Cobots Are Coming to the Precision-Turned Parts Industry

The Multi-S Compact D rotary transfer machine from Italian machine tool builder Spada is a 24-station machine designed to machine as many as four parts simultaneously, thanks to a loading and unloading station on opposite sides. The machine also provides the advantage to invert the workpiece so the back side of the part can be machined, eliminating multiple handlings and secondary operations.

The Multi-S Compact D rotary transfer machine from Italian machine tool builder Spada is a 24-station machine designed to machine as many as four parts simultaneously, thanks to a loading and unloading station on opposite sides. The machine also provides the advantage to invert the workpiece so the back side of the part can be machined, eliminating multiple handlings and secondary operations.

DMG Mori’s Multisprint 25 combines the production capability of a six-spindle multi with a Swiss-type machine. It features a Y axis in all spindle positions as standard and allows for double-rear and off-center machining. Up to 28 tools, including 24 driven tools and speeds up to 13,800 rpm with a maximum torque of 14.2 Nm allow for the production of complex parts. The machine premiered at EMO 2017 and will officially be launched for the U.S. market at IMTS 2018.

With its powerful, high-performance 20,000-rpm milling spindle, 60-m/min rapid feed rate, and 16, 24-position HSK-E40 toolchanger, Almac’s CU 2007 tackles main plates, bridges and other complex watch components, as well as small parts machined from billets. Five-axis configuration and a 40-position toolchanger are available. As a novelty this year, the machine can be equipped with a bar loader, transforming the CU 2007 into a real production machine able to mill, turn and machine the sixth face of parts.

Bumotec’s s181 nine-axis turn-mill center is targeted at industry sectors such as medical and surgical instruments, horological and micro-mechanics. The machine features a second live tool workstation, enabling up to 40,000-rpm milling to complement the 90-position automatic toolchanger that serves the 11-kW, 6,000-rpm main HSK-40 spindle.

Tornos’ new SwissDeco multitasking single-spindle lathe was on display in France for the first time. This strong 36-mm diameter machine integrates a 12-position turret.

Automation and robotics were at the heart of the exhibition. Mazak, for instance, was showcasing its articulating robots providing automation for one or multiple machines as well as part transfers to peripheral operations.

Connected machining: Italian company Bucci shows how a bar feeder connected to an NLX 2500 can detect critical vibrations and report them to the machine’s CNC. Larger parts are unloaded via an unloader at the back of the machine and a robot places the parts in a visual inspection machine.

The Stäubli robot is part of Cetim-CTDEC’s (a technical center based in France dedicated to the machining and bar turning industry) Usitronic project, which aims to automate and intelligently connect bar feeding, machining, parts washing and inspection processes.

Cobots all have one thing in common: They are meant to work alongside humans without safety barriers. Their integrated safety systems will either stop or slow their movements to avoid collisions. Nextage is a collaborative robot from Kawada Industries in Japan that includes a “head” with two cameras, a torso, two six-axis arms and a mobile base. Nextage’s elbows won’t move outward from its working environment, thanks to its axle structure. This is a safety feature unique to Nextage. Even if both arms are in movement, the robot is not likely to bump into a human with its elbows. Moreover, its 15 operational axes (six per arm, two for the head and one for the torso) use low-power motors of 80 watts to move, preventing harmful forces.

FANUC presents the collaborative industrial robot CR-7iA for payloads up to 7 kg. The “Green robot” CR series allows for a collaborative operation with human operators without safety fences.

Jérôme Akmouche, director of SNCEC, is closely connected with PMPA in the U.S. and explains how the Technocenter Cetim CTDEC (which will open in 2019 and includes a showroom, laboratories and R&D facilities dedicated to the mechanical engineering, machining and bar turning industries) will support the industry and help to attract young talent.

Simodec created an area dedicated to cobotics; although cobots represent only a small percentage of industrial robot sales, they open new possibilities for small and medium-sized enterprises. Stäubli, FANUC, ABB, Universal Robot and Ericc  showcases their robots in this area during the show.

PECM technology: German company PEM Tec showcases its PECM technology that resembles EDM, but it is not EDM, as Andreas Jutzi, project manager at PEM Tec in France explains. In a conductive electrolyte (salt water), a positively charged workpiece (anode) takes on the shape of the negatively charged tool electrode (cathode) with the help of a controlled pulse current. The electrochemical machining process is contact-free and creates parts with an accuracy of 2-5 microns without chemical agents or mechanical forces.

PECM technology: German company PEM Tec showcases its PECM technology that resembles EDM, but it is not EDM, as Andreas Jutzi, project manager at PEM Tec in France explains. In a conductive electrolyte (salt water), a positively charged workpiece (anode) takes on the shape of the negatively charged tool electrode (cathode) with the help of a controlled pulse current. The electrochemical machining process is contact-free and creates parts with an accuracy of 2-5 microns without chemical agents or mechanical forces.

Göltenbodt showcases the GWS-tooling system for sliding/fixed headstock automatic lathes.