Sepro
With a total of 22 robots on display on its own stand and on the stands of six partner companies, Sepro Robotique is touting freedom of choice in injection moulding automation at K 2013.
Jean-Michel Renaudeau, CEO of Sepro Robotique, said: “When we talk about ‘Your Free Choice in Robots, we’re showing potential customers that no matter what their application, no matter where they are located, no matter what their operating parameters, Sepro has options that can meet their needs. We are a global company, with in-depth engineering and manufacturing capabilities, strong technical and marketing partnerships, unmatched service and support, and a diverse product offering, and we intend to be the number one robot supplier in the markets we serve.”
After many years in Hall 10 at the show, Sepro says it is moving to Hall 12 Stand A49 in order to gain more floor space. Covering a total of 255 m2, the display will be the largest ever for Sepro. It will showcase the latest Sepro technology, including much that has never been seen before.
One such development on display will be 5X Line and 6X Visual working together in an automation cell.
This set up consists of two six-axis articulated-arm units operating together with three 5-axis Cartesian robots in an entertaining “automation ballet.”. Developed by Sepro Robotique in partnership with Stäubli Robotics, these two robot families are aimed at injection moulding applications requiring complex part manipulation. The 5-axis 5X Line is based on high-precision Sepro 3-axis Cartesian beam robots and a 2-axis Stäubli servo wrist. The two additional compact servo rotations make it easy to adapt to challenging applications like insert placing, complex extraction paths in the mould, path tracking for flame treatment, and the like.
The 6X Visual line of robots combines a Stäubli 6-axis articulated-arm robot with Sepro Visual 3 control to deliver an automation solution specifically tailored for injection moulding. Five models are available to serve injection moulding machines from 20 to 4000 tonnes.
Also demonstrated will be multi-material moulding and in-mould decoration with Multi-Inject 20 on a Sumitomo Demag IMM. The vertical injection unit on a bi-material injection moulding machine might interfere with movement of a standard beam robot, but Sepro claims that its Multi-Inject 20 robot, which is being shown for the first time at K 2013, is different. This specially designed unit will be operating on a 210 tonne Sumitomo Demag machine with a two-position rotating mould for making ice scrapers with soft-touch gripping surfaces. In operation, the robot picks a decorative label from a feeder and places it on the moulded scraper body before the gripping material is over-moulded. Then it removes the finished product to a conveyor as the cycle repeats.