Industrial robots: The ultimate processing tool
Industrial robots have featured in automated systems for many years, and they have certainly proved to be a key element for Cyan Tec Systems when designing and manufacturing laser and inkjet systems.
As with any robotic application, it is important to find an integrator proficient in both robotic handling and the applied technology. Cyan Tec uniquely combines robotic integration capability with laser and inkjet expertise, enabling customers to be confident of a right-first-time solution suitable for their application and price expectations.
Robotic inkjet buyers first seek the advice of an experienced robotic integrator. It is a distinct advantage to find an integrator who combines laser and inkjet capability with knowledge of inline integration, cycle times, load/unload, automation, and robotic handling. Robotic laser and inkjet solutions require a combination of expert laser/print configurations and robotic integration capability.
A range of industrial robots are available, including six-axis, palletising, shelf-mounted, SCARA, DELTA, and collaborative, and they each have their own USPs to suit a range of applications. A number of factors are considered for robot selection, including the required reach, payload, and environment.
Where SCARA and DELTA robots are ideal for high-speed picking, collaborative devices are excellent for working alongside operators on production lines and often need limited guarding, which is beneficial to some customers.
Typically, six-axis or palletising-type robots meet customers’ demands in terms of speed, repeatability, and functionality. Though shelf-mounted robots are an added weapon in the armoury of automation experts like Cyan Tec and can be extremely useful when instructed to work in tight spaces.
The two most common options when using robotics as part of automated solutions are to move the process (mounting the laser head/inkjet head or other) to the component or to move the component to the process. Both have their advantages and is purely application-driven.
The Flexlase machine, a flexible laser processing cell offered by Cyan Tec, is designed to integrate a laser head on the end of a six-axis robot, and the laser head is manipulated around the component part to perform the laser process. As this machine uses a fibre delivered laser for the process operations, this setup is deemed the most suitable. However, in other projects where a CO2 laser is used (the type of laser is determined by several factors, including the material that is required to be processed), due to the complication of the optical design, it has proven beneficial to keep the laser static and use a robot to move the component to the laser. Given that Cyan Tec has a history of working in a wide range of industries – automotive (including E-mobility), aerospace, nuclear, battery technology, pharmaceutical and plastics – the Flexlase has been designed with this in mind and can be easily configured to suit a wide range of applications.
In a world where recycling and sustainability are on the tip of the tongue, the flexibility and re-programmability of robots tick a lot of boxes. Whether the customer requires a new product to be added to an existing system or for the robot to be re-deployed into a different system, robots are easily re-programmed to perform a new task.
In summary, that is why industrial robots are the ultimate processing tool!
