To give its customers maximum flexibility, the auto parts supplier Martinrea (
www.Martinrea.com) — a global company employing about 15,000 people — decided to equip its first large-scale press line in Mexico (at its facility in Silao) with a blank loader and multiple Crossbar Robot 4.0 units engineered by Schuler.
Since the Crossbar Robot is hung on a track, it can cover distances of up to 12m between press stations. Distances this large are mainly found on older lines, where space was provided for an unloading or turning station.
This means that the new Crossbar Robots can replace loading feeders, unloading feeders and part orientation stations in the gap between presses.
This frees up more space for maintenance, while also providing a significant boost in output.
The Crossbar Robot is based on a six-axis industrial robot that was ‘expanded’ by Schuler engineers to include two additional axes — one for the ‘hand’ of the robot arm and one for the horizontal drive — significantly enhancing the robot’s range of motion, flexibility and output. The maximum load capacity, including the tooling, is 90kg.
Moreover, with their ‘process data interface’, the new Crossbar Robots are equipped for Industry 4.0, allowing them to function as an ‘analysis tool’ that monitors processes and provides information about any errors that may occur.