ROBOTS AND AUTOMATION | TECHNOLOGY
Robot advances give processors more choice than ever
The use of robots by injection moulders continues to expand, but suppliers are
showing there are even more opportunities to benefit from cartesian and multi-axis technology. By Peter Mapleston
If there was ever a time when the benefits of “lights out” production became clear, it is now. Automa- tion can help all sorts of operations stay running even when no-one is around. Robots and other forms of automation already
figure quite strongly in injection moulding opera- tions, although there is still much room for further application. Statistics released by the European plastics machinery organisation Euromap shows that the proportion of injection moulding machines sold equipped with robots rose from 18% in 2010 to almost a third towards the end of 2019. Addi- tionally, communications between diverse ele- ments of a production operation using OPC Unified Architecture (OPC/UA) have been more widely adopted, offering moulders broader connectivity and remote management options – something many companies operating skeleton workforces may value more now. Nigel Flowers, managing director at the UK
arm of injection moulding machinery supplier Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, says: “There has been a significant upwards trend towards automation in plastics processing in recent years. Part of this has been driven by demand for more flexible solu-
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tions, so the use of six-axis industrial robots in precision moulding in particular is certainly more commonplace today. Additionally, the price gap between cartesian [gantry] and industrial robots has closed markedly, they’ve become easier to programme and simpler to integrate.” Industry’s ability to adapt is being thoroughly tested right now, says Flowers, yet much produc- tion goes on. “As an industry, we are united in our focus to stay operational, look after the welfare of our workforce and support the concerted efforts to produce life-sustaining healthcare and other products essential to everyday life. Automated systems and moulding processes will be integral to this effort,” he says. One of the biggest challenges for robotics manufacturers is the perception that the technology is here to take the jobs of humans. That is simply not the case, says TM Robotics founder and CEO, Nigel Smith. “Unfortunately, the notion that automation poses a threat to jobs often overshadows the poten- tial benefits of investing in the technology.” (TM Robotics is an authorised distributor for Shibaura Machine robots; Toshiba Machine changed its name to Shibaura Machine on 1 April this year.)
� April 2020 | INJECTION WORLD 39
Main image: One of Shibaura Machine’s new TVM models
IMAGE: TM ROBOTICS
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