CHICAGO (July 26, 11:55 a.m. EDT) — They don´t quite resemble the human wrist, but have more of its qualities than ever before.
Wittmann Robot & Automation Systems Inc. displayed its four new six-axis, top-entry robots during NPE 2000 in Chicago. The robots are complete with a new control pad that can walk anybody through the programming process.
Each of the robots also is equipped with a telescopic, vertical arm — made of graphite and carbon fiber — that requires less ceiling clearance than the usual robotic arm to retrieve a part, said David Preusse, vice president of sales and marketing.
Using a composite material also reduces the weight of the arm by 75 percent, he said.
The W-623 robot is a shorter robot that can stand over a mold machine but is small enough to accommodate low ceiling height, Preusse said.
The smaller robot also works extremely fast, with a take-out time of 0.4 seconds, which helps save energy since it can get the job done faster, he said.
The Servo robot has a wrist — called the A-C Combination Axis Wrist — that rotates 270 degrees for easier part retrieval, said John Pirkl, an outside sales representative for Wittmann.
"We´ve incorporated it all into a tight little package," Preusse said.
Next in line is the 641 robot, a slightly taller robot with a wrist rotating 180 degrees, Pirkl said.
"We can accomplish the same things these articulate robots can," he added.
The telescopic arm and the rotating wrist need less space to take a part out of a mold machine, meaning reduced processing time because the mold doesn´t have to open more than 10 inches, Pirkl said.
The largest in the new line of robots is the W670, accommodating molding machines with clamping forces of 2,200-5,000 tons. The robot has a wrist that rotates only 90 degrees and runs at a slower pace, ideal for automotive and structural foam applications, he said.
Wittmann also introduced its first new product to come out of subsidiary Nucon Systems Inc., which Wittmann acquired last year.
The DryMax 35 is a twin-bed dryer that can be wheeled up to any press and can process up to 1,200 pounds per hour, according to Brian Davis, U.S. product manager for Nucon.