EROWA Report - WEISS GmbH by EROWA

REPORT - WEISS GMBH

The T-Rex effect At Weiss GmbH in Buchen, an ultra-modern production cell was recently put into operation. It even drew a “boy, oh boy” from Sven Erfurt, responsible director for the project. But let’s start at he beginning. The company Transfer systems, deltoid robots, handling units and functionally safe rotary indexing tables are the core competence of Weiss GmbH. This extensive product portfolio is offered worldwide. Today, 350 of the 500 employees work at the main location in Buchen. Comprehensive service, the uncompromising demand for quality and cooperation based on partnership result in great advantages for the customers. The situation Ongoing process improvement is one of the tasks in the Manufacturing Technology department. In this context, Mr. Erfurt and his team began thinking several years ago about the possibility of producing the many cast components, especially gearbox housings, in a single clamping operation. This, of

course, was not only for the benefit of precision, but also for the efficiency on the production machines. Soon the discussion turned to the procurement of several CNC machining centers with automatic workpiece loading. Since the first, very positive, experiences had already been made with the zero point clamping systems from EROWA, the idea was relatively obvious to discuss the requirements for the new system with an EROWA process specialist. In search of solutions After initial clarifications on site, in which the suppliers of the POS Mill 800U processing machines were also involved, the first proposals were drawn up. The fact that only version V.14 of the layout plan depicts the final installed system clearly shows that such projects cannot be developed from one day to the next. A wide variety of requirements had to be met. • On the one hand, the specifications for „only one clamping“ had to be met. This was achieved by using the EROWA MTS Zero Point Clamping system and the ingeniously simple but highly effective fixtures on the pallets.

The T-Rex about to jump.

REPORT - WEISS GMBH

• Another requirement was the autonomy of the system. A complete third shift was to be produced unmanned. It quickly became clear that a corresponding number of pallets with prepared workpieces would have to be provided. • In order to ensure the logistics of the components on the one hand and an optimum working environment for the system operators on the other, two independent setup stations were included in the specifications right from the start. • For continuous production, the appropriate amount of tools had to be provided. Another requirement was to make this sub-task as clear as possible. · Last but not least, the software that controls the entire cell had to be as easy to operate as it was complete in terms of monitoring and feedback of the processes. The cell - concept From all these specifications, it was clear that a solution with a rail-mounted robot would be the optimal choice. In this case,

the necessary pallet storage spaces would be placed on one side and the processing machines on the opposite side of the linear track. Detailed clarifications also revealed that only the EROWA Robot Six had the necessary load-bearing capacity and the scope to reach into the machine. So, the choice was settled, and only the variant with the 6-axis robot was pursued. The proposal, detailed to meet the requirements, was well received and Weiss GmbH opted for the solution offered by EROWA. The process control system Anyone still recall the DOS command: a:\\dir\ ? A lot has happened since the time when we had to tell the PC what to do for us. Today, we have reached the point where sophisticated programs suggest to us how to deal with the task at hand. The EROWA JMS 4.0 process control system is a program that is fully aimed at making production work easier. The assistance, such as process step sequence and graphical representation of

REPORT - WEISS GMBH

the individual units, is a matter of course. At Weiss, the focus is on supporting the accompanying work steps. For example, the processes at the setup stations are displayed graphically on screens.

Overview of the entire system. Blue are the CNC machines, green the pallet storage locations.

The implementation EROWA‘s expertise is to offer everything from individually automated machines to entire production lines and even the entire process control with integration in ERP and CAD systems from a single source. As foreseen in the project schedule, we built the entire infrastructure, except for the CNC machines, in our assembly line. It included 15 meters of rail and 11 rack magazines, each with three places for a workpiece with maximum dimensions of 700 × 600 × 450 mm. We also incorporated the ER-Six, 6-axis robot with a load capacity of 500 kg and an operating envelope of over 2000 mm. The two loading stations for setting up the workpieces and the machine interface boxes rounded off the impressive size of the system. Now came the first real milestone in the whole affair: pre-acceptance testing by the customer at our facility in Büron, Switzerland. And here came the „T-Rex effect“ mentioned at the beginning. When Mr. Erfurt came through the door into the assembly hall, he froze and then said bluntly: „Well, I‘ll go out again and come back in. You really have to let this line sink

in first!“ The reaction is quite understandable; when faced with the big Robot Six on rails, comparisons to a T-Rex automatically come to mind. That‘s also the internal pet name the robot has since acquired at Weiss. The 11 magazines lined up with the loading stations seemed to get lost in the depth of the hall. Off into reality After the successful pre-acceptance test, the entire system was dismantled, packed, loaded onto three flatbed trucks and transported to Buchen in the Odenwald region. The designated

These vier Diese fourCNC CNCMaschinen machines type vom POS Typ POS Mill H800U Mill H800U are responsind für die Bearbeitung sible for machining. zuständig.

REPORT - WEISS GMBH

production hall was ready. In the correct order, the CNC machines were positioned, the linear track laid out and secured with strong anchors. All other components were also set up and the system was put into operation. Testing to the very bones In line with the scope of the project, an intensive test phase was started in order to eliminate remaining loose ends. In some cases, the theory of process organization had to be adapted to the practice of production engineering. But also on the practical workshop side, changes in the process became necessary. And not to be forgotten: The people in the workshop were highly challenged to adjust to the fully automated cell and to learn the new possibilities so that they could exploit the full potential. Today, the entire system runs in multi-shift operation and the intended components are produced with the required quality and reliability.

First experience When asked whether he would approach anything fundamentally different from today‘s perspective after all the experience with the project, Mr. Erfurt replies, „No, not fundamentally. For us, this was the first automation project with multiple 5-axis CNC‘s and all. Both the commissioning and the learning curve during the first productive period demanded a lot from all of us. Today, however, we have our T-Rex well under control.“

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