At Chinaplas 2018, which takes place in Shanghai from April 24th to 27th, ENGEL will showcase its expertise in automation at a special Expert Corner. On show will be the compact e-pic B and e-pic Z robots – integrated, with expanded software functions –, the new viper 20 speed for high-speed applications and the new 10-inch hand-held unit, which will be making its first appearance in front of an Asian audience.
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The new C10 10-inch hand-held unit from ENGEL delivers greater clarity and ease of use |
For many years, robots have been relied on in China to provide process stability, fast cycles and high efficiency. From standardised robot cells to customised, integrated system solutions, ENGEL meets the specific automation needs of injection moulding businesses to the letter. It achieves this through a comprehensive portfolio of robots, high levels of special automation expertise and local expertise. At its large-scale machine manufacturing plant in Shanghai, ENGEL runs an automation centre for clients in China.
“On many projects, success depends on short distances, which means fast project planning and commissioning,” says Gero Willmeroth, Sales and Service President at ENGEL Machinery Shanghai. “That’s why we have invested so heavily in local expertise over the past few years. Now we are ideally placed to handle the increasingly complex demands of our customers. Feedback from the market has been excellent. We have been able to strengthen the trust that our customers have in us.”
At Chinaplas, ENGEL’s entire automation team in Asia will be on hand to speak to customers. They will use four technically sophisticated applications to demonstrate live the full spectrum of ENGEL’s automation experience. ENGEL will also present all new robot-related developments in a special Expert Corner.
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The small robots in the e-pic series – e-pic Z (left) and e-pic B (right) – can be installed on injection moulding machines from many different manufacturers very easily |
Integrated e-pic robots
Small e-pic robots, the latest products in ENGEL’s automation range, are offered in two versions: as linear pick-and-place robots (e-pic Z) and servo sprue pickers (e-pic B). The main feature of the e-pic series is the robots’ lightweight swivel arm in place of a conventional x-axis. This new kind of kinematic system – a USP of ENGEL – significantly increases dynamism and energy efficiency while facilitating a highly space-saving installation on the injection moulding machine. The swivel arm requires less space than a linear axis when moving towards both the injection and clamping sides.
In a new development, ENGEL will be equipping its e-pic robots with efficiency control. This further improves energy efficiency as the robots adapt the speed of their movements to the cycle of the injection moulding process with the aid of software. Efficiency control has been an established feature of viper linear robots for years.
At Chinaplas, ENGEL will present the integrated version of its e-pic robots, clearly illustrating how efficiency potential can be maximised by combining injection moulding machines and robots. Within the integrated solutions, the CC300 control unit for ENGEL injection moulding machines becomes the main operating panel for the whole manufacturing cell; this means uniform parts data and alarm management as well as a unified look and feel. Consistent operating logic significantly simplifies activation and programming as well as control of robots and the manufacturing cell as a whole. Of course, robots can be connected subsequently to injection moulding machines by means of a EUROMAP 67 interface, regardless of machine brand.
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By graphically visualising the process, the easix articulated robot is as easy to use as a viper linear robot |
viper 20: now even faster
There will also be an Asian premiere for viper linear robots at Chinaplas. The new viper 20 speed offers removal times of well under 1 second. The enhanced servo-electric drive technology and the reduced weight of the robot’s axes are responsible for the step up in performance. Developed for applications with total cycle times of around 4 seconds, the viper 20 speed is mainly used in the medical and packaging sectors, areas in which top-entry robots tend to offer very high flexibility.
The viper 20 speed will demonstrate its impressive performance by handling cups at the trade fair. It will work in tandem with an ENGEL easix articulated robot that will take the cups from a moving conveyor belt and stack them in a magazine. In this application both robots – the viper linear and the easix articulated robot – are integrated into a CC300 control unit. It makes no difference whether the CC300 is controlling linear or rotary axes. The additional movement instructions for the multi-axis robot integrate seamlessly with the graphical interface, which simplifies operation significantly. To allow for simple and fast parameterisation despite the complexity of the overall system, the control unit provides different user levels, from a simple view to a fully object-oriented visualisation of the sequence.
10” for easier operation
Another highlight of ENGEL’s Expert Corner on automation will be the new C10 10-inch hand-held unit for robots in the ENGEL series; this will replace the 7-inch units in the C70 series over the course of the year. Visitors to Chinaplas will gain a foretaste of the easier operation of the new hand-held unit, which provides a clearer overview.
