FANUC Provides Vision of the Future at ZAP

“In our latest project for an international manufacturer of clamping tools operating in the electrical industry, we were tasked with creating a fully automated production line that would ensure a constant, defined cycle time for machining the clamping tool forgings,” explains Krystian Młynarczyk, Technologist at ZAP-Mechanika. ZAP-Mechanika subsequently engaged the services of sister company ZAP-Robotyka, an experienced specialist in the development and integration of robotic and automated workstations. Also based in Ostrów Wielkopolski, ZAP-Robotyka accepted the challenge, designing, constructing, delivering and implementing the entire production cell on behalf of ZAP-Mechanika.

Paweł Wróbel, Project Specialist at ZAP-Robotyka, explains the design and configuration: “In the robotic cell there’s a FANUC M-20𝑖D/35 six-axis industrial robot equipped with two FANUC 𝑖RVision 3D vision systems. The vision-enabled robot serves two ROBODRILL machining centres [𝛼-D21L𝑖A5 and 𝛼-D21L𝑖B5 models]. Each 𝑖RVision system connects directly to the robot, so ZAP-Mechanika can take advantage of extremely fast communication.”

Thanks to the large field of vision, FANUC 𝑖RVision systems are able to recognise and pick up randomly positioned objects straight from a workpiece tote bin as large as a pallet. The robot subsequently loads and unloads parts to and from the ROBODRILL machines. But that is not all, there is an extra innovation in the cell designed by ZAP-Robotyka.

“The system allows ZAP-Mechanika to work autonomously,” reveals Marta Portasiak, Constructor at ZAP-Robotyka. “This non-standard approach makes it possible to produce two different components in a single cell, with a single robot, significantly accelerating the production process.”

The project also saw ZAP-Robotyka develop a novel system for gripping and manipulating parts, and design special tooling for the workstation.