Keywords
Citation
(2003), "Unique robot plasma cutting system", Industrial Robot, Vol. 30 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2003.04930baf.003
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited
Unique robot plasma cutting system
Unique robot plasma cutting system
Keywords: Robots, Plasma, Cutting
KGD (with the help of a DTI Smart award), developed and installed a six-axis robot controlled plasma cutting system for use in the manufacture of pressure vessels and other 3D profiles. Most robots are used for repetitive work; this development makes robots a viable production tool for individual projects (Plate 3).
Plate 3
A typical plasma cutting cell, using the Comau M1 robot arm, during
workshop commissioning prior to final guarding arrangement being added
Programming of the robot was to be the key to the success of the installation. KGD wanted to run low volume batches – without the normal teaching process. The answer was
a commercial off-line programming system, where the robot cell is modelled – and the 3D component data used to generate the robot programmes fully off-line.
The development made use of a 3D solid modelling packing with post-processor for the robot. The flexibility of the Comau C3G plus controller allows external communication with external devices. The use of a PC off-line programming package to transfer data to the robot allows economic batch sizes to be reduced to 1.
The robot selection process was a lengthy one, which resulted in the Comau M1 robot. This is a rigid 45 kg capacity arm with extremely good wrist dexterity – 5,400 degrees of rotation on axes 4, 5 and 6. This has a long reach at 1,900 mm – which suited the wide of components to be cut.
Nozzle openings in pressure vessels are cut with appropriate profile in one operation, only requiring a light surface clean on the heat-affected zone prior to fitting the nozzle. The nozzle is prepared in the same manner. Ken Davies, Managing Director at KGD, comments, “This has been a very successful project, which now gives us a distinct manufacturing advantage. The robot solution was one that had not been done like this before”.