Some Application Case Studies

2K CARTRIDGE SOLUTION FROM AYLESBURY AUTOMATION.

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2K Polymer Systems is using a fully automated robotic production cell solution to check weigh and pack cartridges. Built by industrial automatiion specialist Aylesbury Automation, the robot based machine is helping the manufacturer to meet increased product demand and achieve a quicker response to customers’ requirements. The machine check weighs a range of cartridges and palletises them ready for transfer to the next process. One complete part is checked every three seconds.

2K Polymer Systems, is a leading supplier of grouts, mortars, fillers and adhesives for the private label products market, providing a full range of anchoring, sealing, bonding, filling and repair solutions. Its speciality is in chemical mortars and resin-based compounds for everything from performance critical professional markets to DIY repair applications. 2K’s combination of polymer formulation experience along with innovative packaging solutions demands high quality manufacturing processes and controls.

The solution provided by Aylesbury Automation has help to improve quality management and minimise manual handling. After filling, the cartridges are moved from the outlet of the cartridge filling and assembly machine by a DENSO VS-6577, 6 axis robot. The robot is equipped with a range of grippers to ensure all different styles of cartridges can be picked. The robot places each cartridge into a purpose-built weigh station. The check weight of each style of cartridge is selected from the DENSO Robot Teach Pendant, which is also the system’s HMI.

Cartridges which pass the check weigh station’s tolerance limits are placed systematically into a grey storage container. Rejected cartridges are placed in an adjacent reject bin.To minimise floor space, product storage containers are fed using a powered “L” shaped conveyor. 

When each container is filled it is automatically discharged from the loading position and the next empty container transferred ready for processing. To maximise process eficiency filled cartridges are transferred to a holding station during storage container changeover.

There is no PLC in the production cell, all the machine’s functions are coordinated by the multi-tasking robot controller using Devicenet I/O, and this delivers a considerable cost saving. Six background tasks operate to control 256 I/O points and all status and error messages are shown on the robot HMI.

2K Polymer Systems been using DENSO robots for some time in the manufacture of products. Encouraged by the low capital cost of the Aylesbury Automation solution, the company is now exploring other processes which might benefit from robotic assistance.

AA Robotics distributes DENSO robots in the UK and Ireland. Their range is from 3Kg up to 20Kg payload in 4-axis or 6-axis arm configurations with a reach from 400mm to 1300mm. Denso robots have a fast 0.3 seconds pick and place operation which is repeatable to 0.015mm.

Customer Collaboration Leads to Performance Success

An improved design eliminated previous production anomalies. Effective communication resulted in increased production rates.

Background:

Kenwood’s status as a household name in over 80 different countries worldwide has earned Kenwood the reputation as one of Britain’s top domestic appliance manufacturers. In July 2005, Kenwood Limited and plastic moulding specialists
Hilton Engineering joined forces with Aylesbury Automation Ltd to look at the potential for a ‘‘next generation’’ assembly machine that would eradicate previous production inefficiencies experienced with the assembly operation
for components from Kenwood’s water filter range.

The Problem:

The most pressing problem that needed to be addressed was the insecure attachment of two of the filter components; the material filter strip and the plastic filter lid. The time and distance between attaching the components and
ultra-sonically welding the components together posed a risk to the assembled product. The transgression between attachment and welding exposed the two parts to the open air and inertia from the process that at times caused the components to become detached and misalign, resulting in high levels of rejection at the final assembly stage of the process.

Separation of components consequently had negative effect on the whole assembly system, creating a 2-3% component failure rate and slowing the complete production process.

The Solution :

Aylesbury Automation’s dedicated sales, design and engineering teams respond to their customer’s problems by providing specific and effective solutions, drawing on over 40 years of experience and design expertise.

Aylesbury Automation’s team focused their skills and knowledge to design and construct an automatic rotary indexing machine that utilised a technique that secured and welded the components at the same station, eliminating any risk of component detachment.

Added adjustments of UV light technology combined with a built-in camera allowed for detailed quality checks, and an extra set of grippers were added to reduce discrepancies in tape tension that had previously resulted in unusable filter material components.

Benefits:

Careful consideration of Kenwood’s previous assembly problems opened the door to providing an assembly system that could maximise production potential; Aylesbury
Automation’s AA6 automatic rotary indexing machine now provides Kenwood with a cost-effective, reliable and durable investment that has substantially increased assembly production, reduced rejection rates and significantly improved the complete process.

An improved design eliminated previous production anomalies. Effective communication resulted in increased production rates.

Aylesbury Automation has a long and distinguished history in supplying Special Purpose Machines to international manufacturing companies. The business is active across a broad industrial spectrum including food, electronics, automotive, packaging, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, the proprietary self pierce riveting system and a complete range of parts handling, feeding and automation products and systems.

Aylesbury Automation is accredited to ISO 9001:2008 and Investors in People.

For further information on Special Purpose Machines, feed systems, advice and customer services, contact:
Sales Department
Aylesbury Automation Limited
Unit 2 Farmbrough Close
Stocklake Park
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
HP20 1DQ

Telephone: +44 (0) 1296 314300
Fax: +44 (0) 1296 482424
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Automatic Packing Saves Time and Cost

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Schindler Stepfeeder, Speeds Packing Rates, Ten-fold

Background:
Presspart Manufacturing Ltd is a world leader in the field of deep drawn pressings. The ability to offer customers a unique service in toolmaking, design and development has been the foundation for 25 years of successful growth and Presspart’s export success has been rewarded with the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement.

