With the Material Flow Starter Kit, TRUMPF customers can have their material transported automatically through production. The solution is easy to operate and automate.
The mobile robots can travel up to nine stations in production. There, they hand over the material to the production employee.
TRUMPF has introduced the Material Flow Starter Kit. With this solution, companies can easily automate material transport in sheet metal production. Mobile robots move the material stored on pallets from station to station, and the vehicles can be controlled via a web application that works on any mobile device in the user's network.
"With the Material Flow Starter Kit, production employees can concentrate more on value-adding activities at the machines," said Walter Kampitsch, automation group manager at the TRUMPF Smart Factory in Hoffman Estates, IL. "Transport orders for the mobile robot can be created with just a few clicks in the web app. This alleviates the shortage of skilled workers while also increasing productivity in sheet metal processing."
The Material Flow Starter Kit allows the mobile robots to access up to nine stations. These include machines in the sheet metal production area, as well as manual workstations or the shipping area. Up to eight transfer points can be specified for the goods to be transported to each station. As soon as a production employee wants to transport the parts they have processed, they request the mobile robot via the web app. This enables them to transfer the workpieces to the vehicle on a pallet trolley without needing to leave their workstation. The mobile robot can transport loads of up to one ton, making it suitable for the majority of components in sheet metal production. Changes to the route plan, for example if a machine changes location, can be carried out by the operator using an included software.
When commissioning the system, a service technician guides the mobile robot through the factory with a tablet. During this process, the vehicle scans the environment with its built-in sensors and creates a virtual map of the factory. The technician then creates the route with its associated process steps at each individual station, such as bending, punching, and laser cutting in the software tool. In the final step, the web application seamlessly sends the transport order to the vehicle. This allows the mobile robot to navigate autonomously and safely through the production process.
The Material Flow Starter Kit is suitable for companies that want to digitalize their production in stages. "Once companies have gained initial experience with the Material Flow Starter Kit, we recommend introducing TRUMPF's Oseon software. This allows them to synchronize the material flow with the production plan. This way, the material always automatically goes to where it is needed-without disruptions and paperwork," said Kampitsch.
TRUMPF developed the Material Flow Starter Kit in cooperation with its partner SAFELOG. In doing so, the company combined its expertise in sheet metal production with SAFELOG's expertise in intralogistics. Through the partnership, TRUMPF customers can also use SAFELOG's other robot solutions for their smart factory.
For more information contact:
TRUMPF Inc.
Farmington Industrial Park
Farmington, CT 06032
860-255-6000
info@us.trumpf.com
www.us.trumpf.com