Working Without A Break
An international competitor in the decorative glass industry recently discovered robotic solutions to its glass handling problems.
Nachi Robotic Systems Inc. (NRS) produces robotic solutions for industry and enjoys an installation base of more than 25,000 robots in North America. NRS robots have long been a familiar sight in the automobile industry, but their entry into the glass handling industry has come in varied forms. The growth in large-scale plate handling by robots has come out of necessity, and NRS has been a leader in the mid- to heavyweight classes with payloads ranging from 5 to 700 kg. Through the development of its integration partners, NRS has also been involved in smaller batch handling operations that were previously considered manual operations.
Many companies handle high volumes of glass plates in sizes of 2 x 2 m or less, but they also require a large number of product variations that are difficult to automate efficiently. Without realizing the potential for robotic handling processes, a major international competitor in the decorative glass industry began looking for conveyor-styled solutions to its glass handling problems in 2004. The company’s existing glass handling process was labor-intensive, ergonomically unfriendly and a liability to plant safety.
The company approached Systems South, Inc., located on the outskirts of Greenville, S.C., to meet its needs. With 45,000 square feet of office and manufacturing workspace, Systems South designs, manufactures and integrates custom equipment, conveyors and robotic solutions to help manufacturing facilities lower costs while improving their production capabilities.
Unknown to the glass decorator, Systems South is an Integration Partner of NRS, which established the “NachiNetwork” as a group of highly trained partners with varying application expertise. The network allows NRS to team specific customer application challenges with the best-suited integration providers.
Engineering a Solution
Quickly recognizing the benefit of utilizing a robotic cell for the company’s application, Systems South engineers recommended the use of a Nachi SC15 robot and AX controller equipped with custom end-of-arm tooling to handle the glass products. The system was designed, engineered and manufactured by Systems South’s personnel, which provided a complete glass de-racking and process load solution.
Though the glass product sizes vary and are run in batches, the automated solution overcomes these challenges. The glass is presented in a rack standing on edge for the robot to load into an automated drilling station. Each of the racks has the glass and divider sheets alternately placed throughout the loaded rack. Using its pneumatic vacuum gripper, the robot first picks up the divider top sheet and places it onto a discard shuttle that allows the sheets to be collected outside the robot cell for re-use.
The robot then picks a piece of glass out of the rack and presents the glass to a structure with a series of sensors mounted to it. At this point, the robot initiates a searching routine while moving the glass along the X and then the Y axis to find the two edges and determine the exact location of the glass relative to the robotic gripper tooling. Once the location is determined from the search routine, the robot can accurately center the glass on the load station for the automated assembly process.
The success of this robot cell has led to additional robot applications in other processes. For example, Nachi robots are now de-stacking and loading racks.
Multiple Benefits
The advantages of the automated robotic solution have been numerous for the glass decorator. Improving employee safety was a major consideration in the transition to an automated robotic solution. The opportunity for employee injury has been substantially reduced with each system’s implementation.
The historic method of manual handling and manipulation of the glass had led the customer to a steady stream of temporary employees and associated costs. While return on investment potential varies with each automated solution, returns of less than one year have been realized with this project.
For more information, contact:
Systems South, 422 Hwy. 418 W, Fountain Inn, SC 29644; (864) 862-9777; e-mail jayv@systemsouth.com; or visit www.systemsouth.com.
Nachi Robotic Systems Inc., 22285 Roethel Dr., Novi, MI 48375; (248) 305-6545; e-mail info@nachirobotics.com; or visit www.nachirobotics.com.