The family-run company Speck Pumpen Walter Speck GmbH & Co. KG has been manufacturing pumps and compressors for a range of industrial applications for over 100 years. The group uses state-of-the-art technology and machinery, and its products are used in the medical engineering, chemical and pharmaceutical and plastics industries, as well as in temperature control. Some of its pumps are fitted with magnetic couplings. To help the company place magnets inside its magnetic holders, toolcraft designed, developed and programmed an automation system and installed it on Speck Pumpen’s premises.
customer:
Speck Pumpen Walter Speck GmbH & Co. KG
www.speck.de
The starting point:
Minimising production times
Previously, Speck Pumpen had placed magnets inside its magnetic holders manually, which resulted in both high costs and lengthy production times. The company commissioned toolcraft to design a way of automating the process to speed it up and save costs.
The challenge:
Reliable separation
The aim was for a robot to take control of separating and picking up the individual components during production. When designing and developing the system, it was particularly important to ensure that the magnetic segments could be arranged correctly towards the north or south and positioned exactly as required. It was also important to make sure that the magnets would not be damaged during separation. The automation system also needed to be able to position them on the magnetic holder reliably and precisely.
The approach:
Targeted planning
- Formation of a project team in robotics
- Conceptual design, including various tests to ensure faultless separation
- Development of the system
- Test setup at toolcraft
- Installation and commissioning of the system at the client’s premises
The results:
Efficient and productive
The automated robot cell has improved both productivity and quality. Cameras are used to monitor the entire process, allowing faulty parts to be immediately rejected. Overall, production waste has been reduced, which has saved costs.
