It is through the production of individualised, custom-made ball-bearing solutions that Swiss company JESA AG became involved in the injection moulding of technical plastics. One highlight here is the automated production of a dynamic adjustment mechanism for multi-directional LED lighting units for the automotive industry. Thanks to the turnkey system designed and implemented by ARBURG, the assembly time for this product was reduced from one and a half minutes to ten seconds. This achievement was honoured with the Canton of Fribourg’s Innovation Award 2012/2013.
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Swiss company JESA’s turnkey system is highly complex yet compact. |
The centrepiece of the turnkey system is a MULTILIFT V robotic system, which simultaneously positions several inserts in an injection mould. This means that they can be joined fully automatically in an overmoulding operation using a technical plastic so that ready-for-use actuators with integral ball bearings leave the turnkey system. With the combined overmoulding and joining operation, the assembly time is reduced by dispensing with five manual assembly steps, from one and a half minutes to ten seconds – a world of difference in injection moulding, where time is money.
Several million hybrid parts per year
The result: the cost-effective manufacture of several million complex components made from metal and plastic per year for worldwide use. Through the use of robots, JESA can now keep up with low-wage countries and secure the future of its production location.
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The complex gripper holds 16 inserts, which are placed in the 4-cavity mould. |
In addition to a hybrid ALLROUNDER 470 H with a MULTILIFT V robotic system, the turnkey system comprises a palletising station and a conveyor line from Schuma, a feed and singulation unit from Afag Automation AG and a complex gripper from Barth Mechanik.
Turnkey system
ARBURG sourced, set up, commissioned and delivered all the technical components as a turnkey system for JESA based on a functional specification.
In order to produce the dynamic adjustment mechanism, the pneumatic gripper on the MULTILIFT V with extended Z-axis picks up four inserts at two different loading positions (3+1) and places them into the 4-cavity mould in a precise alignment for overmoulding. A total of 16 inserts are thus held in the gripper.
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Following removal, the robotic system sets the finished parts down in a metal tray. A conveyor system then channels the transport trolleys with the trays out of the system. Filling of the inserts into the trays as well as the downstream visual inspection and storage are performed manually.
Of the eleven injection moulding machines in Switzerland and another four in China, two are ALLROUNDERs at each location.
More than 20 years of partnership
During the joint work on the turnkey system, it was particularly important for JESA that there has been one single ARBURG contact person for engineering and customer service, who the company has been able to fully rely on for more than 20 years. Particularly the individual support provided by the ARBURG subsidiary in Switzerland and the Project department in Lossburg during the aftersales phase is always praised by the persons responsible at JESA as being extremely reliable, fast and conscientious, with well-founded expertise.
