company that improves productivity in all production environments covering sectors such as; food, wind, metal, medical, hospitals and the healthcare sector. Based on LT Automations world-class competencies and their employees’ longstanding years of experience in industrial automation and robot technology, LT Automation implement and improve tomorrow's long-term automation solutions for clients.

LT Automation applies existing well-proven technologies and early stage technologies, which are just on the way to the market. LT Automation continuously keeps updated and innovative for the benefit of all clients.

In general the goal of LT Automation is improving production processes in all business segments by implementing, and in some situations developing, the most updated and innovative technology available on the market, thereby improving competitiveness for companies, health situations for workers performing manual tasks and creating a state of the art industry. The success of LT Automation is measured by the success of all clients.

The new focus area of LT Automation is welfare technology. As the world grow larger on demands for a well organized, cost effective and a non-debilitating health sector automation of manual processes is a must. The technology creates new jobs in the health sector, better quality of life for both patients and healthcare personnel and revolutionizes the time needed for taking care of patients in rehabilitation courses.

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Hand Guidance Feature for FANUC CR-35iA Collaborative Robot

fanucamerica.com/products/robots/series/collaborative-robot

FANUC’s new CR-35iA is the first collaborative robot in the industry to feature a heavy 35kg payload while being ISO certified to work safely alongside humans without the need for fencing. Another first from FANUC is the CR-35iA Collaborative Robot’s Hand Guidance feature. This unique feature allows an operator to safely control and guide the robot arm and tooling, providing collaborative effort between the robot’s strength and the operator’s finesse.

Typically a robot is jogged or moved with a robot pendant; however Collaborative Robot Hand Guidance from FANUC enables the operator to show the robot where to go without the pendant, and can be used to teach the robot points or a path. The FANUC CR-35iA Collaborative Robot was developed to help manufacturers solve ergonomic challenges by handling applications that are physically demanding for humans, such as repetitive heavy lifting.

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Robotic Machining System Features Automated Changeover for Workholding & Parts - Gosiger

Published on Mar 18, 2016

Robotic Machining: fanucamerica.com/industrial-solutions/manufacturing-applications/machine-tending-robots

FANUC America Authorized System Integrator Gosiger, in partnership with Kitagawa and Okuma, developed this fully automated robotic machining system for high mix, low volume part production. The system utilizes FANUC’s versatile M-20i Series industrial robot and with Kitagawa’s new chuck jaw-change system, demonstrate a truly automatic chuck jaw change on an Okuma Multus multi-function lathe. The system totally eliminates operator involvement in part-to-part changeover of the machine tool. The chucking system and robot provide seamless production flexibility by allowing this cell to autonomously run a variety of different parts - A capability not possible without an automatic chuck change system.

The FANUC M-20i Series Robot is fitted with a Schunk automatic gripper change unit that allows a robot to automatically exchange its gripper tooling. One robot gripper tool has been designed to handle the Kitagawa work holding system, can also handle a variety of different parts. In operation, when the robot completes a run of parts, it automatically exchanges its tooling to load the next chuck into the machine and then exchanges its hand again to one compatible with the next batch of parts. After the chuck change, the Okuma machine and Fanuc robot seamlessly begin production of a new lot of parts.

Kitagawa’s chuck change system has a spindle nose-mounted receiver that mechanically couples with a pallet holding the three chuck jaws. To change the chuck jaws, the three jaw-equipped pallets are exchanged. During chuck change, the robot inserts the jaw pallet into the chuck body where it is mechanically locked into place and is then ready for machining. Kitagawa’s revolutionary hydraulic chucking system works for either internal or external part gripping.

Parts and the chuck change tooling are stored in a drawer cabinet accessible to the robot. A different size part blank is stored in each of the top three cabinet drawers and three unique chuck jaw configurations are stored in the bottom drawer. Based upon a production schedule, the robot loads a particular chuck followed by the appropriate blanks. When the desired number of parts needed to be machined is reached and the final part is unloaded, the robot then changes its gripper and proceeds to equip the Okuma machine tool with the chucking unit suitable to machine the next group of parts. This fully automated system allows the machine to produce a variety of different parts in any quantity required, unattended. The system is truly a breakthrough for hi max, low volume parts machining applications.

For nearly 100 years, FANUC America Authorized System Integrator Gosiger Automation has been helping American manufacturers maximize productivity by providing world-class automated solutions.