At the K 2022 trade fair, Sepro Group will present several examples of injection-molding automation, giving visitors hands-on experience with future technological concepts including novel man-machine interface devices, total-system integration and artificial intelligence.
Each demonstration cells have been designed to be both informative and easy to use for all types of visitors. Attendees will be encouraged to take control of the robots and peripheral equipment to experience Sepro HMIs and, in one cell, visitors will be offered the opportunity to compete in K’s Challenge. This games will be open to anyone, regardless of previous experience or training, partly to demonstrate how the robot controls of the future can be designed for use even by less-skilled operators.
“Sepro pioneered the concept of easy robot programming with the introduction our Simple-Pick-and-Place concept almost 20 years ago,” says Charles de Forges, CEO & CTO. “Simplicity and ease of operation are even more important today. At K 2022, we not only want to demonstrate just how easy it can be, but we also want to see how people react to the concepts we have been developing so that we can discover which approaches are most likely to work best in the real world. We hope to learn as much from our visitors as they learn from us about robot control.”
New Modular Control Software
K 2022 marks the debut of a new modular software architecture that enables the control of multiple pieces of robotic and auxiliary equipment via a single central control system.
In one molding cell, for instance, the system will not only control a Sepro 5X-25 Cartesian robot and a 6X-140 six-axis articulated-arm unit, but also manage all additional peripheral devices as diverse as a conveyor, quality check equipment and an ink-marking machine.
The system also can gather quality and production data that is used to calculate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and provide other operational insights. In the fully automated cell described above, these data will be displayed continually on a large video screen for visitors to see.
Other Sepro Robots at K 2022
Technical and commercial collaboration has always been part of Sepro’s DNA, therefore in addition to the five robots operating on the Sepro stand, the Company’s equipment will be seen in the booth of nine injection-molding machine manufacturers around the halls of the K show.