Solution
The automated robot cell handles de-magnetised magnets, overmoulds the magnet, magnetises the overmoulded magnet & finally places the part into a bagging machine presenting each bagged magnet to an operator via a 4 lane conveyor.
Load Station
Magnets are manually loaded onto a 6-station indexer in columns of 10 parts. The magnets are warmed to approximately 40°C by a series of fan heaters positioned around the indexer. The robot will unload the indexer, one column at a time, from behind the automatic door mounted within the cell. When a column of parts has been emptied the indexer will automatically move the next column into position for unloading.
Heating Station
From the Load Station, the magnets are transported to the Heating Station. This station measures the temperature of the magnet with a pyrometer and provides rotational co-ordinates for the robot to re-picking. Heater plates within the fixture maintain the temperature of the magnets during the process.
IMM
The injection moulding machine overmoulds the magnet. The IMM is loaded and unloaded by the robot.
Cooling Station
From the IMM, the overmoulded magnet is transported to the Cooling Station. Completed magnet bodies are placed in the Cooling Station for a pre-determined time to cool down after the moulding process has taken place. A pyrometer will measure the temperature of the magnet body immediately after the moulding process has taken place.
Magnetising Station
From the Cooling Station, the magnet body is transported to the Magnetising Station. The magnet body is placed in the tooling by the robot and lowered into the magnetiser by a pair of cylinders. The magnetiser is charged and fired which magnetises the magnet body. The magnetised body is raised out of the magnetiser and unloaded from the station by the robot.
Bagging Station
From the Magnetising Station, the magnet body is transported to the Bagging Station. The magnet body is loaded into the handover tooling. The handover tooling is lowered to position the magnet body in the bag. An Audion bagging machine seals the bag. The bag is released into the receptacle mounted on the servo cylinder that traverses across the four Outfeed Conveyors.
Outfeed Conveyors
There are four Outfeed Conveyors. The Bagging Station will drop the magnet body into one of the conveyors. The conveyor is indexed forward each time a magnet body is detected in the loading end of the conveyor. The system will fill each conveyor, leaving a one position gap between each magnet body to prevent the magnet bodies attracting each other. The cell will inform the operator a part is present for unloading.
Carousel
Magnet Cooling Station
Deionising Station
Magnetising Station
Outfeed Conveyor System