The Customer:
C+M Utescheny GmbH has specialized on the production of plastic molding parts for car interieurs. Therefor, injection molding machines within a clamping unit range of 50 to 500 ton are used.
The Task:
Production of high-value parts with excellent surface at low piece cost
The Problem:
Handling of visible parts whose surface is not cured yet after the injection molding process
The Solution:
Interior-trim parts are made by multi-component technology on three swivel platen machines type CX 420-1400 SpinForm, equipped with LRX-series linear robots. A special challenge for the automation lies in the very careful handling of the parts. C+M Utescheny goes for machines and automation out of one hand. The sourcing of complete production cells from KraussMaffei means to minimize project management expenses, to avoid interface problems and produce efficiently by result of a high automation degree.
The Outcome:
A linear robot demolds the parts and takes them out of the cavity parallel to the longitudinal axis of the injection molding machine. After the parts are demolded from a mold parting line, the handling unit positions them in an assembly station, which is very compactly located behind the clamping unit and below a centralized conveyor belt. In the station, a Scara robot with swivel arm kinematics separates and supplies the required number of clips. A pneumatic lifting unit mounts the clips gently by pressing the part and clip together vertically. A sensor checks that the clips are correctly seated, ensuring 100% production of good parts. The robot picks up the finished parts again, and after it is checked that the set-down position is free, lays them on the central conveyor belt. The conveyor belt links up three identical lines and conveys the different parts to a centralized reception point in the dispatch hall, where they are manually packaged. Here, too, the machine determines the total cycle time during which part demolding, assembly and conveying must take place. During production, the system runs reliably with a calculated availability of over 95%, the machine produces minimum rejects. As a result of automation, machine downtimes are virtually zero.
