Page 18 - MetalForming April 2016

Tech Update
menu-driven to complement the screen icons and help keep the workspace organized. The workspace can be customized by hiding or showing all features in each section and organizing the different menus with dockable windows over more than one monitor.
and rotates the tube to the optimum position for bending. The tube then is transferred to the bending machine by the intermediate loader, and after being bent formed is removed by the robotic handler and placed in a multiple-rack storage scheme, ready for hole punching and powder coating.
Other enhancements include a zoom-overlay window that shows details without zoom- ing the complete layout; visual control for users to detect parts on a table grid which will tilt after cut; and commands that improve cut quality and production time when bevel- ing, by optimizing the cutting path.
www.esab.com
Says Jonathan Thacker, Walsall oper- ations director: “We have nearly elimi- nated hydraulic tube benders from our process, in favor of Unison’s all-electric technology. This has multiple advantages, including better process consistency, high- er throughput, much lower energy costs and reduced need for skilled operators.”
Robotic Tube-Bending Cell Ups Production for Wheelbarrow Maker
A new custom, robotic tube-bending cell developed by Unison, Asheville, NC, comprises a tube-bundle loader, tube orientation station, intermediate dual-arm loader, bending machine and a five-axis articulated robotic handler. In operation at Walsall Wheelbar- row in Great Britain, the cell boasts a tube bender based on a customized 1.25-in. sin- gle-stack all-electric model from Unison’s Breeze range. The machine features a long, narrow neck and a bend head specifically designed to facilitate precision fabrication of the tight wheel-end bend of wheelbarrow frames, without causing the tube to collide with machine architecture during the process.
In addition to the Breeze machine’s Unibend control software, Unison also has supplied its Opt2Sim tube-bending sim- ulator. This enables Walsall to implement a right-first-time manufacturing strategy, eliminating scrap material and any chance of damaging parts.
Once the bundle loader’s hopper has been filled and the operating program has been selected, the production cell operates entirely automatically. The bundle loader feeds tubes individually to the tube-orientation station, which detects the weld seam
www.unisonltd.com
“ We had seconds to connect air, fluid and power to an assembly platform. Hello ATI.”
The fully automated ATI Utility Coupler delivers what no manual solution can. Speed and reliability. Unique among all other automated solutions, ATI’s built-in engineered rotational compliance ensures reliable coupling. And our common mounting flats are compatible with ATI’s vast selection of tool changer utility modules. ATI is also compatible with DeviceNet, Ethernet and Profinet. So, if you’re ready to add a new level of speed and reliability to your manufacturing process just say, “Hello ATI.” See it now at www.ati-ia.com/utilitycoupler.
16 MetalForming/April 2016
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