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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Sepro Adds a More Affordable 5-Axis-Servo Robot; Upgrades General-Purpose Success Range

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Sepro Group is developing a new 5-axis-servo robot solution as part of a program to redesign its popular Success general-purpose Cartesian robots. Designated as the Success Line X, the 5-axis units will combine the redesigned Success 3-axis platform with a 2-axis servo wrist co-developed with Yaskawa Motoman. A prototype of the new configuration, which will be available in Q3 2020, is on display Hall 12, Stand A49 at the K 2019 plastics show, which is being held October 16 – 23 at Messe Dusseldorf in Germany.

The Success Line X brings new levels of flexibility to general-purpose robotic automation on plastics injection-molding machines from 20 to 700 tons. It expands Sepro’s 5-axis offering, which already includes the 5X Line of small and mid-size robots, and the 7X Line large robots. Both are premium robots that feature a 2-axis servo wrist developed in partnership with Stäubli Robotics. Stäubli and Yaskawa also collaborate with Sepro on a line of 6-axis articulated-arm robots.

“The full servo wrist on Success Line X robots is a feature previously found only on more technological robots,” explains Claude Bernard, Product Marketing Director. “Among other advantages, the servo wrist can be easily adapted with simple digital commands, guaranteeing greater flexibility and faster production changeovers — approaching Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) methodology. We believe this represents the future of Cartesian robots.”

General-Purpose Flexibility

The Success Line X robots adapt more easily than 3-axis units to quick mold changes, secondary operations and other situations requiring flexibility. This is their primary advantage compared to a simple 3-axis robot with a pneumatic wrist. The positional sensors in the servo motors allow the robot to know exactly where the wrist – and gripper mounted to it — are positioned at all times. In fact, the robot can move in all 5 axes at any time with complete control. This allows the robot to complete complicated motions. Thus, it becomes easier to extract a large, complex part with minimal clearance between mold halve or tie bars, or to position parts for secondary operations. At the same time, it becomes possible to use simpler end-of-arm tooling (EOAT), since the servo wrist more easily compensates for minor misalignments.

Many of these complex part-manipulation tasks have historically been assigned to 6-axis articulated-arm robots. However, because it is a Cartesian or linear robot, the 5-axis Success X robots offer faster intervention into the mold space for shorter cycle times, while delivering the flexibility inside and outside the mold otherwise associated with an articulated unit. Set-up and operation are highly intuitive and programming was designed to fit the unique needs of injection molding.

Success-ful Redesign

When it becomes available next year, the redesigned Success platform can be expected to carry on the legacy of affordable performance begun when the product line was first introduced in 2011. Four different models, sized for small and mid-sized molding machines up to 700 tons, will continue to be available.

The new generation will have sleek, streamlined styling and features like an extended strip stroke which, in certain applications, can allow a robot of a given size to serve a higher-tonnage molding machine than previously possible.

Sepro engineers also have returned to the use of cam follower bearings for linear motions of the new Success robots. Developed and patented by Sepro some years ago to handle the heavy payloads and long strokes on the large robots, they are now standard on all Cartesian robots. This recognized technology provides more even weight distribution and smoother operation compared to linear bearings and also is more tolerant of dust and other contaminants.

At K 2019, a new Success 22X robot is operating side-by-side a 5X-25, so that Sepro’s full offering of 5-axis robot solutions for small to mid-sized IMMs is represented.

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