Switch to robot water-jet cutting slashes costs

Citation

(2000), "Switch to robot water-jet cutting slashes costs", Industrial Robot, Vol. 27 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2000.04927aaf.004

Switch to robot water-jet cutting slashes costs

Switch to robot water-jet cutting slashes costs

Keywords: Water-jet, Robots, Concurrent engineering

Flexibility to handle changing demand was a key requirement when a major US supplier of automotive interior trim components specified a machine to trim door panels for a four-door vehicle.

The proposed solution based on used robots and water-jet curing not only achieved the desired flexibility, but also cost 40 per cent less than a more conventional dedicated die-cutting machine. This made it an easy decision to opt for the robot solution.

In addition the system, based on Fanuc robots, occupies 50 per cent of the floor space for a dedicated die-cutting machine.

If the customer had opted for the dedicated machine, each panel would be cut in a two-stage operation.

In addition, with die-cutting equipment the knives dull over time. This can create quality control problems and fractures can cause the foam and vinyl to separate from the substrate.

The dedicated machine can only trim one component it is an expensive exercise with at least a two-week lead time to tool-up for a different component.

Contrast this with the robot/water-jet cutting solution where there is no degrading of cutting efficiency with time and therefore no delamination. Also, most design changes can be programmed in minutes.

This is particularly important with developments such as concurrent engineering where the customer is likely to introduce changes, such as moving the arm rest, after the supplier has already committed to mainstream production facilities.

The system employed uses two Fanuc M-6 robots in a cell which incorporates an indexing work station with a vertical "wall". Two panels are mounted vertically on the wall then it indexes into the work area (see Plate 2). While these are being processed, the operator mounts another two panels can be mounted on the outside of the wall.

Plate 2 The robot cell used for water-jet cutting

The work area is fully enclosed to keep all waste and debris away from the operator. The only non-cutting time is the five seconds indexing.

The JetTool water cutting process uses swivelless plumbing to minimise maintenance on the high pressure delivery system. Basically, a coil at each joint absorbs the rotary motion of the joint - rather like a clock spring. In addition, a redundant pressure intensifier is installed so that down time is not an issue. Any maintenance required can be carried out while the cell runs on the alternative intensifier.

As well as delivering the required flexibility, the cell also achieved a production rate 25-30 per cent higher than initial forecast. This bonus is largely due to "fine-turning" the cell using JetWare software developed exclusively for water-jet cutting.

For further information contact Maurice Hanley, Fanuc Robotics (UK) Limited, Seven Stars Industrial Estate, Wheler Road, Coventry CV3 4LB, UK. Tel: (+44) 01203 639669; Fax: (+44) 01203 304333.