One of the most powerful machines at Metec – a 1000-ton hydraulic press that will celebrate its 50th anniversary in a few years – welcomed a new companion at the beginning of this year.
In collaboration with Smitech engineers, an industrial robot was installed next to the press. Its task is to feed blanks into the working area, remove them afterward, and integrate the robot’s and the press’s control systems.
This was by no means the simplest automation task. To achieve the final shape, the blank or semi-finished product needs to be placed in the working area twice – with a rotation in between. The pressing process can only begin once the robot’s “hands” have safely left the working area.
As stamping involves immense forces, there is also a risk of unexpected tool breakage. Continuing production with a broken tool would result in a crate of scrap metal.
To mitigate this risk, an automatic laser-optical inspection system has been integrated into the robot’s workflow. If a defective part is detected, the system halts the robot’s operation.
To maximize the press’s capacity and increase efficiency, the robot handles up to four parts at a time.
Once completed, the parts are neatly stacked onto transport pallets by the robot. After that, only one final step remains – loading the pallet onto a truck and shipping it to the customer.
Metec’s development manager, Karl Englas, emphasizes that the success of the project was ensured by smooth cooperation with Smitech OÜ, the company responsible for the automation solution:
“Our collaboration with Smitech was excellent from the very beginning. Right from the offer stage, we felt a strong partnership, where they actively contributed ideas to achieve the set goals while ensuring a reasonable payback period. Moreover, all promises made during the offer process were fulfilled, and any challenges that arose during implementation were addressed swiftly. In the end, we successfully reached our planned objectives.“
The implemented technical solution reinforces an important principle that we often forget in many fields today – not everything old needs to be discarded or replaced with brand-new alternatives.
Older equipment can still be competitive. This, by the way, also applies to people 😊. Moreover, this approach is truly environmentally sustainable.
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