Robotic Loaded Fixture Options
Automating the loading and unloading of your workholding fixture through the use of a robot will require additional considerations. The routine assessments made by human operators must now be made through communication between the fixture, the machine tool and the robot controls. For this reason, robotically loaded fixtures will usually have one or all of the following features:
- Part Present sensing (link to part sensing page). A signal from the machine tool to the robot controls will be made to notify the robot to load or unload a part.
- Part Seated confirmation (link to part sensing page). A signal from the machine tool to the robot controls will be made to notify the robot that the part has been properly located and clamped.
- Coolant datum flushing will be required to ensure all of the critical locating points on the fixture are clean and free of chips and debris prior to loading. Coolant is plumbed to the fixture through a permanent connection via rotary union or flexible hose.
- Part Retention. To hold the part in the fixture when the robot releases the part. This is useful when the robot has multiple parts to load into one fixture and/or the end of arm tooling will interfere with the proper clamping of the part. This feature also ensures the robot spends the least amount of time loading and unloading parts.
- Part Ejection can also be used to remove the part either to a material handling device (conveyor or slide), or a staging position to allow the robot to load the fresh part first, and then grab the unloaded part with the same gripper, reducing the robotic gripper cost, minimizing motions and improving efficiency.
Please contact DMTworkholding for more information on justification and interface options. DMTworkholding can provide this and other value added options to provide you a complete workholding system.