robot affordabilitycustomer features new products from Fanucfixture commissioning

HARTBEATautomation& robotics

2008

Welcome to this our latest issue of Hartbeat. As we approach the New Year, it is a good time to take a moment and reflect back on what has been an eventful 12 months. I am very pleased to report that John Hart Automation & Robotics (JHA&R) has continued to develop and grow and we have been involved in many new and interesting projects throughout Australia. Our team has a fresh new look as we recently welcomed talented new members into the design and sales areas. Increasing our engineering capability and our reach to the market will only assist us meet customer expectations. We also recently completed a full redevelopment of the JHA&R office facilities with a new work area, furniture and amenities.Looking to the market it is fair to say there have been many changes in our industry in recent times. The threat to local manufacturers from increased overseas competition, the shortage of skilled labour and volatile exchange rates have kept us all striving for that competitive edge. As such, it is very pleasing to note that local companies continue to invest in robotic technology in order to increase their profitability.

02 HARTBEAT - Automation&Robotics

From the Director’s Desk

The new office area at JHA&R

Fanuc M-710iC at AUSTECH 2007

Nicholas Rehfisch, Director

When I travel around Australia and visit our customers, I am always excited to see our ideas and technologies being implemented across a wide variety of industries and applications. Manufacturers everywhere are rethinking their processes to solve a variety of long held production issues and increase their profitability.With every application we solve customer’s problems. Whether it is increasing their production capability and flexibility, reducing OH&S issues, or minimising the impact of labour shortages, each project has clear objectives and positive outcomes. The capability of the latest vision technologies combined with higher performance, compact and more affordable robotics have all contributed to achieving these goals and making the decision to invest in automation technology is now easier than ever before. At the recent AUSTECH show in Melbourne, JHA&R highlighted the versatility and advantages of multi-axis Fanuc robots and their integration into a production process.

The completely automated and fully flexible manufacture and assembly cell featured a Fanuc robot loading and unloading parts into a Mazak CNC machine and feeding the parts onto a conveyor, where two Fanuc robots were working together to assemble the part. The display was an example of a solution that could be applied in many companies throughout Australia and it was fair to say it was a real eye opener for many visitors.As Australian manufacturing continues to evolve, the solutions offered by advanced automation and Fanuc robotic technology must be considered. If you have to physically move a product or part then robots could provide your business with valuable financial rewards. Finally I would like to thank our loyal customers on behalf of the whole John Hart team for your support over the last year.

Fully Automated Drilling Machine

One of the worlds leading manufacturers of automotive pistons recently recognised that automating the process of drilling radial holes into a range of pistons was an effective way of improving accuracy and increasing production efficiency. With a variety of pistons to manufacture, and each piston requiring different size hole configurations and diameters, John Hart Automation & Robotics (JHA&R) engineers designed and developed a purpose built drilling machine that could handle the range of requirements. The system is automated with a Fanuc M16iB/20 robot with the latest R30iA controller and a special purpose double gripper. The mid range six axis M16iB/20 robot is used to transfer pistons between a high level conveyor and the drilling machine. The robot is fitted with a pneumatically actuated double gripper (allowing the handling of two pistons simultaneously), with jaws designed to handle the full range of piston sizes. The piston is loaded into the drilling machine and secured by a vertical clamp. The piston’s rotational position and the drill head feed rates are actuated by three Fanuc servo motors and each is controlled by the robot itself, providing excellent process control through the addition of three further axes of motion. The R30iA controller can handle up to 34 additional axes of movement. According to the type of piston being handled, each piston may have up to 10 holes drilled, the hole diameters varying from 1mm to 3mm. Total cycle time is around 10 seconds per part with finished parts being placed back onto the conveyor by the robot. In process sensors check for broken drill bits after each operation. As Fanuc robots contain a Programmable Machine Controller (PMC) within the robot controller, this saves the need to use an external PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), simplifying the control process and reducing the projects overall cost. The PMC is programmed using ladder logic, allowing the interfacing with the conveyor and the drilling machine to be done directly through the robot. A six inch GE Fanuc touch screen serves as the HMI (Human Machine Interface), enabling the operator to select the product being run, while providing full production statistics and equipment monitoring capability.The integration of the control into the robot itself makes this installation particularly easy to operate, and highlights the advanced manufacturing solutions being developed by JHA&R. With the addition of the automated drilling machine, the client has been able to reduce their cycle, changeover and setup times and the accuracy and consistency of the machine itself has increased overall part quality.

