The need arose to retrofit an existing robotic demould cell to handle a new product. The challenge was to design a gripper that could pick 8 parts from the mould, re–orientate their position and angle, then place them in a set pattern in a tray. The gripper needed to weigh less than 4 Kgs.

A light weight gripper was designed that used a number of intricate mechanisms to perform the position and angular re– orientation in one operation, driven by one cylinder. To keep weight down many parts were manufactured from aerospace grade aluminium.

The multifunctional gripper provided a cost effective solution for the application by eliminating the requirement for complex downstream re–orientation of the parts.

A compact robot cell featuring an ABB IRB 120 robot mounted from the roof to transfer 8 moulded assemblies from one tray format to another, maintaining traceability. Parts were accurately placed within 10 seconds, giving a 30% productivity gain and significant labour reduction.

The cell occupied less than 1m2 as all services were built into the frame, and was designed to be re–configurable for future projects.

The concept was so successful that it has been developed further and branded as RobotCube.

DVD boxes are manufactured from a single polypropylene component with a living hinge. The robotic system demoulded the boxes, flexed and closed the living hinges, stacked / stored all closed boxes for up to 12 hours before automatically releasing them in sequence to the next process for film welding.

The solution included a high speed side entry demould robot capable of demoulding a 2+2 mould with a ‘mould held open’ or ‘mould delay’ time of less than 0.5 seconds. This was achieved through the use of high performance servo motors and high speed linear bearings.

Systems were designed and built for 2+2 and 4+4 configurations. The solution became the default industry solution and more than 100 systems were supplied globally.

A leading plastic pail manufacturer needed a robot demould system for a new injection machine. A radical solution was designed that provided a step change in the speed with which plastic moulded pails could be demoulded, resulting in significant cycle time reduction.

The robot monitored and followed the position of the moving platen allowing the robot to enter the mould as it opened. The robot arm was manufactured from high strength carbon fibre tubes keeping them thin and strong. Pails were gripped by suction cups and were removed from the core before the mould was fully open due to accurate timing of the ejection sequence.

The system worked extremely well and solutions were developed for 1 cavity, 2 cavity and 2+2 cavity mould configurations resulting in big production output gains.

A bespoke solution was required to fit within the very limited space around an alumium die casting cell. The system operates in a challenging hostile environment to deliver casting inserts to an accurate location inside a casting cell for collection by the cell robot.

Special pucks were designed to transfer the inserts via a FlexLink conveyor from a convenient operator loading point outside the cell to a pick and place unit within the cell guarding. A significant reduction in the labour requirement for the process was achieved.

Three systems have been installed and have significantly contributed to the success of a difficult and unusual die casting project.

An aluminium die casting process requires a water based lubricant to be applied to the mould face each cycle to aid release of the part from the mould. Good process control and knowledge of the various factors helps improve the process and ensure cycle to cycle consistency.

Notio developed a next generation lubricant dilution and delivery system with enhanced dose control and monitoring functions. The solution included process tanks, process valves, and a precise and variable dose control system to ensure accurate dilution and a high pressure pump delivery. The pump delivery included flow and pressure measurement.

An optional data logging function allowed critical data to be recorded and transferred to USB for process improvement analysis and control cost.

Certain high value drugs are manufactured in bulk with blank foil and then customised for regional variation on order or delivery.  This system used latest generation Xaar print heads and a custom design handling system.  Blisters were lifted from tubes and placed in synchronisation on a continuous moving pattern in twin lanes.  Blisters were printed in registration with an allowance for different registration per lane or missing blisters.  The process included pre inspection, print with variable data, UV cure and post inspection before blisters were repacked into tubes.