Meeting the needs of the market, not only by interpreting them, but by anticipating its requirements and trends. This is the linchpin of Comau’s sales strategy in the area of robotised press-to-press solutions for the automotive sector. A way of working that the Turin-based multinational, now part of the FCA group, achieves thanks to long-standing experience in the automotive sector and in industrial press line automation for sheet pressing processes intended for major vehicle manufacturers and Tier Ones. Comau’s know-how is so well established that it can design and install automatic robotised systems in press shops, complete with turnkey systems, in any part of the world.

This expertise is also expressed in the form of the manufacturing centre of excellence in Poland, where the next generations of dedicated industrial robots are conceived and designed, with ever greater performance, as well as new solutions for automating and optimising lines.

Standardising To Optimise

“Thanks to the opening of a centre of excellence based in Tychy, Poland, Comau develops robotised press interlocking solutions able to guarantee maximum technical and operational performance for any client in any country,” declares Roberto Dudda, press line automation segment manager at Comau. "The Comau Poland plant designs and creates complete press-to-press systems, all internally, with robotised solutions and accessories for the most complete lines possible, thus making them more productive and efficient.”

The guarantee provided by a dedicated specialist centre is the competitive advantage required to bring the market a range of standardised products, which can be adapted to the operating requirements of any company, without necessitating a new design studio per client, with resulting – and net – decrease in system production costs and simplified installation of the lines: “A considerable value added for an application sector such as press interlocking lines for sheet pressing, where it’s often the demand for ever shorter start-up times that makes the difference.”

The Right Product For The Market

“Comau benefits from solid, long-standing experience in the sector of cold sheet forming for the automotive sector,” explains Mr Dudda. “The high productivity of the press-to-press lines is also ensured by the use of anthropomorphic robots. This is how we offer the market special machines with ever great performance.

In contrast to standard robot versions, the specific press booster models for these applications guarantee a good rhythm of production, efficient press interlocking and better execution of all in-line operations that require great flexibility and a high degree of precision in operation, such as sheet picking, sheet centring, washing, storing the finished pieces and so on.”

The Comau NJ110-3.0 and NJ130-3.7 Press Boosters are the “special version” of the robots in the NJ family, designed and created specifically to interlock press-to-press systems. These machines are characterised by dedicated on-board equipment, 600 V ventilated motors, controlled by digital drives, and special reduction gears on some spindles. They guarantee high-speed operation, achieving a rhythm of up to 16 pieces per minute for the line.

Their capacity can be as high as 130 kg, with wrist torque of up to 125 kgm and a reach of up to 3700 mm, suitable for operation even in very large spaces between presses: “In automated pressing lines, it’s important to have a manipulator robot that minimises the press interlocking time, thus ensuring that optimal line rhythm is achieved. Reducing the cycle times permits boosted system performance, making them more productive. The new Comau Press Booster robots are characterised by light yet robust mechanics, with a 30-percent weight reduction compared to the previous models. So they’re more flexible and ensure lower energy consumption," says Mr Dudda. 

Intuitive Software The Key

In creating press-to-press systems for sheet pressing, Comau can also take pride in making a dedicated software application available, SMART IP, capable of optimising workflow on operating lines. It can be used to calculate the robots’ cycle times, as well as synchronise their operation with that of the presses flawlessly. The result? Interlocking and piece loading/unloading operations which are ever more efficient and feature a better rhythm of production.

“Thanks to this specific software, developed for press line management, we can optimise the productivity of the systems, and make the work easier for operators at the same time,” clarifies Mr Dudda. "Smart IP has simplified programming modes, permitting the correct operation of the line to be monitored, as well as instant display of its productivity. Lastly, it checks the operation of the interlocking robots and promptly advises operators of any anomalies in the process, thus avoiding production stand-by.”

Also, thanks to the new process simulate software, it is possible to simulate Comau robotised solutions in 3D. This application simplifies the planning for the layout of a complete line, simulating its arrangement and operation with great precision. On the basis of the client’s specific requirements, process simulate permits further improvement to the line’s rhythm, optimising the layout of presses, robots and equipment.

Automatic Racking Optimises Processes

Press-to-press system operators frequently have to manage the movement of heavy sheet metal pieces at a rapid pace at end of line. To make automatic pressing lines more efficient and safe, Comau offers the market automatic racking solutions in which the storage of the processed material in dedicated containers at end of line is managed by several anthropomorphic robots with no human assistance.

