FEATURE u Plastics & Injection Moulding


Injection moulding machine sees output double at Advanced Plastics


The UK’s first installed FANUC ROBOSHOT S450iA injection moulding machine has doubled output on a key range of moulded products


T


he UK’s first installed FANUC ROBOSHOT S450iA injection moulding machine has doubled output on a key


range of moulded products for Advanced Plastics Ltd, a supplier of precision-engineered parts to OEMs in the automotive, medical, packaging, defence and consumer goods industries. Installed in combination with the integrated


FANUC M020iD35 robot, the success of the installation prompted Advanced Plastics to order a second machine-robot combination from FANUC UK, which has already been delivered and commissioned.


“The combination of the FANUC robot and moulding machine allows us to seamlessly integrate our processes,” said Rob Anderson, Managing Director of Advanced Plastics. “This has resulted in a dramatic increase in our output from around 600,000 parts on a particular range up to a planned 1.3 million.”


A UK FIRST Based in Hull, Advanced Plastics undertakes everything from initial design concepts to volume production of plastic mouldings and assemblies, structural plastic components and technical automotive components. The company has almost 10 years’ experience of using FANUC equipment. Mr Anderson explains: “Our injection moulding machines produce high-level engineering parts in various grades of plastic. Since we purchased the first FANUC robot back in 2012, we now have nine ROBOSHOT machines and over 40 FANUC robots. We are proud to be the first company in


32 July/August 2022 Irish Manufacturing


FANUC’s M-20iD35 robot reach range is 1,831mm


the UK to purchase the FANUC ROBOSHOT S450iA. We purchased this machine on the back of our experience with FANUC, as we needed a bigger machine that gives us the sensitivity to protect very delicate tooling. This machine perfectly fits the bill.”


WINNING COMBINATION The ROBOSHOT S450iA injecting moulding machine operates with a clamp force of 4,500kN, a double platen die height of between 350mm and 1m, and a clamping stroke of 900mm. Weighing 29.7 tonnes, it boasts a rated maximum injection speed of 180mm/s. FANUC’s M-20iD35 robot, meanwhile, is a high-


inertia, high-strength model with a hollow wrist and base that delivers fast and efficient movement in all six axes. Its maximum load capacity of 35kg is more than sufficient for the lightweight plastic injection moulded components produced on the ROBOSHOT S450iA at Advanced Plastics. Similarly, its reach range of 1,831mm means it can easily cope with stretching into the ROBOSHOT S450iA to extract components and load them into a collection point or pallet – regardless of the dimensions of the moulded part.


SMART PROTECTION One of the key smart benefits is the FANUC AI-Protect system for both mould and ejector. By measuring the motor torque, AI-Protect immediately stops the machine if any restriction is detected, shielding the mould during the full opening and closing cycle while having no impact


on clamp closing speeds. The same technology protects the ejector’s forward and reverse movement without affecting productivity. AI- Protect even alerts operators when greasing is required, or the mould is worn. Other automated features include Clamp


Force Adjustment, which checks and adjusts the minimum clamp force to provide increased security, eliminating the need to manually modify this critical parameter. Optimising clamp force also minimises mould wear and increases machine life, cuts component defects, reduces energy consumption and compresses start-up times. Ed Darling, Advanced Plastics’ Process Manager,


adds: “I particularly like FANUC moulding machines because, being all-electric, they are economical to run; but mostly, I like them because we are a cycle time-oriented business.” For Mr Anderson, the success of the first system


quickly led to the company placing an order for a second: “We went for the second machine due to the easy installation of the first. The short lead times offered by FANUC meant we could get products to market extremely quickly. “At Advanced Plastics, we like to experience


new technologies and look at innovative technologies where we can achieve better results for our customers. In essence, the FANUC ROBOSHOT S450iA was the only machine that could do the particular job that we needed it to do – and it does it very well.”


FANUC UK Ltd http://fanuc.eu/uk/en


www.irish-manufacturing.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40