Robotic Automation Cell Cuts Cycle Time in Half

In developing the new automated cell, Morris South and Gosiger Automation worked with SEW to rethink the entire process, from raw material to finished parts. Previously, the pinions were machined from precut blanks delivered by an outside supplier. The new system relies on an automatic, magazine bar feeder that loads 6-foot lengths of bar stock into the machine. This change alone saves material costs, while enabling unattended operation. Similarly, switching to an Okuma LT-2000EX twin spindle, twin turret turning center means that all of the machining
operations are completed in one setup, thus eliminating additional fixtures and operator intervention. A floor-mounted, Fanuc six axis,
M-710iC/50 industrial robot, equipped with iRVision and two EOAT grippers, automate unloading the finished parts and servicing a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) that is integrated into the system for quality control.

Using iRVision equipped with infrared light, the robot places the completed part into an outgoing tray. Once the tray is filled with completed parts, the robot takes an empty tray from an adjacent stack, placing it on top of the full tray. When the outgoing tray stack reaches its prescribed height, the system alerts the operator to remove the finished stack of parts and bring in another stack of empty trays.

In addition to reducing both production and operator time, the new cell provides an unexpected but welcomed benefit. “We were having some problems controlling runout during the turning process,” Waller explains. “Once the pinions leave the work cell, they go to a gear cutting operation where they are clamped by collets on the ODs for teeth cutting. Then, they go to the grinding operation to make the journals. These operations won’t be accurate if we haven’t held the runout during turning to less than 20 microns. In the past, we had a hard time achieving that tolerance and the operator spent a lot of time fighting runout. The automated cell routinely holds runout to between six to ten microns, which has cut the operator’s involvement by 50 percent.

“We operate the automated cell three shifts per day, five days each week running lots of 8,000 – 10,000 pinions. Our operators are extremely happy with the cell and how easy it was to learn and run it. We’ve worked with a lot of automation companies. Gosiger Automation ranks right up there as one of the best, with the entire process of design, build and installation going smoothly.”