When it involves machine tending automation, the best to deploy options are nearly all the time these which might be easiest.
But does this imply it’s best to select an intrusive or a non-intrusive answer?
Intrusive automation options are customized constructed to your particular wants. This means they’re completely suited to your manufacturing line, however the integration course of is prolonged, advanced, and dear. Non-intrusive automation options, however, are fast to deploy and may be simply utilized to nearly any manufacturing line.
Which sort of answer is best? Custom intrusive automation or off-the-shelf non-intrusive automation?
With the correct data and a transparent understanding of each choices, you can also make essentially the most acceptable alternative to your machine tending course of.
What is CNC machine tending and why automate?
Robotic machine tending is the method of utilizing robots to load and unload components from CNC machines. This normally entails including uncooked supplies to the machine and eradicating the completed merchandise after the machining cycle.
Machine tending automation might help enhance the effectivity of your manufacturing course of by eradicating this boring and repetitive job from the palms of human employees.
Those machinists can then transfer to extra precious and attention-grabbing duties inside your facility. This makes their jobs extra rewarding and helps enhance security as they don’t seem to be interacting with harmful equipment.
Other advantages of automated machine tending is that it helps enhance product high quality by guaranteeing components are all the time positioned within the machine in precisely the identical approach each time.
Intrusive vs non-intrusive CNC machine tending
You can consider there being two sorts of robotic machine tending answer: intrusive and non-intrusive.
Intrusive methods require in depth integration time and funds. You both want a excessive diploma of information and experience in robotic integration or you could rent somebody who does.
In distinction, a non-intrusive answer — the Robotiq Machine Tending Solution is the pioneer on this method — is predicated on customary, off-the-shelf applied sciences. Thanks to this straightforward method, you should use non-intrusive options with nearly any CNC machine.
Here are the professionals and cons of every method:
Intrusive machine tending options
This is the basic sort of robotic machine tending. Before the Robotiq answer got here alongside, this was the one sort.
Intrusive options require you to combine with the CNC machine’s controller and {hardware} by way of the robotic’s programming.
Advantages of intrusive automation are:
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Fully personalized to your particular machine.
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Allows you to entry all CNC machine performance, with superior programming.
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Well-established method, so there are lots of options in the marketplace.
Disadvantages are:
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Integration is advanced and costly, taking a whole lot of time.
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Requires in depth robotics information and experience.
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Hard to enhance and replace following adjustments to the method.
Non-intrusive machine tending options
The Robotiq Machine Tending Solution takes a really completely different method. It is a non-intrusive answer.
Non-intrusive implies that the answer makes use of customary applied sciences like gentle sensors and linear actuators. Instead of interfacing with the CNC machine’s communication protocols, the robotic system makes use of these off-the-shelf parts to work together as a human operator would — by wanting on the standing lights and urgent buttons.
This is a less complicated, cheaper different and may be simply utilized to nearly any CNC machine.
Advantages of non-intrusive automation are:
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Simpler to deploy and really straightforward to make use of.
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No robotics information or programming abilities wanted.
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Compatible with many extra CNC machines.
Disadvantages are:
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There are fewer options in the marketplace. Our answer is a pioneer.
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Potentially much less appropriate to full-scale automation throughout a whole manufacturing plant.
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If you need to entry extra superior performance of the CNC machine, you will want additional integration.
How a non-intrusive machine tending answer works
How can a machine tending robotic interface together with your CNC machine with out utilizing the machine’s communication protocols?
With the Robotiq answer, we’ve got solved one of many largest challenges with standard CNC machine tending utilizing a easy method.
The fundamental philosophy behind a non-intrusive system is that this: Use the CNC machine in the identical approach as a human operator would.
This entails:
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Using gentle sensors to detect the CNC machine’s standing by “wanting” at its standing lights.
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Using a linear actuator to press the machine’s foot pedal to open and shut the door.
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Pressing the “Start” button on the machine’s management panel to activate the following machining cycle.
These options are very simple. With this method, we will take away an enormous quantity of the friction that’s generally related to machine tending automation.
How to decide on the correct sort of automation for what you are promoting
Finding the correct automation answer for what you are promoting could be a robust resolution. There are a whole lot of competing options in the marketplace. To the untrained eye, these options can appear to be fairly related, even when they’re truly very completely different.
There is not any one-size-fits-all for automation — though the Robotiq Machine Tending Solution comes shut. Several elements will affect your alternative of answer, together with the dimensions of your organization, the quantity of automation you need to deploy, and the precise wants of your machinists.
Whatever machine tending answer you select, attempt to discover examples of people that have achieved the identical as you. You can discover some examples of groups which have utilized machine tending automation in our case research library.
Your alternative: customized vs. off-the-shelf automation
Ultimately, the selection of whether or not you automate with an intrusive or a non-intrusive answer is as much as you.
With the correct data and steerage, you can also make one of the best resolution to your wants, funds, and stage of expertise.
The most essential factor is to discover a answer that may can help you automate your particular CNC machines. With the correct answer, you’ll be part of the various companies which might be utilizing robots to make their manufacturing extra environment friendly.
You also can see our Machine Tending Solution in motion on this demo.
What has held you again from machine tending automation till now? Tell us within the feedback beneath or be part of the dialogue on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or the DoF skilled robotics neighborhood.