1. CoCreate OneSpace model of the cell2. The purpose built gripper loading a piston 3. Drilling of holes in a piston4. CoCreate OneSpace model of the gripper holding a piston*Note. for clarity these images do not show the integrated safety guarding

03HARTBEAT - Automation&Robotics

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The new Fanuc M430iA robot has been specifically designed for the food and pharmaceutical industries. Available in five and six axis models, the 2kg payload robot is a versatile, high speed robot suited to working unattended for extended periods in aggressive environments.

The M430iA features include: • 120 cycles per minute (CPM) continuous motion with a 1kg

payload and 100 CPM with 2kg payload.• A long 900mm reach.• Two dual drive motors provide joint 1 rotation of up to 300

degrees per second, achieving speeds often required for fast pace pick and place applications.

Essential to the regular working environment, the M430iA is built for clean and contaminant free operation with food and other consumables, which is achieved through:

• Resistance against acid and alkaline materials.• IP67 double seal structure.• Wrist axis unit that does not require lubrication.• Food grade grease confined to casings.• Hollow arm structure devoid of outer cables.

The latest robot controller R-30iA makes the M430iA’s precise movements possible and increases the number of robot arms it can control, along with the new fully integrated Fanuc iRVision system.

R-30iA controller with iPendant

Robot

Camera

3D laser vision sensor

Integrating its iRVision system into the hardware of all R-30iA robot controllers, Fanuc have created an extremely reliable and easy-to-use robot vision system.

Built directly into the controller and viewed via the iPendant; Fanuc iRVision:

• Removes the need for external processing hardware.

• Requires only a camera and a cable for operation (additional to the robot and controller).

• Offers a single source for robot guidance and process feedback.

• Features a 2D robot guidance tool for part location and error proofing.

• Provides vision capability in the same factory environment as the robot.

Fanuc iRVision

M430iA Series

The Fanuc M430iA robot on a food line

Fanuc iRVision Configuration

New Products from Fanuc

04 HARTBEAT - Automation&Robotics

It is common practice to operate robots and peripheral automated equipment using individual programs for each object being handled. Yet this can be expensive and time consuming to program when there are families of similar shaped parts involved. With Parametric Programming, a task that involves for example, the selection of different sized billets from a pallet that is then loaded into a lathe for machining, can be fast tracked by programming the parameters of the parts into the robot program using a HMI (Human Machine Interface). When calling up the program, the operator simply enters variables such as the part diameter, length and pitch through the HMI touch screen. The robot then calculates exactly where to find each part and how to place it correctly in the lathe.For safety, additional programming can be used to carry out validation on the variables being entered, for example, setting the upper and lower limits on size ranges so that only realistic values may be entered.Touch screens are available in a range of screen sizes, in monochrome and in colour, allowing for a system to be tailor made to meet customer requirements. They can also be used to present installation status reports, graphs, diagnostics and production statistics forming a useful ‘front end’ for any system.

Screen grabs from the HMI

Parametric Programming

Robots - More Affordable Than You Think

In an age of increasing globalisation and cheap foreign imports, it is becoming clear that for Australian manufacturers to succeed and prosper they must contain costs, the highest of which is often labour. Previously, many manufacturers viewed automated systems and robotics as expensive and unattainable. Today robots are more versatile and affordable than ever. When considering a robotic solution what companies often did not realise is that when they calculated the payback on an automation solution it could in fact be very cost effective. For the purpose of this example let us consider:

• It costs around A$50,000 per year to employ an operator.

• In a two shift system annual labour costs total A$100,000.