Presspart employs the latest technology in multi-stage transfer presses with its own highly-developed drawing
techniques. This deep-drawing process ensures maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness and brings significant advantages in terms of output and quality over more traditional manufacturing.

The Problem:
Speed of production is a key factor in meeting demand from customers in a broad range of general and niche industries. A multi-stage transfer press converts precision metal strip into tubular components by a series of consecutive blanking, drawing and forming operations.

These consecutive operations are simultaneous. For example, given that a press may be tooled up for ten
production stages, then ten separate components are being drawn at any one time.

However, this efficient production method, refined over many years, was being constricted at the final stage of packing of a particularly large and delicate component. Manual packing was thought to be essential for careful handling as a good surface finish was a key element in this particular application for water pumps. The water pump components in question have one fluted and one tapered end, and require to be stacked the same way round – tapered end uppermost.

Teams of packers working in fours could only pack 30,000 parts a week. With time also spent in making up special boxes, this was limiting the speed of output.
The Solution :
Aylesbury Automation engineers had worked with Presspart in the past and helped design production machines for them. Presspart invited the specialist automation engineers with specific knowledge of step feeder systems to visit Presspart’s headquarters at Blackburn, Lancashire and explained how they wished to simplify and automate their existing packaging bottle-neck.

The Aylesbury Automation engineers recommended that a Schindler step feeder system would solve the problem by operating at a significantly faster rate than manual packing. The Schindler step feeder was installed and the linear orientation tooling manufactured in-line to fit the Presspart packing requirement precisely. Parts are now fed along the linear orientation track so that they are correctly orientated and lowered, in a controlled manner, gently into storage cartons, the correct way up. Any mal-orientated parts are returned to the beginning of the packaging process.

Benefits:
Presspart have seen major benefits in terms of more rapid packing, saving on time and cost, and increasing output. Whereas 30,000 parts were packed in a week by hand, now 25,000 – 30,000 are packed and shipped out in a single working shift. One machine minder controls the entire process and also makes up the boxes while the machine is operating, ensuring a constant packing line flow.

Aylesbury Automation has a long and distinguished history in supplying automation assembly products and fastener systems to international manufacturing companies. The business is active across a broad industrial
spectrum including electronics, automotive, packaging, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, the proprietary self pierce riveting system and a complete range of parts handling, feeding and automation products and systems.
Aylesbury Automation is accredited to ISO 9001:2008 and Investors in People.

For further information on Schindler Stepfeeders, other feed systems, advice and customer services, contact:
Sales Department
Aylesbury Automation Limited
Unit 2 Farmbrough Close
Stocklake Park
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
HP20 1DQ

Telephone: +44 (0) 1296 314300
Fax: +44 (0) 1296 482424
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

JOBS WON BACK FROM OVERSEAS - Production cell aids Autosplice Brittanic to win contract.

A complete robotic production cell solution has delivered such dramatic quality improvement within tight cost constraints for Autosplice Brittanic Limited that the manufacturer has been able to create new jobs. Work previously carried out overseas has been brought back to the UK. The robot-based manufacturing system supplied by Aylesbury Automation Limited uses the customer’s own equipment and three DENSO six-axis robots to link eight individual production processes and produces a tested component every 12 seconds.

Autosplice Brittanic produces high quality engineering components for automotive, electronics and telecommunications industries. The company required an innovative solution for a complex requirement in the production of electrical connectors at its manufacturing plant in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. Quality improvements within tight cost constraints were essential to enable it to compete and win orders in international markets.

The solution provided by Aylesbury Automation with robots supplied by AA Robotics, the UK distributor for DENSO Robots, was low in capital cost because it relies on Autosplice Brittanic’s existing equipment - a rotary injection moulding machine and four punch presses. To this production process Aylesbury Automation added three new DENSO Robots and Cognex / ATEQ & HAL inspection & test stations designed by its engineers.

In order to produce the high-quality electrical connector four, separate, accurately-punched parts and two turned parts are placed in each of four injection-mould cavities by the DENSO robots. Following the injection moulding process the moulded parts are removed from the mould tool cavities by robot and taken through two press-trimming operations. After the final trimming & forming operation the component is checked by Cognex vision equipment for moulding defects. The component is then placed into a specially designed test cell where a high voltage test, vacuum test and further vision checks are completed. Components which pass all the tests are removed from the test station and placed into a basket. The basket when full is conveyed to a washing process.

There is no PLC in the manufacturing cell; all the machine’s functions are coordinated by the multi-tasking DENSO robot controllers using Devicenet I/O. This brings a considerable cost saving. Ten background tasks operate to control 256 I/O points and all production statistics, system status and error messages are shown on the robot HMI.

This is Autosplice Britannic’s first robot manufacturing operation. Encouraged by the low capital cost of the AA Robotics / Aylesbury Automation solution, the company is now exploring other processes which might benefit from robotic solutions in terms of quality improvement and cost reductions.

Andy Tomlinson General Manager of Autosplice Brittanic says ”Aylesbury Automation delivered the system on time to a very demanding time schedule. The support received has been second-to-none. It’s good that we have been able to win work back to the UK and as a result we’ve bucked the trend by creating four new jobs in Ilkeston”.

AA Robotics distributes DENSO robots in the UK and Ireland. Their range is from 3Kg up to 20Kg payload in 4-axis or 6-axis arm configurations with a reach from 400mm to 1300mm. Denso robots have a fast 0.3 seconds pick and place operation which is repeatable to 0.015mm.