Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 1 Issue 1 - 9

opted for UR cobots to pick and place the molded
plastic inserts on keys in the injection molding machines.

At Dynamic Group, a small injection molder in Ramsey,
Minn., a Universal Robots UR10 cobot handles the entire
injection molding process. It picks and places "book
frames" of inserts (near left) into the mold; removes the
frames with over molded parts; places frames in a
trimming fixture (far left); and then places frames in front
of an operator for further handline. Finally, the cobot
pushes a button to start the next cycle.

* Flexibility to load precision inserts.
Acquiring and inserting precision inserts is
enabled by the positioning flexibility and
repeatability of six-axis robots.
* Complex part extraction simplified.
Complex parts are difficult to remove without
ejectors, but the dexterity of six-axis robots
allows parts to be pulled gently out of the
mold.

Alpha Corporation in Japan first considered deploying
industrial robots to tend injection molding machines but
abandoned the idea since the company did not have
enough space to erect safety fencing. Alpha instead

C A N A D I A N A U TO M AT I O N

* Flexibility to avoid obstacles.
Tiebars, slides, hoses and clamps often
interfere with part motions. Six-axis robots
provide the greatest flexibility to navigate
around the mold.
* Maintenance life.
Six-axis robots are sealed, with reduced
maintenance, and increased uptime. Most
Cartesian robots in injection molding require
regular maintenance, as their drive trains are
exposed.
* Flexible mounting options.
Many six-axis robots can be mounted in
various orientations to optimize layout,
reach and cycle time. While the typical
installation is floor or pedestal mounted at
the back-side opening, other options are
available for wall or ceiling mounting. For
most six-axis robots, the mounting
orientation is fixed, and must be set at the
factory during the robot build. Other models
allow orientation to be set quickly in the
field.

robot drops the molded part down the slide, a proximity
sensor alerts and activates the UR cobot, which picks up
the part, places it in a degating fixture and then on a
table, where an operator does a final quality check.

* Low overhead clearance.
Cartesian
robots
have
a
major
drawback-the vertical (Z) axis extends
above the robot centerline. Without a
complicated and expensive telescoping
Z-axis, ceiling height must be at least as high
as the Z-axis extension. In many plants,
conduit, wire trays, water, steam, and
fire-suppression piping make this difficult, if
not impossible. Mounting a six-axis robot
over the injection machine can be
accomplished even in very low-ceiling
facilities.
*Efficient use of floorspace.
Floorspace is always expensive, in any
factory. And as molders add more and more
pre- and post-mold processing to their
offerings, the floorspace around a machine is
in even greater demand. Machine mounting
a six-axis robot provides the six-axis flexibility
benefits, while freeing up floorspace for
secondary operations.
*Easy machine access.
Molds do have to be changed, and the
maintenance department needs access as
well. Mounting a six-axis robot on the
machine or overhead also means clear
access when required.

A UR5 from Universal Robots works in tandem with a
Cartesian robot at Dynamic Group. When the Cartesian

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VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

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https://blog.universal-robots.com/
Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 1 Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automation Canada Quarterly Volume 1 Issue 1
