Following on from the noticeable benefits from equipping its machining and turning centres, Whitehill then fitted a 1700dpv electrostatic air cleaner to its Schneeberger Sirius grinding centre. Used for the profile grinding of up to 200 cutting knives a day, the Schneeberger has a high powered pump that sprays neat oil on the machining envelope. The high pressure pump previously caused a visibility and productivity issue with machine access; it also lost a considerable amount of oil into the atmosphere. When this oil escaped the machine, it left a film on everything in close proximity. The introduction of the 1700dpv has not only cleaned up the immediate work environment, it has reduced machine downtime and enabled the machine to maintain its oil levels without allowing the costly oil to become airborne in the workshop.

The OMF 2500 had an immediate impact on productivity by enabling operators to access the work envelope as soon as a part is machined. Minutes in lost production could be reclaimed on three machines, not just one. Besides reclaiming lost production times, our new machine shop has remained remarkably clean by resolving the particulate issue on three machines."

The exponential growth throughout 2008 noted the arrival of four acs media filtration units that added to the two earlier installations.  In February 2010, the leading provider of cutting tools for routing, spindle routing, moulding and tenon machines acquired its latest machine tool, a Doosan Puma MX2100ST mill/turn centre for machining its cutter bodies. This noted the arrival of the company's latest acquisition, an OMF1000. Again, the introduction of an acs media filtration system has delivered exceptional results for Whitehill. As Mr Hudson concludes: "We are extremely pleased with the acs systems in place. acs has a solution to fit any machine tool we buy. Each unit is easy to install, easy to maintain and above all, they have improved our immediate working environment measurably. The service and back-up is second to none and when our next Schneeberger machine tool arrives soon, we will be acquiring another acs 1700dpv air cleaning system."

For further information media filtration systems, e-mail: acs@acs-ltd.com website: www.acs-ltd.com

Innovative new series of proportional directional control valves

Parker Hannifin, the global leader in motion and control technologies, has launched an innovative new series of proportional directional control valves featuring integrated electronics.  Called the D*FB Series, the new valves offer easy installation with high levels of accuracy, repeatability and reliability that are key to achieving simplicity in hydraulic operations, helping both OEMs and end users to improve productivity and profitability.

The built-in electronics of the new control valves lower manufacturing tolerances to a minimum, while ensuring that in serial applications all valves perform identically.  This makes, for example, the replacement of a valve in the middle of a night shift a far simpler operation than has previously been the case.

The D*FB valves are supplied with preset factory parameter values, which can easily be modified via the on-board electronics using free-of-charge Parker ProPxD software. The user-friendly software makes it simple to change, store and load parameter settings to any number of valves, or return to the default settings with one click of a mouse.

The ProPxD software also incorporates a basic diagnostic function for additional data analyses, and offers users the benefits of easy configuration and less downtime through the copy and paste function for parameter sets.

Controlled by external electronics, the hydraulic performance of D*FB valves is well known and established in industry for its low hysteresis and high repeatability -- characteristics that are now also contributing to the excellent results of the new valves, particularly in demanding applications. They are vailable with spool/sleeve or spool/body design, sized NG06 (CETOP03) and NG10 (CETOP05) and operate off command signals of ±10V DC or 4-20mA.  

For further information, view website: http://www.parker.com or its investor information website: http://www.phstock.com  Refer to page 20

Precision cleaning and drying process

Layton Technologies, the specialist component cleaning equipment manufacturer, has developed a precision cleaning and drying process for the effective removal of flux and associated contamination from printed circuit boards.

Based on the application of the latest high solvency cleaning chemistries for removing residues from PCBs produced using 'No-clean' and 'No-lead fluxes', Layton have worked closely with Dupont and their new generation of highly effective defluxing solvents - Vertrel SFR to provide a complete board cleaning process. 

Layton developed the latest PCB cleaning systems to provide a more effective solution to manufacturers of high value electronics components destined for critical applications where cleanliness standards and validation are paramount.

The Layton Bluestone FRS system is a fully automated and enclosed system which offers the highest level of solvent containment is efficient, fast and gives controlled cleaning and drying with high standards of operator safety and environmental acceptance.

Overall the new Bluestone package provides a much faster process than many conventional cleaning methods, with significant cost savings on solvent use and superior ionic cleanliness results.

Layton have a full demonstration and testing facility at their North Staffordshire manufacturing base and offer a complete cleaning trials and evaluation service for companies who wish to test the new cleaning process on their products and to view the equipment to establish its advantages and suitability.

