A message from Xavier Lucas, Chief Sales Officer, Sepro Group

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The unprecedented health crisis that the whole world is going through has altered daily life for everyone. During this complicated period, Sepro Group remains committed to serving it customers, while working closely with our partners and suppliers.

Sepro’s main priority is the health of its employees, customers and partners, in compliance with measures taken by the health authorities. Nevertheless, Sepro Group employees are continuing to work as best they can under the circumstances. Our factory is still open and we have taken health and safety measures to ensure that manufacturing can continue, especially to support the needs of essential industries like medical, food, transport, etc.

More than ever, Sepro Group is adapting to the constraints inherent in the situation. Customers are asked to keep us informed about any measures your company has taken that could impact the delivery of robots, spare parts or the intervention by our service team. Any delivery or other intervention will be subject to prior confirmation of customers and carriers.

More information on the actions Sepro Group is taking during this crisis is available on our website at: http://www.sepro-group.com/coronavirus-covid-19-faq/

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Conair and Partners Producing IV Tube and 3-D Filament on Medical Extrusion Line

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Conair Group, together with technology partners Davis Standard and Zumbach Electronics, are demonstrating production of extruded 4.5-mm (0.18-inch) thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) medical tubing and ABS 1.7mm 3-D-printing filament at MD&M West 2020. The demo line, which will highlight the latest technology in extrusion, vacuum sizing/cooling, gauging, coiling, conveying, and quality control, takes place in Booth 4024 of the annual show, which is being held at the Anaheim Convention Center, February 11-13, 2020.

 

The demonstration marks the first MD&M appearance of the space-saving Conair HTMP multi-pass vacuum-sizing/cooling tank and the ATC Series coiler. Instead of making a single pass through a long tank, the extrudate follows a Z-shaped path so that the compact, 12-ft-long HTMP tank provides cooling time equivalent to a 30-ft tank while fitting neatly into the 20 x 30-ft Conair tradeshow booth. The ATC Series coiler provides tensionless winding of extruded tubing and filament to prevent damage, and is equipped with an automatic coil-isolation safety feature that prevents user access to moving coils.

 

 

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Sepro Molding Demo at Plastec West 2020 -Demonstrates Robot/Human Collaboration

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Sepro America is demonstrating the potential for collaboration between human workers and robots in Booth 3965 at Plastec West 2020, which is taking place Feb. 11 – 13 at the Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

The simulated plastics injection-molding cell involves a Sepro Success 11 Cartesian beam robot and a UR5e collaborative robot (cobot) from Universal Robots. The 3-axis industrial Success robot operates in a protective enclosure, where it removes a ‘part’ (actually a USB stick) from a simulated mold. Then it traverses to a small opening in the side of the enclosure where it positions the stick for pick-up by the UR5e running outside the protected area. The cobot then turns and places the stick in a magazine where it can be picked up by human visitors to the booth.

“Cobots are perfectly suited to peripheral operations that require human-machine interactions,” says Jim Healy, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Sepro America, “and these capabilities are increasingly in demand in the plastics industry. By combining Sepro’s experience in plastics molding with the collaborative technologies of Universal Robots we can offer our customers even greater flexibility and performance in these systems.”

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Sepro Exhibits at Swiss Plastics Expo

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For the first time since beginning direct sales and service to support injection molders in Switzerland, Sepro Group is exhibiting at Swiss Plastics Expo 2020. The company will demonstrate a Model 6X-60 6-axis robot and a 3-axis Success 5 unit at the trade fair, which takes place 21 – 23 January at Messe Luzern.

http://www.collins-marcom.com/wp-content/uploads/Success-5-_1_-HD.jpgSepro Switzerland was formed in 2017. Thomas Scherz, Area Sales Manager, maintains an office in Winterthur, northeast of Zurich. From there, he and a full-time service technician serve the German-speaking areas of Switzerland. The French-speaking western region of the country is covered by Olivier Violy, a 25-year Sepro employee who also covers southeastern France. Customers in the Italian-speaking southeast of Switzerland work with Sepro’s Italian distributor, Sverital SpA.

At Swiss Plastics, Sepro is demonstrating two of its smallest robots in Hall 1, Booth D1084. The first, a Model 6X-60 six-axis articulated-arm robot, is one of four units developed in partnership with Stäubli. Sized to serve injection-molding machines with up to 100 tons of clamp, it has a maximum payload capacity of 9 kg and an operating radius of up to 920 mm. The 6X-60 can handle almost any automation task, from simple part unloading to more complex operations. Other Sepro 6-axis robots are able to serve IMMs up to 5000 tons.

