More productive sawing and automation

Whether in the steel trade, the automotive and supplier industry or in mechanical and plant engineering: metal processing companies across all sectors have been facing increasing demands for years. Customers expect ever greater production flexibility, from batch size one to large series. The variety of materials and dimensions is constantly increasing, while quality requirements and cost pressure are growing at the same time. In order to survive in global competition in the long term, solutions are therefore required that can implement different production tasks variably and efficiently.

Wide range of options for using robots

As a central component of metal processing, sawing technology offers great potential for optimization. More and more users are relying on intelligently networking individual workflows relating to the sawing process and automating them with robot support. The advantages are obvious: industrial robots work quickly, reliably and precisely - 24 hours a day if necessary and without human intervention. They don't get tired or sick, and they are also extremely versatile with the right tools. "We can now not only carry out various handling and transport tasks, but also numerous processing steps efficiently with the help of robots," explains Volker Bühler, Group Manager TB Robotics at sawing and storage technology specialist Kasto.

Automation starts with the material feed: With the help of suitable conveyor technology, for example roller conveyors or magazines, the raw material to be sawn is fed into the machine. This avoids laborious lifting and carrying and reduces the risk of injury to employees. The sawing process itself also runs unmanned if the machine is equipped accordingly - supported by an automatic material feed and an intelligent machine control system that automatically sets all parameters such as cut-off length or cutting speed based on the job data. Modern production saws can therefore complete different jobs with different materials and diameters one after the other and work autonomously.

Removing, processing, stacking - all automatically

Industrial robots offer further great potential when it comes to handling and further processing the finished sections. For example, they can remove the sawn parts from the machine so that this recurring work step is no longer necessary for employees. The robots can also be used with the appropriate tools to deburr, chamfer, mark, center or measure the workpieces. The sections can be weighed, sorted by size or order and stacked on pallets or in containers. Seamless transfer to an automated guided vehicle system (AGV) is also possible. "For complex processes with different work steps, we also use combinations of several robots and clamping devices," explains Kasto expert Bühler.

For volume saws that only produce a few different component geometries, downstream processes can be automated relatively easily. The situation is somewhat different for individualized contract saws, which have to flexibly process numerous materials and dimensions: "The greater the variety, the more challenging it is to fully cover it," notes Bühler. For example, the optimal selection of robot tools is important. The robot should be able to handle all objects with as few tools as possible. This reduces acquisition costs, shortens non-productive times and increases productivity. Users can choose from mechanical, magnetic or vacuum-operated grippers. These should also be as compact as possible.