January, 2024- 3D vision, robot control and smart software automate cleanup of cut steel plate without the need for programming.
Freeform bending is commonly used for parts with angles greater than 180 degrees
Growing demand for sustainable, eco-friendly products is expected to boost consumption of heavy steel plate in 2024. For manufacturers faced with the daily grind of cleaning cut plate, Teqram B.V. has developed a vision-controlled, automated process for slag removal, deburring and rounding off edges.
“Manual grinding, deburring, removal of slag and oxide layers, and beveling is time-consuming, costly and physically taxing for operators,” says Frans Tollenaar, co-owner of Teqram. “Yet these tasks are essential if a company wants to avoid part functionality and longevity issues and eliminate safety hazards. For example, edges must be broken or rounded to prevent downstream processes like painting from chipping or cracking.”
REMOVING BARRIERS
Despite the race to automate, job shops and manufacturers find lack of user-friendly software programs and ongoing labor shortages to be stumbling blocks. “We recognized the limitations of conventional robotic solutions for the demands of manufacturing environments that run lowvolume, high variety part applications,” he says. “It prompted us to push the limits of autonomous systems through ‘hand-eye coordination’ by developing vision technology for our robots. Our robot manipulators are a perfect fit for the heavy plate sector, since we can handle parts up to 750 kg [1,650 lbs].”
Teqram’s EasyEye is a platform for 3D vision and robot control. In combination with the company’s patented control system for grinding tools, EasyEye makes automating slag removal, deburring, grinding and chamfering painless. The company also developed EasyFlipper to turn heavy plate parts upside down within seconds. Parts are typically inverted using a crane with a plate-clamp or a crowbar. In addition to scratching or damaging the part, these methods are time-consuming and can set the stage for injuries.
Conventional robot systems need to know exactly where parts are located. Some traditional robots require parts to be stacked in special containers or jigs. With EasyEye guiding Teqram’s robot, parts are automatically detected and handled. Parts and contours are also automatically identified via machine vision.
“For jobs where material handling is automated, our robot makes autonomous gripper-selections based on center of gravity and part type,” says Tollenaar. “EasyGrinder deslags and grinds the part. Because it’s a vision-guided robot, the operator does not need to do any programming. He or she only needs to select the robot’s tasks. With standard manual grinding and deslagging tools, our vision-guided robot can perform grinding procedures impossible for humans, due its strength and stability.”
Presently, the Teqram EasyGrinder is limited to applications for steel parts and is especially suited to parts cut with, plasma or oxy-fuel. Common cleaning processes begin with slag removal, then top and edge cleanup, edge grinding and chamfering. The part is then flipped and the process repeated before moving downstream. Parts up to 1,300 lbs. can be easily processed. “Our vision-guided robot system can pick up a part, load it, process it, flip it and process the other side in approximately 5 to 10 minutes,” he says. “The EasyEye is able to see where the part is on the flipper, which is a big advantage because even if you hold the part with a magnet while flipping it, you can’t always be sure that the part hasn’t shifted on the table.”
With smart software handling all the decisions for a job, Teqram’s robot is able to generate robotpaths dynamically. This eliminates the need for programming which would be necessary in a conventional robot system.
TOUCH TECHNOLOGY
EasyEye acquires geometric and optical information and makes it accessible to network-connected processing and storage with EasyIO. An open interface with the EasyFlexibleFramework allows myriad inputs/outputs and big data to be integrated into any business process. “Robots, even vision-guided ones, benefit from touch,” says Tollenaar. “Our touch-technology builds on a mix of sensors, soft - ware and distribution I/O. This means if a chisel gets jammed due to material that is exceptionally tough, the robot will automatically take a different chiselling strategy to complete the process.”
In addition to tools to make a radius or chamfers on part edges, other options can be included in the EasyGrinder tool rack. It contains a variety of tools ready for robotized deburring and slag removal.
Increased part consistency and productivity along with reduced wear of abrasive tools are just a few of the benefits that users can expect.
“Our robot picks up the product, selects the right tool and starts,” says Tollenaar. “It’s unmanned production from start to end with no programming required. Our systems also have the flexibility to deal with product variations or changes in environment. Right now, we’re focused on metalworking applications. Down the road, we expect to solve problems for a broader range of industrial challenges.”
Teqram B.V., http://teqram.com/