• A turnkey robotic cell complete with in-feed and out-feed conveyors, safety fencing and programming will cost A$200,000.*

Looking at the figures we can see just how affordable the robotic solution really is:

• The turnkey cell replaces one operator per shift.• The company operates on a two-shift system.• The payback would be just over two years,

taking into consideration annual service and maintenance of the robot.

• After the two years, the automation equipment is essentially operating free of charge.

Additional benefits include:• The prospect of running unmanned with a

“lights out operation” to add an extra third shift, reducing the payback time on the cell.

• Reducing inactive time (robots do not take breaks and holidays).

• The removal of OH&S issues. • Increasing process quality through the consistent

programmable nature of the robot. Automated robotic installations can be used on a large variety of applications, and in this example we have shown that the robotic solution is the right investment decision.* For this exercise we have used the example of a medium sized robot cell, smaller installations would be less expensive. The actual robot costs vary with size but can range from A$30,000 to A$95,000.

Robot payback

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43 51 2years

(,000’s)

100

200

300

400

1 staff/ 2 shifts

1 robot/ 2 shifts

Potential savings $

05HARTBEAT - Automation&Robotics

To enable automated workpiece handling on their own state of the art CNC grinding machines, an Australian based manufacturer also offers servo controlled loaders to handle parts. In recent years though, they have also been integrating six axis Fanuc LR Mate robots into their range of grinders, to provide an increased level of production flexibility. The LR Mate robot offers high levels of safety and ergonomics and provides the additional dexterity required for loading complex parts in and out of machines.

The first robots supplied with a limited range of grinding machines were the Fanuc LR Mate 200iB series, a model that has recently been superseded by the LR Mate 200iC series. Thanks to the new lightweight and slim construction of the 200iC, the customer now has the ability to integrate robots onto their entire machine range.

In talking with the customer’s Engineering Manager he noted “the LR Mate 200iC has allowed us to use the robot in far more confined areas and the reduced size of the robot arm means we can mount the robot closer to spindles and canopies to reduce loader cycl e times”. He went on “the Fanuc robots offer a valuable solution for a variety of customer applications, especially when they involve awkward shapes”. Finally noting “the robots have been used for handling very long medical tools, artificial implants, mincing blades, hole cutters, wood-working routers and a variety of other difficult customer requirements.”

In the case of the application pictured, the LR Mate 200iC is the first robot capable of being mounted within the canopy of this particular grinder. This application sees the robot loading blank parts from a pallet to be ground in the machine and then unloaded into another pallet. A double gripper is used to minimise handling time and reduce overall cycle time. With an Ingress Protection Rating of IP67, the robot is “dust tight” and will remain completely sealed when immersed in water to a depth of one metre for one hour. This is particularly beneficial given the volume of coolant present within the machine.

The changeover from LR Mate 200iB to 200iC models required John Hart technicians to update the client’s designers on the new technology, so it can now be easily and readily incorporated into their latest systems. As a valued John Hart technology partner, this local company taps into the technical and programming support provided by John Hart.

To meet the growing demand for robotically loaded grinding machines, John Hart remains in close communication with both the customer and Fanuc to ensure that the LR Mate robots are available to meet machine orders. Backed by the technology of Fanuc, John Hart has established a strong partnership with this customer through the supply and support of these robot solutions.

1. The Fanuc LR Mate 200iC robot loading blank parts from a pallet in the grinding machine2. Positioning gripper for parts to be ground 3. The compact LR Mate 200iC easily fits in the machine’s canopy

Robots Make Grinding Even Easier

06 HARTBEAT - Automation&Robotics

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Indicative of the continued growth of John Hart Automation & Robotics, 2007 saw the expansion of JHA&R’s facilities to include a new open plan office space at our Victorian Head Office in Clayton. The new office, design and technical support area is home to all of the JHA&R team including sales engineers, project and design engineers, electrical and application engineers and administration staff. The appointment of several additional and new staff to the JHA&R team has also been reflective of the ongoing increase in demand for our automation and robotic solutions.These new design and administrative facilities complement our recently revamped JHA&R Technology Centre, where our engineers build and commission fixtures, automation and robotics projects and conduct our monthly training courses. The new facilities further enhance our ability to cement our position as one of Australia’s leading providers of automated robotic solutions.

