Industrial Factory Automation

Kern , represented in the UK by Rainford Precision Machines, has established a production group to accommodate customers' demands for automatic machining of high-precision parts in large volumes. The Bavarian machining centre manufacturer initially developed the specialist business group after successfully overcoming its first challenge: the production of timepiece/watch base plates. The ultra-precise base plates had to be produced in significant quantities and had to be manufactured completely unmanned. This was a major demand as the machining cell had to incorporate loading, machining, deburring, washing, measuring and unloading. The process involves a magazine of parts that are presented to a loading area where each part is individually picked up by a six-axis robot. The robot displays the component to a camera for component recognition and orientation before being placed accurately on the workpiece fixture. A total of six components are placed on the fixture before being tran...

Romaco has developed the Siebler Striptabs line for Indian contract manufacturer Ankur Drugs and Pharma. The system was created for the production and packaging of pharmaceutical film tablets. Taken orally, wafer-thin Striptabs dissolve on the tongue in seconds. This type of medication, which is based on a starch and polymer solution, is used in pain and hormone therapies and for treating erectile dysfunction. Striptabs are currently being considered as a carrier for more than 600 different APIs. Customised manufacturing and packaging processes are needed to handle the thumb-sized strip dosage forms, which are only 60-100 micrometres (um) thick. First, the active pharmaceutical ingredient suspension is prepared using a homogenising process on a vacuum-processing unit made by Romaco Frymakoruma. Directly blending in the APIs at the beginning of the process results in high dosing accuracy with extremely low active-ingredient tolerances. Using a complex coating process, the liquid is the...

Schuler has installed a new production line for ZF, on which the transmission specialist manufactures various parts for its eight-speed automatic gearbox. The automated line consists of a hydraulic cutting press supplied by Schuler with a cutting force of 3150kN (315tonf), as well as a mechanical knuckle-joint press from Grabener Pressensysteme, a Schuler subsidiary. The latter offers a press force of 12MN (1200tonf). It also includes a coil line, supplied by Schuler Automation, for maximum coil widths of 650mm and maximum coil thicknesses of 6mm, as well as an integrated 3D transfer system. The two presses are linked by a shuttle system. Tools are changed with the aid of a corresponding cart at two set-up facilities. The performance of the machines was a key factor for ZF in awarding the contract to Schuler. ZF's bid specification included the production of enclosure plates, connecting plates, disk drivers, cover plates and various clutch parts. Important for all parts is thei...

Yokogawa Electric Corporation has announced the release of Centum VP R4.02, an enhanced version of the company's integrated production control system. This version of Centum VP has been enhanced to help Yokogawa's customers improve productivity. It includes a more intuitive human machine interface (HMI) and strengthened consolidated alarm management. For increased reliability, a Foundation fieldbus engineering function is provided to improve reliability and allows full use of the intelligent capabilities of field devices. Centum VP R4.02 features closer linkage with Yokogawa's latest safety instrumented system - version R2.03.00 of the Yokogawa Prosafe-RS SIS. It is now possible to operate and monitor this system and the Centum VP production control system through the same HMI. This linkage between the two systems is said to improve safety and efficiency. Enhanced consolidated alarm management functions incorporated in version R4.02 include the ability of alarm engineering...