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A complete robotic production cell solution has been delivered to Deutsch by automation specialist Aylesbury Automation.  The DENSO robot based machine  has been introduced as a result of increasing product demand. It assembles a range of similar, electrical plugs and sockets and produces one complete part every six seconds.

Deutsch Limited, a specialist manufacturer of interconnection equipment for harsh environments, required a flexible solution to match its process requirements, at its manufacturing plant at St Leonards on Sea. By replacing a conventional rotary table, with a DENSO robot, when product changes demand, Deutsch are  able to reprogramme the machine instead of investing in new tooling.  Robots in manufacturing require shorter lead times than conventional solutions with less mechanical parts requiring change when lines and processes are altered.

Plug caps and bodies, are are ultrasonicly welded to from a single assembly by the Aylesbury Automation production cell. Two vibratory bowl feeders and linear drivers feed the parts into the machine. The bowls and linear tracks have been tooled to orientate the parts into the correct position to be picked up by a DENSO HS-45352G robot supplied by AA Robotics.  Flexible design of the machine means that different  similar components which incorporate changes in the shape of plug and socket body  can be accommodated very easily, by interchangeable bowl tops and linear feeder tracks. The DENSO robot  loads the parts under a Branson ultrasonic welder, after which a stamp is applied to some of the caps. A quality assurance, tensile (pull) test is made on selected products and the frequency of this testing is controlled by the customer, from the DENSO robot’s Teach Pendeant which acts as the machines HMI.

There is no PLC in the production cell, all the machines functions are coordinated by the multi tasking DENSO robot controller using Devicenet I/O , giving a considerable cost saving. Six background tasks operate to control 128 I/O points and all status and error messages are shown on the robot HMI.

Deutsch have been using a robot for some time in the manufacture of products but, encouraged by the low capital cost of the Aylesbury Automation solution, the company is now exploring other processes which might benefit from DENSO robotic solutions.

AA Robotics distributes DENSO robots in the UK and Ireland. Their range is from 3Kg up to 20Kg payload in 4-axis or 6-axis arm configurations with a reach from 400mm to 1300mm. Denso robots have a fast 0.3 seconds pick and place operation which is repeatable to 0.015mm.