Sepro is also exhibiting its Success 5 robot, the smallest in its “universal” Success line of 3-axis robots for plastics injection molding applications. The Success 5 is designed to deliver big performance in a compact package, offering precise, 3-axis servo performance for pick-and-place and stacking applications on presses up to 80 tons. Four larger models in the Success line – the Success 7, Success 11, Success 22, and Success 33 – can equip molding machines up to 700 tons.

Visitors to the Sepro stand also have the opportunity to get hands-on experience using the Visual control – the control platform that is used to operate all Sepro robots – and lean about various services including:

  • Open integration: offering seamless integration of Sepro’s robots and the controls of any IMM via the “Easy Package” approach
  • OptiCycle: the Sepro wizard that helps programmers develop a standardized and optimized robot cycle
  • Live Support: a smart-device application that streamlines robot troubleshooting and maintenance to maximize uptime.

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New Thermolator® TCUs from Conair Now Offer Non-Ferrous Cast-Bronze Construction

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The latest Conair Thermolator® temperature-control units (TCUs) offer processors optional non-ferrous construction for all wetted parts, making them highly resistant to corrosion and other problems associated with process water supplies that are untreated, unfiltered, or of limited quality. This option is now available in all Thermolator TCUs that use water as coolant.

The new product feature includes a cast-bronze pump volute, heater tube, mixing tube, and impeller. The combination is designed to deliver longer working life than previous corrosion-resistant Thermolator TCU products, explains Jim Fisher, Conair’s Sales Manager, Heat Transfer. “Thermolator TCUs with non-ferrous construction are a great solution for processors who are using distilled or RO (reverse osmosis) water, both of which can be aggressive to iron components, and who want to reduce corrosion levels in their process cooling systems. Medical molders and others can benefit from this design.”

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New Conair ResinWorks™ Central Drying Systems Offer Individualized Hopper Monitoring, Trending, and Control

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The latest Conair ResinWorks™ central drying and pre-conditioning system gives users the option to equip each drying hopper with its own 4-inch color touchscreen HMI, enabling independent operation, data monitoring, and other advanced control features.

“This option allows users of new ResinWorks systems to implement advanced control features on a per-hopper basis, even if they are using an older Conair dryer—or certain competitive dryers,” says A.J. Zambanini, Conair’s Drying Product Manager. He explains that the new HMIs, part of a control system upgrade reaching across Conair’s dryer line, offer much simpler, plain-text interaction with hopper features, settings, and help information.

ResinWorks multi-hopper units or sleds, equipped with hopper-specific HMIs, give users instant access to a range of features and control settings, including:

  • Auto-start. Users can program automatic start-up for individual hoppers so that pre-drying begins at a set day and time, and under specified drying conditions.
  • Temperature control. The HMI can be used to set and monitor different temperatures at each hopper, enabling the system to dry a variety of different resins simultaneously.
  • Drying Monitor. The HMI displays data and trends from Conair Drying Monitor™ probes which measure the temperature profile of resin at multiple points in each hopper. It also supports Conair’s “material ready” feature, which prevents material from being conveyed out of a ResinWorks hopper until the control verifies that the material has been properly dried per user instructions.
  • Temperature setback. Once desired drying conditions are reached, the HMI supports automatic temperature setback that reduces the temperature in the hopper to a lower standby temperature to prevent over-drying, save energy, and keep resin ready for immediate use.
  • Energy consumption and trending. Users can precisely track energy consumption trends in real time for each hopper, then use consumption data from the HMI display to calculate production costs more accurately.

Users who pair the latest ResinWorks equipment with one of Conair’s new Carousel Plus™ dryers have the added option of controlling all hoppers centrally using the dryer control, or locally with the optional HMIs.

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Sepro Group Demonstrating Robot/Human Collaboration at K 2019

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Sepro Group is presenting two examples of interaction between humans and robots in separate demonstrations on the company’s stand (Hall 12, Stand A49) at the K 2019 plastics show, which is being held October 16 – 23 at Messe Dusseldorf in Germany.

