TECHNOLOGY | ROBOTS AND AUTOMATION
Right: Kuka KR Agilus HM (hygiene machine) six-axis
industrial robot
site in less than 10 weeks. Our systems can be easily expanded to meet customer-specific needs. We can manufacture the machine for stock ahead of time and then eventually adapt it to the custom- er’s requirement, where necessary.” In late March, Beck Automation announced that
quick return on their investment,” he says. At Kuka UK system partner PC Moulding &
Automation, Sales Director Roger Ewers says: “When Covid hit the UK, the demand for breathing devices and respirators soared. As a result, the production and manufacturing of filters intended for use in these systems increased the demand for automation, as manufacturers recognised the benefits afforded by robotic process automation.” PC Moulding & Automation produced an
automated filter production line which comprised three Kuka KR Agilus HM (hygiene machine) six-axis industrial robots and ultrasonic cutting tooling for the filter medium, applying similar principles to the execution of the application of those which had been undertaken for automotive clients. “Automation enquiry levels continued to rise
Right: Beck can deliver basic automatic IML systems off the shelf
throughout 2020, a large majority of which we found were intended to address reduced staff levels whilst increasing output,” says Ewers. “Medical was our primary sector focus in 2020, and into 2021.” The pandemic is causing many companies to
rethink their supply routes. “Especially for packaging, a disrupted supply chain can have a massive impact on a company’s sales,” says Nino Zehnder, Marketing and Sales Manager at in-mould labelling (IML) technology specialist Beck Automation. He says this is why it offers its IML technology from factory stock to supply customers in less than 10 weeks. “We found increasingly that many companies
are looking for alternatives to realise their IML projects in a very short time. On the one hand, companies are interested in getting to market as quickly as possible, and on the other hand, they are looking to make the supply chain more crisis-proof in the future, and we offer solutions for this. With the Basic-IML machine [for labelling buckets], we have developed a high-performance line of machines that we can deliver and commission on
20 INJECTION WORLD | April 2021
www.injectionworld.com
it had rebuilt and expanded its site in Barcelos, Portugal, to increase its international production capacities. The company has built an industrial hall with 1,800 m² of floor space for over 60 employ- ees, up from 20. All the systems that are manufac- tured at the headquarters in Switzerland are also built at the plant in Portugal. Star Automation Europe is another specialist in the field that has been experiencing an order boom during the pandemic. “This tendency started moderately in August 2020 and really took off from last autumn, starting from +25% when compared to the previous year and reaching a +120% figure last February,” it says. “Prompt delivery machines have also sold out, forcing Star to review from zero its production planning to better answer requests coming from all corners of Europe.” The new MED Series of three-, five-, and six-axis
robots from Sepro is aimed at meeting growing demand for automation in clean rooms and other sensitive environments in medical and pharmaceu- tical moulding plants. “Within the clean room market, our robots can be used across the entire production line – from assembly to inspection, traceability and packaging,” says Claude Bernard, Product Marketing Director. MED robots include FDA-approved lubrication on all linear guiding surfaces and gearing. Cables
IMAGE: KUKA
IMAGE: BECK
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