ROBOTIC DISPENSING - FOAM MELT
This customer is a volume producer of plastic film parts for automotive manufacturers. The watershield in this case receives a foam melt adhesive/sealer to isolate the material from the inside of a vehicle’s door.
The robotic workcell is required to work with two hot melt units and one foam melt unit. The robot carries the nozzle within the cell and the hose and cable management are controlled via overhead mounted tool balancers and cable arrangements implemented just for this cell. The cell uses more than one nozzle and the materials being run require that when a nozzle is not in use that it be garaged in a heated oil bath. The robot tooling therefore includes a tool changer designed to work with various nozzles and garages located throughout the cell.
The part infeed sub systems include two over/under shuttles for two operators and continuous dispensing operation. These are each two-position shuttles. The over shuttle is in and out; the under shuttle is arranged such that the robot dispenses on the shuttle in the under position while it is in the cell but the operator loads the shuttle in the same position as the over shuttle, i.e. the under shuttle mechanism includes a lift to position the shuttle for operator load/unload at a convenient height. The parts are thin plastic film and require a unique fixturing and holding scheme. TEC designed and built the vacuum fixtures for the range of parts to be run. These are proprietary devices that run quietly and use very little power or air.
The Motoman UP50 robot with XRC controller is used along with multiple Nordson BM200 and other dispensing units and the TEC designed and built infeed shuttle, curing conveyor and part fixturing system.
System Requirements:
- Direct labor savings
- Stabilize the output to meet the process and production plans
- Use a robot and technology that is supported at the end user site
- Focus on the parts to be run at the moment but be mindful that there will be future and other parts
- Allow for the flexibility of choice for the user as to materials, speeds and dispensed volumes
- Maximize system uptime
- Meet the takt time requirement of 10 seconds per part
- Allow for the operator inspection and unload to the curing conveyor
The system supplied provided the flexibility and reliability needed for today’s modern production environment. The set up and run for a new or existing part is straightforward and quick. The process can be stabilized and optimized with robot motion touch ups and setting changes in the dispensing systems.
Customer Benefits:
The floor-mounted robot with attached nozzle(s) combined with the tool changers, multiple infeed positions, multiple dispensing system types and their adjustable settings lead to a powerful production system for the customer.
