Product Guide - Manufacturing
Robotic welding cell
The System 50 from the Lincoln Electric Automation Div. is a self-contained unitized work cell featuring dual FANUC Robotics Alpha 6 servo driven headstocks, an ARC Mat 100i robot, and a choice of either Lincoln power sources or plasma cutting machines. A compact footprint provides room to support a generous work envelope. Design features include DeviceNet Communication to robot controllers and machine controllers, IEC 974-1 standards design, auto device recognition, on demand cooling, and electronic and thermostatic overload protection. The completed system includes metal side panels for safety, safety light fencing at both load areas, pneumatic operator arc shield screens, and dual operator control panels.
Tempering furnace
The No. 885 is a 760°C (1400°F) electric tempering furnace from Grieve Corp. used for heat treating weldments. The furnace has an electrically operated vertical lift door with an automatic door switch to shut off the heaters when the door is opened. Grieve's inert atmosphere construction includes a continuously welded outer shell, a high-temperature door gasket, sealed heater terminal boxes, an inert atmosphere inlet and outlet, and a recirculating blower shaft seal. The furnace also has an inert atmosphere flowmeter and a digital programming temperature controller on board.
High-speed laser system
The PLG-15 from Preco Industries is a sealed CO2 high-speed laser system with speeds up to 1000 mm/s (40 in/s). It is specially designed for cutting, ablating, marking, and drilling intricate geometries in polyester flex circuits, plastics, membrane switches, gaskets, adhesives, keypads, and more. With a working area of 500 x 500 mm (20 x 20 in), the system is suitable for rapid prototyping and/or production runs. The elimination of costly tooling and instantaneous prototyping provide a competitive advantage to customers. The system comes standard with a manual sheet-feed tray and options that include an automatic conveyor system, a semi-automatic rotary indexing load/unload station, and a Web-handling system that provides both unwind/rewind of the substrate and matrix stripping and rewind for the scrap.
Straightening machines
The RRA Series of straightening machines from Nedschroef Herentals NV and Nedschroef Detroit Corp. operate on the principal of dynamic straightening. The series is available with up to seven straightening points—four support points and three straightening shoes. The machines handle a range of materials from 5 to 20 mm (0.2 to 0.8 in) in diameter and 80 to 500 mm (3 to 20 in) in length without changing tools. Other features include powered support rolls that spin parts during operation to allow higher straightening pressure without parts slipping on straightening shoes and an integrated measuring station that checks concentricity and rejects substandard parts as they exit.
Off-line inspection system
The CrankScan 600 is an off-line audit inspection system from American Stress Technologies that monitors residual stress from manufacturing processes and detects grinding damage and some heat-treat qualities. The unit requires manual loading and unloading of the test piece. A sensor automatically scans the ground surface. The test information is sent to a central unit and is analyzed, displayed, and stored in software. Operators can then analyze the data and make appropriate process adjustments.
