The Ultimate Solution for the Complete Manufacture of Adapter Shafts
Under the motto “We invent the future of metal working,” the fully automated, lightly manned workflow is an optimal example of a Schuster complete solution for a complex process. Why? Because all the stations are systematically intertwined and, in the end, a process-reliable solution for continuous operation was created, which promises productivity and profitability across the board.
As a specialist for vertical shaft turning machines, we can deliver services along the entire manufacturing chain: from automatic feeding to the actual machining process with turning, milling, grinding, and gear cutting, to monitoring the component quality, to downstream processes such as packaging, labeling, and transport of the adapter shafts – all tailored to the customer’s wishes and needs. Behind the automated complete solutions lies a modular system made of various machine series.
In the example of the complete manufacture of adapter shafts, it was a joint project carried out with innovative partners from the automation sector in southern Germany – each a specialist in its own area: the robot specialist HandlingTech from the Swabian city of Steinenbronn and the control expert Optonic from the Baden city of Freiburg. The fully-automated manufacturing line comprises ten stations – from loading the components up to the removal. For HandlingTech, the first big challenge came in the very first station where continuous operation with a bin picking cell concept needed to be implemented. The goal was to completely empty the storage bins filled with hundreds of cylinders. Thanks to the quick and easy grip configuration, up to 1,000 different grip positions could be defined for each piece. This ensures that every last piece can be grabbed out of the corners.
The various stations where the turning, milling, and grinding take place form the core of the complete manufacturing solution – in between, the component is also cleaned and measured. And so, the decisive parameters are there: quality-documented, ready-to-install parts, a line cycle time of 55–128 seconds as well as a short 16-minute line conversion time for a production change.
For Schuster, this project was a great opportunity to put our slogan into action: “Together with our customers and partners, we invent the future of metalworking.”