HAIMER automates tool balancing with the mobile robot unit KUKA flexFELLOW
The Tool Dynamic Automatic from HAIMER is a truly universal, vertical 4-axis CNC-based balancing machine with a Siemens 840 D sl control. Thanks to this innovation, machine users can measure the unbalance of their tools, locate and remove it by drilling or milling in one or two planes. Operators no longer need to go to a separate drilling machine. Thanks to highly accurate clamping and precise metal removal, excellent balance can be achieved. This innovative development of the time-tested HAIMER balancing systems has led to further increases in efficiency for tool balancing.
To bring efficient tool balancing to a completely new level, a flexible solution was sought to automate the manual process of loading and unloading tool holders. In addition to automation, further emphasis was placed how to avoid the issue of bulky safety guards, commonly associated with robotic equipment.
The sensitive lightweight robot LBR iiwa (intelligent industrial work assistant) from Kuka takes on this task. The LBR iiwa moves tools holders waiting in queue and inserts them in the balancing adapter of the TD Automatic, which automatically clamps the rotor with highest precision. After measuring and correction of unbalance in less than 1 minute the KUKA flexFELLOW removes the chuck from the balancing adapter again and places it back in its original docking position.
Due to the KUKA flexFELLOW ease of mobility, other Haimer balancing machines can be automated in less than 10 minutes, and productivity can realized for mid-sized and large batches.
In the complete loading and unloading process of the balancing machine, the machine operator can stay close to the KUKA flexFELLOW robot, and if necessary remove parts or make adjustments, without fear of injury. This is made possible by touch-sensitive sensors in the robot that stop movement immediately upon any disruption. These new touch-sensitive features make it possible to permanently eliminate bulky safety guards, thereby reducing space requirements. The KUKA flexFELLOW makes it possible to sustain a fully automated and autonomous work cell, ideally suited for Industry 4.0.
By recording process data and analyzing this data afterwards (which was previously only possible to a limited extent as all data was manually recorded) there now exists the possibility to optimize processes to a completely new level.
