Under a new distribution agreement, AEC Inc. and Sterling Inc. showcased Harmo Co. Ltd.'s HRX Series full servoextraction robot in the line's North American debut.
AEC of Wood Dale, Ill., and sister firm Sterling Inc. of New Berlin, Wis., operated the three-axis full servorobot, HRX-150Si, at NPE 2006 in Chicago. Both AEC and Sterling are part of the ACS Group of companies.
``We are the sole distributor in the United States for the Harmo line and the primary contact for sales, service and spare parts,'' said J.H. Breger, AEC automation sales manager.
Harmo is headquartered in Nagano, Japan.
Models in the HRX Series can automate horizontal injection molding machines of 40-1,100 tons in three- and five-axis configurations with single- or two-stage telescopic vertical arms. The two-stage version is standard on presses of 300 tons and larger. A method of compound arm construction allows greater vertical axis speeds on larger presses.
An intelligent iController represents an advance in user programmable controls capability, Breger said.
The hand-held user interface is ergonomically designed and lightweight and has a large-format color touch screen. The controls offer screen layout customization and text editing.
To save floor space, the control cabinet is traverse beam-end mounted. An optional floor-based cabinet is also available.
High-quality linear guides on each axis employ linear rail and bearing systems from TDK Co. Ltd. of Tokyo.
The kick frame has rigidity for support and repeated use, and the thick-walled aluminum extrusion traverse with ridged steel subweldment suppresses vibration and resists deflection.
Harmo makes precision robots in two factories in Nagano and introduced the HRX Series in Asia and Europe in 2005. Harmo has numerous sales offices in Southeast Asia and recently expanded its presence in China. Harmo's previous North American marketing agreement ended in 2003.
ACS Group of Schaumburg, Ill., oversees operations of AEC, Sterling and several other auxiliary equipment companies.