Polypipe Building Services is leveraging the additional benefits offered by Stäubli’s QMC122 range of magnetic platens to further improve productivity levels in the manufacture of the company’s injection moulded plastic waste fittings.

Within the plastics injection moulding sector, a key element in attaining target productivity levels is reducing the time required to change mould tools. The traditional method requires multiple bolts to be undone and clamps removed to release the mould tool from the platens. Users then have to replace these bolts and clamps and correctly re-tighten them to secure the new tool in place.

Magnetic platens offer a quicker and simpler solution to mould tool changes and the Polypipe Building Services site in Aylesford, Kent has experience of using this technology, as Steve Tulett, Polypipe’s manufacturing innovation manager, explains: “We adopted magnetic platen technology some time ago and quickly realised the benefits in terms of simpler and faster tool changes, saving on average around 30 minutes each time. However, we continually review the technologies available to ensure that we can take advantage of any new developments. We identified Stäubli’s QMC122 range of magnetic platens as a solution that provides a number of additional benefits, such as greater levels of feedback from the interface, which allows us to obtain an exact measurement of the clamping force when we install the new tools.”

Stäubli’s QMC solution integrates an interactive control panel which enables the validation of the safety points during mould changing operations. Also, the system accurately controls clamping force in real time.

The QMC 122 range is currently in use on a 150T Demag Ergotech Machine and a new Haitian 160T machine.

For further information
www.staubli.com

The new Match gripper ecosystem available from Zimmer Group enables robots to utilise multiple gripper types and end effectors, further enhancing the capability and functionality of these already flexible systems. Targeted at lightweight industrial and collaborative robots, the proprietary platform is the result of a joint project between Zimmer Group and J Schmalz GmbH that combines gripping technology expertise.

This gripper change system can be operated either automatically, with the robot releasing and collecting different grippers or end effectors to and from a docking station, or manually with just one hand in just a few seconds using simple click-to-remove functionality. The system is compatible with pneumatically or electrically operated grippers which utilise either vacuum or mechanical gripping principles.

Zimmer’s quick-change system incorporates the mechanical interface together with pneumatic and electrical connections. These options make it possible for the system to be used by many different robot types and a wide variety of end effectors. For electrically operated grippers, the quick-change system is capable of hot-swapping, changing grippers during live operation with the integrated pin array transmitting both the load and signal currents. For pneumatic/vacuum-based grippers, four internal and two lateral channels supply the gripper systems with compressed air or vacuum pressure.

The design, combined with high levels of manufacturing quality, guarantees a long service life greater than 100,000 cycles. Notably, the position and orientation of the fixed and interchangeable elements of the system are clearly defined in use, eliminating the potential for misalignment of the two halves. The flexibility of the system gives the user access to a wide range of applications, whether they are with mobile robots, collaborative robots or other types of automation.

For further information
www.zimmer-group.com