Off-line programming increases waterjet cutting productivity

Citation

(2000), "Off-line programming increases waterjet cutting productivity", Industrial Robot, Vol. 27 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2000.04927ead.003

Off-line programming increases waterjet cutting productivity

Off-line programming increases waterjet cutting productivity

Keywords ABB, Cutting, Waterjet

According to ABB I-R Waterjet Systems, off-line programming of the industrial robots used in the company's products can significantly increase waterjet cutting productivity (see Plate 2). In these applications, off-line programming can offer several advantages over the traditional use of online programming, where work is done directly on the robot.

Plate 2 According to ABB I-R Waterjet Systems, off-line programming of the industrial robots used in the company's products can significantly increase waterjet cutting productivity

ABB I-R can offer solutions for virtually any application for robotic waterjet cutting based on the company's unique Cutting Box, a modular production machine incorporating industrial robots from ABB and high pressure water pumps from Ingersoll-Rand.

The market for robotic pure waterjet cutting systems continues to expand, based on its very successful use in the automotive industry, where systems of this type are used in trim applications on interior components of vehicles made from soft materials such as polyurethane foam, moulded fibres, sandwich materials or composites. As well as pure waterjet cutting, ABB I-R has developed the Cutting Box concept to combine abrasive waterjet cutting with six-axis robots to form the world's first truly three-dimensional abrasive waterjet cutting system.

In all these systems, ABB I-R recommends the use of simulation software programs such as ROBCAD or IGRIP for off-line programming, allowing the programmer to work directly with CAD models to improve the quality of the program. One of the many advantages of off-line programming is the fact that the robot is in full production while the programming is being done. In contrast, when programming is done online, the quality is very much down to the skill of the robot programmer.

Generally, only minor adjustments of the off-line programming need be carried out online, which means that the downtime is reduced by 75 per cent when off-line programming is used. Using simulation, the user can control the robots' range and configuration at a very early stage in the project. This means that, if there is a need to alter the construction of the Cutting Box, it can be done at much lower cost. The later a mistake is detected the more time and money it will take.

Robot simulation makes it easier both to construct and locate the fixture, ensuring that it is in the best position with regard to the robot's working area. The off-line software uses the robot's motion code which means that the movements that are played out on the computer exactly match those in the Cutting Box. Precise cycle time analysis can also be carried out using the software in off-line programming and program optimisation of already existing robot programs can be made on the computer away from the Cutting Box. Usually during the last phase of robot programming there is a lot of time pressure involved, raising the risk of quality problems. Off-line programming reduces this compared to traditional risk programming methodologies.

The Cutting Box from ABB I-R offers a very safe, cost-effective, high productivity and environmental solution and is available in a range of variants depending on the size of the component to be cut. Standard products include the Cutting Box Small Part for cutting smaller parts such as door panels and the Cutting Box Original system for larger components such as headliners and carpets. The latest version of the latter system is now available with the launch of the new Cutting Box Original III model. The main changes in the new Original III system from the previous Original II product link software/hardware advances with the introduction of the latest version of the IRB 2400 robot from ABB Flexible Automation and an increase in size to cut larger workpieces.

To meet special requirements such as high volume production, these Cutting Box systems can all be customised using ABB I-R's design and automation capability. For example, the waterjet cutting process can be combined in one system with associated activities such as washing, drying and grinding.

For further information, please contact: ABB I-R Waterjet Systems AB, Eaton Place, 114 Washway Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 7RF.