Sepro, the global leader in the field of robots and industrial automation for the plastic industry, recently signed a cooperation agreement with Universal Robots, market leader in collaborative robots. That partnership allows Sepro to integrate cobots into the automation solutions it develops for injection molders.

Sepro is well-known for developing molding cells that can involve multiple robots and specialized end-of-arm tooling (EOAT), plus a variety of feeders (bowl, drawer or manual), inspection devices, cavity separation, degating/trimming, box filling and other equipment – all customized to suit specific manufacturing objectives. The partnership agreement with Universal robots means that Sepro can now also incorporate cobots, where applicable, into these automation systems.

For instance, if a cobot were used to stage inserts for pick-up and placement by a conventional Cartesian or articulated-arm robot, human operators could safely refill the insert feeder while the cobot was operating. In contrast, a conventional robot would need to be guarded with physical barriers or proximity sensor to protect the operators. Or, a cobot could be used to perform some simple post-mold task and then hand the part off to a human operator for more complex finishing steps.

Sepro Product Marketing Director Claude Bernard says “cobots are perfectly adapted to peripheral operations that require human-machine interactions… increasingly in demand in the plastics industry. By combining Sepro’s experience in plastics molding with the collaborative technologies of Universal Robots we can offer our customers even greater flexibility and performance in these systems.”

On the Booth

In one demonstration, a cobot serves as the link between a Haitian International molding machine, equipped with a Sepro Success 11 Cartesian robot, and visitors participating in the demonstration. As the molding machine produces drinking cups, visitors can use a key pad to enter a brief message (a name, for instance) that is printed onto a label. After the Success robot removes the cup from the injection mold and places it on a table, the cobot retrieves it, applies the label and presents the personalized cup to the visitor. In keeping with the K show theme related to the Circular Economy, the label and the cup are recyclable.

A second cobot is running in a stand-alone demonstration of robot/human interaction. Visitors to the booth use a control screen to choose between a round box of candy and a square one. With the help of a flexible-feeding system — provided by the Swiss company Asyril SA – and input from a machine-vision camera, the cobot picks the appropriate shape from the feeder and places it on a table in front of the visitor.

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Sepro Demonstrates Automation Solutions With IMM Makers and Technology Partners

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Under its “Experience Full Control” banner, Sepro Group is presenting a series of demonstrations and exhibits that harness the power of collaboration to achieve new levels of productivity, quality and flexibility in plastics injection molding. Sepro is exhibiting in Hall 12, Stand A49 at K 2019, the world’s largest plastics show, which is being held October 16 – 23 at Messe Dusseldorf in Germany.

A total of eight robots are operating on the stand, including 3-, 5- and 6-axis models, as well as collaborative units (cobots), provided through a recently announced partnership with Universal Robots. Several of the robots will be part of automation cells centered on two operating injection-molding machines. Sepro products also can be seen operating on the stands of eleven IMM partners exhibiting at the show.

“A large part of Sepro’s recent growth is thanks to the breadth of technology we offer as a result of collaboration with injection-molding machine makers and other automation companies,” notes Eric Radat, President of Sepro Group. “It is what makes it possible for our customers to ’Experience Full Control,’ and it is on full display in Dusseldorf this October.”

Molding Cells

One of the two automation cells on the stand features a Sumitomo Demag molding machine producing a technical component that will be removed from the mold by an SDR Speed 7 robot. Made by Sepro especially for sale with Sumitomo Demag machines, this robot, is a special high-speed version of Sepro’s S5-25 3-axis Cartesian robot capable of getting in and out of the mold space in under 1 sec.

The other molding cell includes a Sepro – Universal Robots cobot together with a Sepro Success 11 Cartesian robot operating on a molding machine from Haitian International that is producing drinking cups using a mold supplied by French mold maker SIMON. As the cups are molded, visitors watching the demonstration can enter a brief message (a name, for instance) to be printed onto a label using a system provided BluhmWeber Group. The cobot then applies the label and hands the personalized cup to the visitor. In keeping with the K fair’s “Circular Economy” theme, the label and the cup are recyclable.

A second cobot will be running in a stand-alone demonstration of robot/human interaction. Visitors to the booth are invited to choose between a round box of candy and a square one. With the help of a flexible-feeding system — provided by the Swiss company Asyril SA – and input from a machine-vision camera, the cobot picks the appropriate shape and places it on a table where the visitor can retrieve it.

