FEATURE MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY
SAFE PRODuctiOn WitH HumAn & RObOt cOllAbORAtiOn
A
The latest SICK sensor hardware has been integrated into Mills CNC’s automated SYNERGi flexible manufacturing cells, ensuring safe human and robot collaboration with minimal effort
cornerstone of Industry 4.0, flexible manufacturing cells can revolutionise production halls by freeing them from
conventional, fixed, often linear processes, to enable shorter production runs, increased variety and shorter delivery times. Using robots to tend the machines in a flexible cell can assure consistently high product quality and enable 24/7 operation, while relieving staff
from heavy lifting or repetitive duties. However, many manufacturers are cautious
about integrating flexible cells into their production workflows. In fact prospective customers have a number of questions for the Warwickshire-based machine tool specialist Mills CNC. Is there enough space to accommodate the robot cell? Will constant e-stops reduce productivity? Will the integration be too complex, time-consuming, or costly? As a leader in building
machine cells with industrial robots, Mills CNC is busting these myths and delivering safe and efficient automated robot systems to tend the Doosan lathes, milling machines and machining centres, for which it is the exclusive UK distributor.
SAFEty
The automated drawers on the machine are fitted with SICK TR110 safety interlocks
14 DESIGN SOLUTIONS DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022
For Mills CNC, integrating compliant machine safety into its flexible robotic machine cells could have been particularly challenging because, by nature, there is still a relatively high degree of human interaction required, explains Chris Ingham,
control and system engineer at the company. “Take our new SYNERGi Premier flexible robot
cells, which have a two-way loading/unloading station with five automated drawers,” he continues. “Even at this increased level of automation, operator involvement is inevitable to interact with the Fanuc robot that is continuously feeding the machine. “Working outside the cell, operators load up
workpieces and remove machined components through the two-way automated drawers. Meanwhile, the robot operates continuously inside the cell, taking workpieces out of the drawers and feeding the machine, before replacing the machined component back into the drawer. Setters must enter the robot cell periodically to service the machine tool itself. “With automated machine tending systems,
the key objective is to keep the robot going for production efficiency, while having the flexibility to change the parts in and out. Our custom HMI software allows you to load as many parts in the tray as you so wish, or run all five trays out in one go. It truly is a fully flexible solution.” This enables staff to be employed much more
efficiently on the shop floor because operators and setters can be deployed across several cells, as well as performing other duties. Implementing safety was critical to bringing
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