The Customer:
Geberit is European market leader in sanitary systems. The Geberit Group currently employs 5200 people and has subsidiaries and offices in 40 countries. Geberit's product range falls into two groups: sanitary systems and drainage systems. At its production plant in Jona, Geberit runs an injection moulding operation producing elements for its Silent building drainage system.
The Task:
Produce and package different fittings
The Problem:
Achieving maximum automation in an extremely tight space
The Solution:
KraussMaffei solved the problem with an unusual approach. System components such as the lift and conveyor belts are on castors and can be moved out of the way for maintenance work. The sprue chute is located where you would normally expect to find the machine's control cabinet.
The Outcome:
The fully automated manufacturing cell, designed and built by KraussMaffei incorporates a KM 800-12000 MX injection moulding machine and a LR 300 linear robot. The system is designed for easy switchover between different products: depending on the order situation, curved or branching pipe fittings can be produced. The linear robot demolds parts and presents them for sprue cutting. The fittings are then passed to a cooling station. At the end of a defined cooling time, the robot deposits the fittings on a conveyor belt. If the system is producing curved fittings, they are transported to a filling station and packed into bags. The operator monitors the number of units by weighing. Branching fittings are packed in cardboard boxes rather than bags. In this case, empty boxes are transported into the robot's field of action on a conveyor belt. The robot then stacks the fittings directly in the boxes - after previously labelling them. A lift moves the full boxes down to another conveyor which transports them away from the production area. In addition to a space-saving design for the automation solution, it was also essential to ensure easy access to the machine and the mould. KraussMaffei has the expertise and experience in both injection moulding and in factory automation to develop high-performance, application-specific solutions such as the manufacturing cell supplied to Geberit. The system we supplied meets all the customer's criteria for reliability, high product quality, minimal labour input and a small footprint.