Redesigned Success Robots Deliver Affordable 5-Axis Option

A prototype of a new 5-axis-servo version of its updated Success Line of robots is being shown for the first time at K 2019. The Success 22 X combines a redesigned Success 3-axis Cartesian platform with a 2-axis servo wrist co-developed with Yaskawa Motoman. Slated for introduction in Q3 2020, the Success Line X offers a new level of performance in general-purpose robotic automation for IMMs from 20 to 700 tons. For more advanced applications, the Sepro 5-axis offering already includes the 5X Line of small and mid-size robots and the 7X Line of large robots.

“My Gripper” Makes Sourcing EOAT Component Simple

Through an imaginative collaboration with Gimatic and AGS, Sepro now offers one-stop access to over 700 components used in building robotic end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) for plastic injection-molding applications. The My Gripper system enables easy selection of compatible EOAT components, including structural parts, vacuum cups, sprue-cutting elements and a whole range of tooling accessories. A 66-page My Gripper catalog gives molders easy access to more components from a single source than ever, all backed by advice and technical support from Sepro locations worldwide.

Visual Dashboard and Visual Plant, Featured in ‘Sepro Lab’

Visual Dashboard is a ‘smart data’ solution that harnesses the power of Sepro’s Visual robot control to collect real-time production data from an IMM served by a Sepro robot. Data include cycle times, mold-open times, and production and quality rates essential to calculating Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). The data collected on several cells can be gathered on an existing MES or integrated on a dedicated platform. During the K Show, the system will present data collected from the operating molding machines in Sepro’s booth on a demonstrator called Visual Plant. This system can aggregate data even from older IMMs and from machines from different manufacturers.

The Visual Dashboard and the Visual Plant demonstrator are available to visitors to try out in a special ‘Sepro Lab’ section of the stand. The space is dedicated to new and existing projects aimed at providing technologies that make it easier for molders to use Sepro robots efficiently and profitably. Also available for guests to use are:

  • Open integration: the Sepro’s robots can be implemented on any IMM and, with the “Easy Package” approach, seamless integration into the IMM controls is possible.
  • OptiCycle, the Sepro wizard that helps programmers develop a standardized and optimized robot cycle
  • Live Support, a smart-device application that streamlines robot troubleshooting and maintenance to maximize uptime.
  • Experience the user-friendliness of Visual control

Other Sepro Robots at K 2019

The Sepro commitment to integration and collaboration now makes it possible for injection molders to get packaged machine/robot solutions through manufacturers from Germany, Japan, China, USA, France and elsewhere. At K 2019, more than a dozen different IMM suppliers are operating Sepro robots on their own machines. These include:

 

EXHIBITOR COUNTRY STAND
Sumitomo Demag Japan/Germany 15-D22
Haitian China 15-A57
Billion France 15-B24
Romi Brazil 15-D40
Chen Hsong China 13-B43
Tederik China 15-A41
Woojin Plaimm Korea 15-D58
JSW Japan 13-B45
Lien Fa Taiwan 13-D40
Kurtz Germany 13-B27
Bole China 15-B59

 

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Sepro Lab at K 2019 Allows Visitors to Explore Smart Data Concepts and 4.0 Digital Services

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Sepro Group, the global supplier of robots and automation systems for plastics injection molding, has dedicated a special section of its stand at K 2019 to innovative new concepts and digital services.

Called ‘Sepro Lab’ the space allows visitors to see and evaluate some of the company’s most advanced digital developments, including a new Visual Production Dashboard that captures robot operations data to help improve overall plant efficiency. The latest versions of OptiCycle, an automatic robot-cycle optimization system, and Live Support, a maintenance assistant app, are also available for visitors to use. Sepro is exhibiting in Hall 12, Stand A49 at the world’s largest plastics show, which is being held October 16 – 23 at Messe Dusseldorf in Germany.

Smart Data for Molders

In normal operation, the robot control automatically gathers a lot of data from the injection-molding machine and from its own operation. In that sense, Sepro robots are like smart sensors and their data can be used calculate – in real time — Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), an essential KPI (Key Performance Indicator) measuring the productivity of a plant.

“Robots and IMMs do not collect the same data,” explains Jean-Laurent Lagadic, Electronics R&D Director at Sepro Group. “The molding machine collects data from its own processes, Since it operates at the center of the automation system of the production cell, Sepro’s Visual robot control can aggregate the data produced by the whole cell (IMM and peripherals) with its own measurements. For instance, the robot can measure the rate of good and bad parts produced by the cell.  The outstanding connectivity provided by Visual allows Sepro to propose what the customer really needs in order to build the molding plant of tomorrow.”

