Kuka is supporting its customers in the transition to more sustainable mobility with state-of-the-art technology: the company is supplying 23 FSW (friction stir welding cells) with integrated robots for the production of electric vehicles at an automotive customer. Kuka says it is the largest single order in this area to date.

The FSW cells with various technologies and Kuka KR Fortec robots integrate fully into production lines for electric vehicles, where they perform several production steps. Kuka robots in the cells weld battery trays and join cooling plates to the battery trays in a second operation. This is an important task, as battery trays play a crucial role in electric vehicles. They must be leak-proof and resilient, support the correct temperature of the batteries and help to prevent the battery from endangering vehicle occupants in the event of an accident.

A particular challenge in production is 3D welding, for which robot-based FSW technology is suitable. The application also requires complex clamping technology, where Kuka was also able to contribute its engineering expertise. A tool changer and a cleaning station for the FSW tools are also in place to facilitate fully automatic operation.

In addition to the technical solution, Kuka’s expertise and years of experience in process technology, engineering and co-operation with the sales experts impressed the customer. 

Kuka is now working with research partners to develop the technology further, namely to monitor weld seam quality in-process and subsequently reduce the time and cost of inspection. The company is collaborating with partners at the University of Augsburg on an AI-based process monitoring system.

More information www.kuka.com

Heckler & Koch USA (HKUSA), a designer and manufacturer of small arms and light weapons for military forces and law enforcement worldwide, has chosen Flexxbotics for robot-driven manufacturing with autonomous process control. Advanced robotic machine tending with Flexxbotics enables Heckler & Koch to increase capacity with precision quality, subsequently keeping up with strong demand and addressing labour challenges.

With Flexxbotics, HKUSA achieves a robot-enabled, multi-machine cellular-based set-up for machining complex-geometry parts. The robot will operate an Okuma five-axis vertical machining centre and an Okuma horizontal machining centre along with an integrated water dunk and blow-off station, a Hexagon CMM, Renishaw inspection probe, and SICK safety scanner – all within an individual work cell. Automating the complete process of machining and inspection results in an 87% capacity increase and 24:1 machine-to-man ratio.

“Our main goals with robotic automation are increasing throughput, maximising machine utilisation and creating flexibility to react quickly in line with production volume demands,” says John Mitchell, VP of operations at HKUSA. “Flexxbotics offers a unique ability to use the robot to co-ordinate multiple machines and have inline inspection results automatically correct the machining operations.”

The Flexxbotics solution connects the robot to each piece of equipment and co-ordinates the work so the robot has full command and control of the work cell. Using closed-loop feedback CMM inspection results, Flexxbotics writes offset-macro-variable changes to the CNC programs, thus ensuring all parts are built to specification for continuous operations using autonomous process control.

In addition, Flexxbotics communicates with the in-machine probes to ensure proper part seating before and after each CNC cycle. Based on the probe’s feedback, the robot either automatically removes and replaces the part or escalates the problem via text and email if there is a work-holding issue.

More information www.flexxbotics.com

A new range of storage and handling systems for the automatic loading and unloading of machine tools is now available in the UK and Ireland via Whitehouse Machine Tools in partnership with the Turkish manufacturer Tezmaksan. CubeBox robotic cells are suitable for automating virtually any make of CNC lathe or machining centre. Non-stop, rapid loading and unloading of workpieces into and out of up to three machines enhances flexibility and agility, enabling quick adaptation to changing production requirements.

Amortisation is fast as the operator only needs to load billets, castings or forgings into the workpiece magazine and unload finish-machined components. The worker is therefore free to perform added-value tasks elsewhere on the shop floor. Additionally, unattended ghost-shift production is possible, contributing further to profitability.

Cell integration and robot programming are particularly easy, reports Whitehouse. Connecting to any make of machine control system is possible, eliminating the need for customisation or modification. The process does not therefore rely on a skilled integrator, while the high degree of compatibility simplifies and lowers the cost of implementation. Installation and commissioning normally only takes one day, reducing the expense associated with lengthy set-up periods.

The foundation of all CubeBox systems is RoboCAM, an intelligent 2.5-axis CADCAM automation software developed by Tezmaksan. Operators can integrate any compatible industrial six-axis robot into the cell without the need for prior programming knowledge. RoboCAM translates any uploaded 2D product drawing into a robot-friendly language, enabling seamless communication and execution of automated cycles.

CubeBox flexibility allows easy transportation between different machine tools. Such mobility ensures optimal utilisation of the system across various workstations, eliminating the need to perform separate robotic set-ups for each machine.

More information www.wmtcnc.com