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ROBOTICS
The ROBOGUIDE software allows Mitre Plastics to investigate how different specifications can influence life cycle.
reassurance that we can take their requirements and translate them into a reliable and efficient manufacturing system,” says Breckon.
SIX-AXIS RESERVATIONS Despite the company’s faith in FANUC, at the outset of the project Mitre Plastics harboured doubts over its ability to handle the six-axis robot. “We’d been aware of six-axis technology for some years but were concerned that it was difficult to programme, that our staff wouldn’t have the necessary skills and that we would end up relying on external expertise,” says Dave Veal, technical manager at Mitre Plastics. However, Veal is pleased to report that these doubts were unfounded: “The programming software has evolved; we’ve found it to be straightforward and logical. Plus, the assistance we’ve had from FANUC has been excellent – our engineers have been able to pick up the phone and get on-demand support whenever they’ve needed it. What we have now is a better solution. We’re really starting to see the benefits of six-axis technology.”
GATE REMOVAL For Mitre Plastics there is a further advantage associated with using a six-axis robot on this application, relating to gate removal. A secondary operation performed by the three-axis robot had been the removal of gates (plastic left on the mould) using pneumatic cutting tools; however, this required several cutters set at different angles.
UKManufacturing Autumn 2023
Mitre Plastics use a FANUC ROBOSHOT α-S220iB injection moulding machine where the key to injection moulding is to minimise mould open time for maximum productivity.
“The six-axis has given us greater flexibility when removing gates from products. Instead of having to use several different cutters set at different angles we can now offer the part to one cutter alone. That makes quite a difference in terms of costs and changeover time,” says Veal. “We would certainly consider FANUC for any injection moulding or robotics project in the future and would definitely look at six-axis versus three-axis robot technology when designing a general purpose cell,” he adds. Breckon concurs: “We are always looking to
develop our capabilities through technology – we must, in order to remain competitive. That includes pushing harder on the technology on and around the moulding machine to produce parts to customer specification every cycle and minimise labour requirements. The robot is becoming the central hub for the thinking around the machine and the more sophisticated the robot, the more we can do to remain competitive,” he says.
FANUC
www.fanuc.eu/uk/en
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