During the K Show, Sepro will be collecting data from the two injection-molding machines operating on its stand. And, in the Sepro Lab area, visitors will be able to view the KPIs on a Visual Dashboard on the robot control pendant. In the future, this data could also be used as part of a predictive maintenance program.

The system can aggregate data from multiple molding machines on a single platform called Visual Plant, so that molders can evaluate performance across an entire molding plant. The information could be added to an existing MES (Manufacturing Execution System) or presented on a stand-alone computer, as it will be shown in Sepro’s K Show booth.

“There are other systems available to do many of these same things,” says Xavier Lucas, Chief Sales Officer, “but they are not always open, they can be expensive and difficult to use, or dependent on advanced IMM control systems. Visual Dashboard and Visual Plant, on the other hand, can do it all simply and easily by aggregating the production data from all the Sepro robots in the plant. And it does it with existing equipment. Even older robots can be monitored if they have Visual controls. And it all works in real-time.”

Cycle Optimization & Technical Support

The Sepro Lab at K 2019 also offers visitors the opportunity to try out the latest versions of two other control developments, including OptiCycle, a control wizard that helps even inexperienced technicians create optimized robot programs, guaranteeing the fastest possible cycle through the whole factory. OptiCycle can reduce robot in-mold cycle times up to 40 percent and cuts the total injection-molding cycles by about 5 percent, delivering a corresponding increase in productivity.

A second control innovation is a smart-device application called Live Support that simplifies and accelerates customer access to Sepro technical service and troubleshooting assistance. The app links customers and Sepro service technicians and transmits precise, real-time robot information that speeds problem-solving and reduces downtime. In addition, the app supports voice or two-way video communication using a dedicated ‘hotline’ that is already available in France (from 6AM to 10PM) and which will be offered to Sepro’s customers worldwide in the coming months.

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Sepro ‘My Gripper’ System Makes Creating End-of-Arm Tooling Easier

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Sepro Group now gives molders one-stop access to over 700 components selected to make it easy to design and build robotic end-of-arm tooling (EOAT). My Gripper, as it is called, represents a unique approach to sourcing structural parts, vacuum cups, cutting elements and a whole range of tooling accessories made by Sepro and two other leading suppliers: Gimatic and AGS. My Gripper is being introduced to plastics injection molders at K 2019, the world’s largest plastics show being held October 16 – 23 at Messe Dusseldorf in Germany. Sepro is exhibiting in Hall 12, Stand A49.

 

EOAT is the mechanism that customizes a robot to handle a specific part or family of injection-molded parts. Not only is it used to remove parts from a mold but, using myriad specialized components, it can also perform other functions inside and outside the mold space. Tooling may be custom designed and built in special situations, but in many applications it can be assembled with standard components such as those offered by My Gripper.

In addition to the components themselves, Sepro is also offering advice and assistance to molders through its existing service outlets worldwide. This support includes guidance on using items made by any of the three partners. My Gripper is being launched in Europe at this time and will be deployed worldwide as soon as possible.

Sepro has offered EOAT components for many years under the KIT Tooling brand name. However, Xavier Lucas, Chief Sales Officer, says, with the innovative, partner-based and customer-focused My Gripper approach, Sepro now offers more options. “The added value of My Gripper is rooted in Sepro’s knowledge of the plastic injection-molding process,” he says. “By selecting components adapted to the needs of plastic processors, we make it easy and efficient to design and manufacture end-of-arm tooling. We are very happy to be working with the two leading component providers,Gimatic and AGS, to provide a one stop-shopping for our customers .”

The 66-page My Gripper catalog gives molders easy access to more components from a single source than ever before. Sections of the catalog cover:

  • Mounting plates and related parts
  • Structural elements (extrusions) and mounting accessories
  • Component holders, arms, cylinders and adapters
  • Mechanical grippers, fingers and needles
  • Cutting nippers, blades and bodies
  • Vacuum cups, flat and bellows designs
  • Electronic accessories, including splitter boxes, connectors, sensors
  • Pneumatic valves, hoses, connectors and other elements

All components have been selected for compatibility and ease of assembly. A two-page chart lists best-selling products and all items that can be used with them, regardless of manufacturer.

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