New age of industrial automation

The Middle East and African region has witnessed tremendous improvement in production processes owing to the shift of companies towards automation. With production technologies increasingly incorporating automation into some aspects of the processes, a great deal of attention has been given in launching automation solutions that would enable efficient, high-speed production that is able to yield quality products. To further maximise production processes, plastic manufacturers now have the benefit of being able to tap automated solutions that can improve overall plant efficiency, resulting in overall energy and resource conservation, time savings and minimal impact to the environment.

The possibilities for employing robots in the plastics industry are limitless. Automation equipment and robots are used in almost all areas of production for their flexibility, speed and efficiency even in demanding and complex production processes. Plastics applications continue to grow and replace traditional materials, like glass and metal. It is above all requirements in terms of precision and repeatability in processing operations that play an important role in the manufacture of plastic materials and products – an ideal environment for the implementation of robot-based automation systems.

Studies prove that robots and automated systems, when used in conjunction with plastic machines, foster productivity making the overall operations competitive and successful. Their safety and cost-efficiency have proven to be major benefits particularly in the performance of complex functions and tasks that are too strenuous or harmful for the human body.

As a supplier of industrial robots, KUKA Roboter GmbH is a member of the VDMA’s Blue Competence initiative and remains actively committed to energy efficiency and sustainability. Integrating industrial robots into the production plant can be one of the most cost effective methods of improving profitability.

KUKA Roboter’s KR QUANTEC shelf-mounted robots, comprise 11 models in two product lines - KR QUANTEC K prime and KR QUANTEC K ultra. The QUANTEC K ultra-line, with a payload of 270 kg at a reach of 2,900 mm and a payload of 120 kg at a reach of 3,900 mm, offers the world’s strongest shelf-mounted robots with the highest power density. The QUANTEC K prime line has the perfect robot for any application requiring lower payloads from 90 kg to 210kg.

Rüdiger Sonntag, Key Technology Manager Plastics at KUKA Robotics, commented on the growing importance of articulated robots for the industry by suggesting on the concrete advantages robots offer along with greater flexibility. “Jointed-arm robots can – for instance when working with an injection moulding machine – repeat programmed steps very precisely. It doesn’t matter if this is during loading, unloading, cutting, flame-machining, milling or any kind of handling. The quality remains constant, even after thousands of cycles. And last but not least, robots can be used flexibly. You don’t buy one like a machine whose production parameters are difficult to adjust. Our robot programming allows you to react flexibly to changing production conditions and to an increasing range of products.”

At K 2013, KUKA also presented the KR AGILUS series. Each robot in this series is compact, precise, agile and fast, and can deliver top quality. What’s more, the new waterproof variant is also immune to dNike Lebron 10