How We Commission Fixtures

The JHA&R Team

What is fixture commissioning?Fixtures are used to hold a work piece securely in position whilst it is being processed, be it on a machining centre, lathe, plastic injection moulding machine or even a CMM. The typical process of commissioning a fixture can be broken down into:   • Installation of fixtures to machine.   • Programming of process.   • Refinement of process and operating parameters.   • Quality inspection of parts being manufactured.   • Full statistical study and validation of process capability to commission process.

An unclamped fixture holding a workpiece

07HARTBEAT - Automation&Robotics

Installation & ProgrammingJohn Hart staff have extensive experience in the manufacturing, tooling and measurement industries and are involved in the fixture commissioning process, from conception and design through to machine programming and handover. As Australia’s leading machine tool supplier John Hart has worked closely with local and international automotive manufacturers to give us unique exposure to advanced manufacturing processes and methodologies. The result is an experienced team of engineers who will install and program your project.

The measurement / capability processProving process capability can be the most challenging task in a turnkey project as it involves:   • Simulated production of a number of identical components held for prove out in the same fixture.   • Measurement test of finished components in a quality laboratory.   • Statistical analysis of measurement data.   • Presentation of results as a ‘score’ for each machined feature.   • Successfully achieving the score for the process to reach capability.Measurement and the capability process are the most time consuming elements of a fixture commissioning project. JHA&R staff can quickly resolve most measurement to machining conflicts that occur during the capability proving process, offering feedback and advice when required to assist the quality process.

www.johnhart.com.au

Automation and Robotics Training

Robot Servicing at John Hart

John Hart Automation and Robotics offer regular robot training courses. The courses introduce attendees to the fundamental principles of robots, their safe operation and programming, covering: • Introduction to robots. • Safety considerations. • Introduction to R-30iA and R-J3 series robot controllers. • Robot operation, programming, care and maintenance. • Application specific operation and programming. The course length is three days and covers theoretical and ‘hands on’ training. The training can be conducted on site or in John Hart Automation’s training and technology centre. We also run Fanuc 2D and 3D Vision courses throughout the year, and offer installation specific training courses on site at your business.

New South Wales Unit 11, 3 Packard Ave, Castle Hill, 2154 | Tel: 02 9634 7011 | Fax: 02 9634 7066

South Australia483 Port Road, Croydon, 5008 | Tel: 08 8346 9068 | Fax: 08 8346 9060

Queensland Unit 6, 16 Metroplex Ave, Murarrie, 4172 | Tel: 07 3399 6033 | Fax: 07 3399 6223

Western AustraliaUnit 2, 32 Robinson Ave, Belmont, 6104 | Tel: 08 9277 6100 | Fax: 08 9277 3456

Head Office - Victoria11 Winterton Rd Clayton, 3168 | Tel: 03 9542 6262 | Fax: 03 9542 6299

Machine Tools, Automation and Manufacturing Systems

We recently moved to up-skill our National Support team of 20 service engineers via a training program aimed at further increasing its capabilities to support Fanuc Robots. This increased service offers a comprehensive and reliable robot service network throughout Australia, across the entire Fanuc robot range.

In order to ensure maximum uptime and to avoid any costly unscheduled stoppages, we recommend that you service your Fanuc robot at least once every 12 months. To organise to have your robot(s) serviced, please contact your local John Hart branch.

2008 schedule

For information on these training courses contact John Hart

monthfeb

mar

apr

may

jun

jul

aug

sep

oct

nov

startwed 27

wed 26

wed 30

wed 28

wed 25

wed 30

wed 27

wed 24

wed 29

wed 26

finishfri 29

fri 28

fri 2 may

fri 30

fri 27

fri 1 aug

fri 29

fri 26

fri 31

fri 28