Mr Dudda says: "Automatic unloading systems permit companies to facilitate and optimise the entire flow of production on the lines. The use of anthropomorphic robots, flexible and precise, in the end-of-line racking stations and with the assistance of inspection systems has considerable advantages.

They permit the movement of elements of different sizes in dedicated containers and simple handling of finished pieces, steel or aluminium, of different weights and dimensions. They also mean that more precise and satisfactory positioning of components in the storage containers can be guaranteed, arranging them in such a way that they’re ready to be sent directly to the welding line for the following stages of processing.”

Designed For Hot Forming

The automotive market increasingly adopts new materials capable of ensuring the production of stronger and lighter structural components for motor vehicles. This specific aspect means that companies have to develop and adopt new industrial pressing processes: “The market is requesting a reduction in motor vehicle weights. This demand has led to the use of new materials to make specific structural vehicle parts. Boron steel, for example, can guarantee better mechanical properties than those of the raw materials commonly used in the automotive industry. On the other hand, it requires particular pressing processes, called hot forming," says Mr Dudda. 

In practice, the sheets of metal come out of an oven at 950 deg C approximately, are picked and positioned in the press for the drawing phase and simultaneously cooled using moulds with a water circuit that lowers the temperature of the sheet to 250 deg C. “This particular, sudden reduction in temperature lets us press and harden the sheet, making it more resistant and rigid than a component made using conventional steel with greater thickness and weight, but results in the need for dedicated pressing lines," explains Mr Dudda. 

The latest trend in the hot-forming sector is the use of electric multi-ovens with several levels, instead of gas ovens, with a single tunnel oven. The former are compact, can be stacked on top of one another and managed individually, permitting a considerable saving in terms of energy and space, and allow the creation of a more efficient line layout. Gas ovens, on the other hand, require more servicing and constant maintenance of the temperature, even when not in use.

Retrofitting: Making The Difference

Comau’s consolidated know-how in press-shop automation applications can also be seen in the series of services that it offers, enabling clients to make their production lines more efficient. “Many clients request automation for press lines that are already in operation, to readapt and make complete with robotised solutions that make them more efficient,” explains Mr Dudda. “For this reason, Comau offers the market dedicated retrofitting services, which it provides independently or in partnership with other companies.”

Presses usually have a long operating life, so it’s often possible in the automotive sector to optimise old or unused lines to provide them with new roles. This is achieved through the addition of anthropomorphic robots and industrial automation solutions that make the production procedure more efficient.

“Restyling and the enhancement of existing pressing lines, with the introduction of automation systems, permits optimised system processing times, with a distinctly rapid return on investment,” concludes Mr Dudda. In this respect, a retrofit operation on an old manual pressing line that Comau carried out at a company in Turkey is significant.

Thanks to the adoption of Press Booster anthropomorphic robots and an automatic mould switching system, it was possible to increase the pace of production from four parts per minute to 12 parts per minute, boost the reliability of the line and reduce the time necessary to change the mould on the presses at each change in production from an hour to just 15 minutes. This resulted in more flexible production, with an improved rhythm, on batches with a lower volume. It was also a change that resulted in lower production costs however, due to the use of fewer machine operators, and the elimination of a second old manual line, sold to a third party.

Smart Press Booster: A Special Range

The high productivity of the Comau lines is also ensured by the use of dedicated Press Booster robots. Two models are currently available on the market, though new extensions to the range are currently at the design stage: NJ 100 3.2, which can bear a load of 100 kilograms at the wrist and has a reach of 3.2 metres, featuring special reduction gears that make it a faster robot than the standard models and NJ 130 3.7, which can also be fitted in a shelf version. All Comau press boosters are characterised by a light yet robust mechanical structure, high structural rigidity and the possibility of fitting a vast range of accessories to boost their operating performance still further.

Thanks to a seventh motorised spindle – Flexifeeder – the robot’s flange can move directly over the piece to be moved, guaranteeing fast, stable transfer even with large components. The increased flexibility obtained thanks to the use of an additional axis permits optimised robotic motion, speeding up the transfer of the piece from one press to the next. Last but not least, it allows the planning of a more compact line layout, with a further decrease in cycle times.