Bar feeders are perhaps the most common material handling accessories found in metalworking shops. The bar feeder is designed to deliver a continuous supply of machining stock to the machine tool. Generally applied to turning machines, they can also be applied to VMCs allowing the machining centers to overcome the production limits of table size. The raw stock can be round, square, hex or extruded. Magazine attachments increase the capacity of the bar feeder for unattended or lightly attended operation. Other material handling devices include robots, gantry loading and unloading material handling devices are included in this class of technology. Likewise, conveyors, bowl feeders and other types of material handling equipment allow cut-to-length blanks, castings and forgings to be loaded and unloaded.
As manufacturers face the challenges of reducing cost-per-part while meeting quality and delivery demands, adding a workerless third shift is a tantalizing possibility. It’s also a bit scary.
FANUC America’s Robot LINKi Zero Down Time (ZDT) is a predictive analytic service that identifies potential failures so customers can schedule maintenance and repairs, avoiding unexpected breakdowns during production.
