Automated Knurling Machine
Project summary
A drop-in machine that fully automates a knurling process for automotive parts.
The Challenge
A metal fine blanking company sought out Midwest Engineered Systems to robotically automate a valve plate knurling process. Robotic integration is used to fully automate the knurling process for a high-volume automotive industry application.
The firm brought forth a long list of challenges that MWES had to achieve:
- The machine automation system must be capable of being programmed for four different part numbers
- Must achieve an automated process speed of one part every 2 seconds
- The automated work cell must have a compact design to optimize floor space
- The automated production system must be capable of flipping parts that are loaded up-side-down
- It must have sensors to detect the radial orientation of a part on the in-feed conveyor to insure correct orientation in the dial table nest
- The system must be able to operate within the high pressure and high forces exerted by the knurling process
Built-in quality assurance throughout the knurling and handling process. The automation system must also detect defects on the top and bottom surfaces of the part, such as:
- Missing features
- Slug marks
- Missing holes
- Missing or additional material
The automated production system must have the ability to log part failure information to an operator interface including:
- Part number
- Defect type
- Quantity of each type of defect
- Time and date stamps
The Solution
After a full evaluation of the project’s challenges and goals, Midwest Engineered Systems designed and built the customer a complete automated solution, which included:
- Heavy-duty common base for simple installation and portability
- Fanuc LR Mate 200iD industrial robot and R-30iB robot controller with Fanuc 2D robotic vision camera for part orientation identification on in-feed pick-up locations and placement on dial process system
- Robotic End of Arm Tool with a magnetic gripper and sensors
- In-feed Flip Station with two-position shuttle escapement
- Two TOX 30-ton, air over oil, presses
- Twelve positions, servo-driven, dial table
- Three-position, servo-driven, out-feed flip station
- Out-feed conveyor
- Four-camera PPT vision system
- The control system
- Electrical enclosure
- Servo motor control system
- PLC with Ethernet IP communication
- Robot to PLC interface
- Operator HMI display
- Arc flash compliance
- Safety system and enclosure with components, programming, and layout per ISO 13849-1:2006 Category 3 safety guidelines and ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999 specifications
- Complete electrical and mechanical engineering design
- MWES provided complete robot, vision, PLC, and HMI programming
- Complete electrical and mechanical fabrication, assembly, and system test
- On-site installation, start-up, and acceptance testing
- Technical training be MWES for operators, engineering, and maintenance
Impact to the Customer
With the successful integration of MWES’s automated knurling machine, this firm achieved the following improvements:
- Increased productivity – the machine can run 1800 parts/hour
- Less tooling than the previous machine for faster changeover between parts
- Decreased maintenance – fewer moving parts to wear than the previous machine and less tooling to maintain
- Increased reliability and up-time – Mechanically driven, hand-tooled, walking beam replaced with programmable 6-axis servo robot and two programmable servo-driven dial tables
- Increased floor space – MWES Robotic solution requires 20% less floor space
- Improved quality – Multiple sensors are able to detect failures and immediately notify the operator
- Failure reporting – Automatic data logging and tracking of failures
Midwest Engineered Systems has a wide range of experience in building robotically automated knurling machines. If you’re looking to improve your knurling throughput, we have the knowledge and experience to make the project a success.
Contact us to learn how Midwest Engineered Systems can automate even your most complex and challenging operations today!
Innovation Through Automation
Client Details
A fine blanking metal stamping company.