Delcam has added an ABB robot fitted with a Fronius CMT Advanced welding head to the range of manufacturing equipment at its Birmingham site.  The new unit will be used mainly for research into the programming of robots for the additive manufacturing of metals with Delcam’s PowerMILL Robot software.

Cold Metal Transfer welding was initially developed by Fronius to join materials with different properties, in particular for welding aluminium to steel.  The process uses very high frequency movement of the wire to give a clean, spatter-free material transfer.  It provides a stable, reproducible deposition of material that Delcam believes should have great potential in metal additive manufacturing.

The ABB robot arm offers six axes of movement, with an additional two axes, tilt and rotation, provide by the table holding the material.  This additional flexibility allows parts to be oriented into the optimum position as they are being built so enabling complex shapes to be created with less need for extra support structures.

PowerMILL Robot makes it as easy to program a robot for machining as it is to program a five-axis machine tool.  As a fully-associated application inside PowerMILL, users have access to all the multi-axis machining strategies within PowerMILL and can use all the system’s project management options to manage, store and retrieve data.

As well as making it possible to program robots for additive manufacturing, PowerMILL Robot can be used for tool-to-part applications, especially for machining large parts, such as composite panels that need to be trimmed, or for part-to-tool applications, such as grinding or polishing.

Güdel’s TrackMotion technology, now in its third generation, supports the new Agilus robot from KUKA. The smaller footprint of today’s TrackMotion design allows the compact KUKA Agilus robot to fit in tight spaces even while extending the robot work envelope. Midwest Engineered Systems (MWES) recently highlighted this with a machine tending application in highly restricted space. “Güdel made this easy for us,” said Vincent Panzarella, Project Manager, Midwest Engineered Systems Inc. “We were able to download 3D models of their new TMO-1-C for immediate inclusion in the system layout. We determined in advance the carriage on the rail had to be lengthened to give us enough reach.”

Güdel supports integrators with engineering services for the latest robots such as the KUKA KR AGILUS: KR 10 R100 sixx, and upon request provides robot installation with switches and support brackets, cables, energy chain, pneumatics and testing. “Gudel offers four (4) sizes of standard robot tracks, both overhead and floor mount, that cover 98% of the robot models available on the market,” noted Joe Campbell, Gudel Vice President. “When innovators like KUKA bring new robot models to market, we can quickly support them with our standard TMF and TMO product lines.”

Güdel TrackMotion TMO is the latest generation in overhead robot tracks from the world’s leader in auxiliary robot
motion. TMO innovations include higher performance and reliability, configurable and scalable designs and reduced lead times.

TrackMotion TMO is a family of overhead robot tracks built with the latest linear motion components from Güdel. There are three types of TMOs designed specifically for elevated (E), wall (W) and inverted ceiling (C) robot orientations. TMOs come in four sizes to accommodate the smallest robot up to models in the 2,500 pound range or static loads up to 5,000 pounds. TMO is rated for speeds up to 2.5 meters per second with acceleration of 2.5 m/s2. Güdel floor and overhead tracks can be used with virtually any robot brand, and can be configured in virtually any length, with multiple carriages and straight, cantilevered and bridged leg options. TrackMotion Floor (TMF) is another standard module.

The new Motoman® MA3120 arc welding robot features an extra-long reach arm that reduces the need for tracks. It is the longest robot arm designed for arc welding. Available in floor-, wall- or ceiling-mounted configurations and ideal for multiple robot layouts, the MA3120 has been improved over the previous MA3100 model robot with twice the payload, longer reach and improved through arm wrist design for arc welding.

The MA3120 has a 6 kg payload, 3,121 mm horizontal reach and ±0.15 mm repeatability. Its integrated through-the arm cabling eliminates cable interference, simplifies programming and reduces cable wear. It has heavier payload capacity and an increased through hole wrist diameter making it easier to integrate pull-torches or welding sensors. Welding utilities (gas hose and feeder signals) can be routed through the robot base and the wire feeder mounts to the upper arm to reduce the torch length. The MA3120 is perfectly suited for use in workcells with larger workpieces, as well as for applications that require access to parts in tight spots or those with possible interference from fixtures.

The MA3120 robot uses the Yaskawa Motoman DX200 controller that features patented multiple robot control technology to easily handle multiple tasks and control up to eight robots (72 axes), I/O devices and communication protocols. Its extensive I/O suite includes integral PLC and HMI pendant displays, high-speed Ethernet communication, 4,096 I/O addresses and a graphical ladder editor that can provide system level control. The DX200 has been designed to improve process capability, reduce energy usage, and improve maintainability and safety. An enhanced Functional Safety Unit (FSU) provides control reliable zone and tool position monitoring, stand still monitoring and speed limiting. This can reduce costs for safeguarding hardware and provides new capabilities such as collaborative tasks. It is compliant to ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 and other relevant ISO and CSA safety standards.

FANUC CORPORATION, the leading manufacturer of CNCs, robots, and ROBOMACHINEs, has been named one of the top 100 innovative companies in the world by Forbes. This is the fourth consecutive year Forbes has named FANUC a top global innovator.

Forbes 2014 “The World’s Most Innovative Companies” list recognizes leading-edge corporations that are most likely to be innovative now and in the future. The Forbes innovation list is based on a study completed by professors and advisors who determined that calculating a company’s value plus anticipated growth fueled by new technology and products will identify the most innovative companies. A key factor used in compiling this list was each company’s commitment to R&D. Embedded in each of these companies is a code for innovation discernible in their people, processes and philosophies that drive them to keep innovation alive year after year. The end result is that innovation will create demand for their products now and in the future.