K2016: ENGEL to highlight expanded automation range

The ENGEL booth at K2016 will bring the latest range of automation solutions to enhance productivity and efficiency. ENGEL is expanding its range of robots to ensure integrated system solutions for injection molding and standalone robot cells that can be adapted even more precisely to specific requirements.  

In terms of pick-and-place, the loading of grippers, conveyor tracking, stacking and palletizing, four-axis SCARA robots will show their superiority over larger six-axis robots as they perform more picks per minute and are also cheaper to purchase. Expansion of the ENGEL easix range of industrial robots to include a four-axis version means even more accurately tailored automation concepts.

In common with the six-axis robots in the ENGEL easix series, SCARA robots, which are based on Stäubli technology, can be integrated fully into the CC300 control unit for ENGEL injection molding machines. This significantly simplifies programming and control for the robots as there is no need for machine operators to familiarise themselves with two different operating scenarios; they can also control automation with commands familiar from the injection moulding machine.

Another advantage is that rather than communicate with an injection molding machine, a robot directly accesses its database as an integral system component. Since the machine and robot automatically coordinate their movements, overall efficiency is raised; the downtime that normally results from communication interfaces is also avoided. Even where process flows are highly complex, movements of the injection moulding machine and robot within the CC300 environment can be synchronised via the machine’s display. Several multi-axis and linear robots can be integrated in one machine control unit simultaneously. The barrier rooms of the robots are graphically visualised; operators can identify at a glance where they are, which restricted areas are active and which have been damaged for example by manual operation.

ENGEL robots can be connected not only via the CC300 control unit of an injection moulding machine, but also with each other. This has been the case for many years with ENGEL viper double robots, which share a Z-axis. For K 2016, ENGEL has integrated one ENGEL easix four-axis robot and one ENGEL easix six-axis robot into a standalone solution. Both robots can be controlled by means of a common operating element. For maximum ease of use, a 21" full HD display will be installed in Düsseldorf; previously reserved for injection moulding machines, this is now offered as an option for standalone robot cells. With its ability to network multiple robots into a standalone solution, ENGEL is a pioneer in the plastics industry.

ENGEL easix four-axis robots are available in three configurations with maximum operating ranges of 400, 600 and 800 mm. For all three models, the maximum load-carrying capacity is 7.15 kg.

Another addition is the new servo sprue picker from ENGEL is based on the technology of the ENGEL e-pic pick-and-place robot introduced in 2014. To couple high dynamism with compact design and low energy consumption, ENGEL has developed a brand new kinematic system that combines linear movements with a swivel arm. Also the new sprue picker has a swivel arm but operates without a Z-axis: it can instead be rotated by as much as 110° on the actual pedestal, which means it requires very little space. Another advantage is the reduction in maintenance costs in the absence of an axis. As in the case of the ENGEL e-pic, the swivel arm of the servo sprue picker is made of an innovative composite material that minimises the mass moved while raising dynamism and energy efficiency.

The servo sprue picker was designed to manipulate weights of up to 1 kg and work with injection molding machines with clamping forces of 600 to 2,200 kN. This range ensures ease of assembly, with no need to carry out machine-specific adaptations (such as the installation of a separate base for height adjustment). The user-programmable RC16 control unit introduced with the ENGEL e-pic also ensures ample flexibility for the servo sprue picker; it can be integrated into the CC300 control unit of ENGEL injection molding machines. The servo sprue picker also has a EUROMAP 67 interface as standard, making it compatible with every injection moulding machine on the market with no additional adaptation.

The new servo sprue picker represents a highly cost-effective choice wherever sprue needs to be removed very quickly and injection moulded parts either fall freely from the machine or are removed manually.