Layton provides a range of cleaning technologies for the electronics, semi-conductor and precision components industries. These technologies include PCB cleaners using a range of solvents, flammable solvent cleaners, wet-benches, vapour driers and aqueous ultrasonic cleaning systems.

For further information, e-mail: ianparry@laytontechnologies.com or view website: www.laytontechnologies.com    Refer to page 65

Programming robots for high speed, high precision work

'Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours' goes that vaguely-familiar theme tune, although in this instance the neighbours are two cutting-edge businesses in trendy Totnes, Devon.

Inject Plastics is a trade injection moulder producing a huge variety of plastic parts, whilst literally across the road is Barr & Paatz, a leading industrial robotics specialist. With one company committed to high technology production and the other specialising in process automation, it was almost inevitable that their paths would cross commercially.

Not unusually, the project in question concerned programming a robot for high speed, high precision work, in a fully automated workcell. Less commonly, it involved a powerful 6-axis robot already installed alongside an injection moulding machine, rather than designing the cell layout from scratch.

A family-owned business established in 1986, Inject Plastics is based in a modern 13,000sq ft factory on the town's industrial estate, adjacent to the Barr & Paatz premises. It invests continually in leading edge technology and is equipped with the latest microprocessor-controlled Demag injection moulding machines, with clamping forces ranging from 35 tonnes to 300 tonnes, enabling it to produce plastic parts up to a kilogram in weight. Unlike many injection moulding companies, which tend to employ simple 3-axis Cartesian fixed automation systems for demoulding, Inject Plastics also boasts a 6-axis, Stäubli RX 90L industrial robot, with a reach of almost 1200mm, a maximum payload capacity of 6kg and an impressive repeatability of ±0.025mm.

Programming a robot for high speed, high precision work, in a fully automated workcell, involved a powerful 6-axis robot.

"Cartesian systems are OK for loading and unloading, but not sufficiently adaptable to perform the other operations and movements frequently required, such as rotating the moulding or assembling components," says Inject Plastics MD, Richard Bromley. "A six-axis robot, with its full range of accurate and repeatable motion over a wide work envelope, provides the ideal, cost-effective automation solution."

Industrial robots can also be reprogrammed and redeployed for other processing tasks, an inherent flexibility that was exploited by Barr & Paatz on this project. On behalf of a trade customer, Inject Plastics produces precision mouldings for scratch-resistant safety goggles and the Stäubli robot was previously used as a pick & place device in a process that involved laying paper-thin plastic film inside the moulding tool and injecting plastic onto the back. However, a product redesign necessitated adding film to both faces of the optical moulding, creating a three-layer sandwich, which meant fully automating the more complex process.

"Since Barr & Paatz is an authorised Stäubli integrator, knows the robot configuration well and has in-depth programming experience, we turned to our neighbours for expert help," says Richard. "We're more than happy with the work they've done and now they're the first people we talk to regarding other process automation applications."

Since the robot and some safety guarding were already installed, revising the whole cell layout for optimum performance was impractical, so Barr & Paatz had to work within existing parameters and add ancillary equipment for such functions as film handling, bonding and gate cropping. The robot specialists also incorporated new loading mechanisms, extra guarding and safety interlocks, as well as air filtration equipment that enables the workcell to operate in a dust-free environment.

The moulded goggle lenses are curved to eliminate optical distortion, but the robot starts by configuring the end-of-arm tooling to pick up flat plastic film, which is achieved by first docking the tool into a custom-powered drive configuration that mechanically flattens the shape. Once the tool is in the flat figuration, the robot collects two separate strips of plastic film, one on either side, then returns to the drive station to reconfigure the tool into a curved format.

When the moulding machine is open and ready, the robot rotates the end effector 90º and removes the finished product by means of vacuum cups, then flips back 90º and loads the new film onto each face of the mould, ready to produce the next three-layer optical lens. Finally, the robot deposits the finished product onto the exit conveyor and is ready to start the whole cycle again.

"The whole process is completed without the product being touched by human hand, which contributes to its optical integrity. Quite frankly, it would be impossible to produce these parts to the required standard and in the quantities involved, using manual procedures," concludes Richard. "Robotics eliminates the costly labour element from the process and it's fair to say that the operator's skill set has actually increased, since he has had to become familiar with the working kinematics of the robot."

For further information, email: s.paatz@barr-paatz.co.uk or  view website: www.barr-paatz.co.uk    Refer to page 179