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The automation
edge
Robots are a
key tool for remaining competitive in times like
these.
What
can automation offer a molder today? The average
shop is looking at tight acquisition budgets and as
many gloomy predictions about 2009 as last year
there were upbeat ones. And all that means any
purchase needs careful justification. |
Feb/March 2009
Plastics in Canada Magazine |
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 Tooling Gets Flexible
Assembly Magazine
May 2008
Amid all the talk of robots and
controllers, it can be easy to forget about end-of-arm
tooling (EOAT). Nonetheless, while it’s true the cost of
a gripper will pale in comparison to the robot wielding
it, an effective gripper is crucial to the success of
any material handling system.
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Troubleshooter: Parts Handling -
When Do-It-Yourself Robot Tooling Is Not the Way to Go
By Timothy
Thatcher, SAS Automation LLC
February, 2008
Assuming that modular
components can always fill the bill can be a costly
mistake when it comes to more complex applications. So
it is important to know when your molding application
needs the special benefits that are available with a
custom-engineered tool.
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September 2008
FEST IM GRIFF
Trent Fisher, SAS Automation LLC
(This is a German
publication)
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Robotic End-of-Arm Tooling
Trends in key markets
By:
John Westbeld
February 2008As the growth of robotic
sales has increased in the non-automotive markets so has
the need for End-of-Arm Tooling (EOAT) or end effector
to handle a wide variety of product and work pieces.
Since a robot is only as good as it’s EOAT in any market
or application, the requirements that the eoat secure
and manipulate the product without damaging it is
critical to the success of the cell.
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Specify
End-of-Arm Tooling for Packaging &
Palletizing Automation Cells |
Assembly
Magazine
March 2008 |
Robotic automation cells designed to
package and palletize finished goods
are becoming more complex. From
de-molding plastic covers and placing
them in a carton to reducing the size
of an 18 part array, or pallet and
slip sheet handling – the EOAT plays
an important role in both the handling
and manipulation of heavy and bulky
items, carrying out secondary
operations prior to packaging (such as
degating), or assembly.
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Building Robotic End of Arm
Tooling - Advanced & Custom Considerations
By John Westbeld
Assembly Magazine
July 12, 2007
End-of-Arm
Tooling (EOAT) or end effectors can range
from a simple vacuum cup tool to a tool
with multiple actuators and custom
details. The complexity of the tooling
depends upon the workpiece / part
(referred to as part from here on)
characteristics, the environment,
fixturing interface, and part
manipulation. Applications range from a
simple pick & place application to a
multiple part assembly cell with multiple
EOAT. Ultimately your robot's performance
depends on the reliability of the EOAT.
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Custom End-of-Arm
Tooling Considerations For Packaging And
Palletizing
A wide
variety of EOAT components are available
Manufacturing
& Technology
June 2007
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A wide variety of standard modular EOAT components
available on the market today make assembling your own
EOAT very reasonable and cost justified. You can save
thousands of dollars by buying components and building
your own EOAT for the simpler applications. So how do
you decide on whether to build your own EOAT or have a
custom EOAT designed and built for you? The answer to
this question is not always cut and dry and depends
upon resources and skill level available.
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Key
Factors for Building a Robotic
End-of-Arm-Tool
Manufacturing
& Technology
February 2007
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When
it comes to being cost effective,
the proper combination of capital
investment, labor content and the
speed of operation will provide the
best result. Although most times the
EOAT is a relatively small
investment compared to the other
components of a work cell, the
proper design and construction can
make a big difference. Thus, it is
the ease, consistency and
flexibility, versus people, that
provides the motivation behind the
EOAT to move and assemble parts.
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Knowing
When to Choose Custom End-of-Arm
Tooling |
Robotics
World
Magazine
Dec 2006 |
Robotic
cells for material handling,
packaging, and automation
applications all have one thing in
common: the robot is only as good as
its end-of-arm tooling (EOAT).
Robotic EOAT can range from a simple
vacuum cup tool to sophisticated
assemblies with multiple actuators.
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Custom
vs. modular EOAT for injection
molding |
Plastics
Machinery & Auxiliaries
June 2006 |
Most
end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) can be
constructed of standard modular
components. The demands of some
applications, however; go beyond the
scope of modular elements, and
require true custom construction.
How can you tell when it's time for
custom EOAT?
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EOAT
for In-Mold Labeling: Feasibility
for Low Cavitation |
MyPlastics
Recruiter.com
2005 |
Low
cavitation IML applications are
where the cost justification is
tougher and are prevalent in the
automotive, home appliance, and toy
industries. Making low cavitation
applications attractive to the IML
process depends upon the automations
ability to produce good parts in a
cost effective manner.
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Flexible
End-of-arm Tooling Aids Molding
Process |
Plastics
Machinery & Auxiliaries Magazine
2004 |
Given
that a robot is only as good as its
ability to pick, place, move,
handle, hold, and manipulate a part,
there are clear reasons for moving
the end effector to a higher
priority. EOAT is a relatively
inexpensive part of the entire work
cell, but it is an integral part of
the molding operation and could be a
costly operational expense if not
set up correctly.
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End-of-Arm
Tooling Works Together with Robots
to Improve Process Flexibility |
Robotics
Online Magazine -
October 2002 |
Too
many times major investments are
made in robotic automation without
the proper design and adaptability
of an end effector. This is
precisely where end effectors, now
more commonly named End-of-Arm Tools
(EOAT), can improve both flexibility
and cost effectiveness..
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How-To
Guide to Robotic Gripping |
MetalForming
Magazine
August 2002 |
Here's
what you need to know when
installing end-of-arm tooling on
your pressroom robots. How will you
do it with less funds and resources,
due to the economy? Your solution
must be cost and time effective yet
simple and dependable.
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Modular
End-of-Arm Tooling for Your Robot |
Technologia
del Plastico Magazine -
July/August 2002 |
The
success of any robotics
pick-and-place application depends
on how consistently its end-of-arm
tooling (EOAT) secures, manipulates,
and releases the parts and runner
system. To build an EOAT that suits
your application and assure its
success you need a flexible system
of modular components.
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Vacuum
System Overview - Vacuum Cups |
Robotics
World Magazine - March 2002 |
Vacuum
cups often are the best solution for
workpiece handling in robotic or
automation applications. Typical
applications include removing
injection-molded plastics from
molds, sheet metal transfer,
palletizing of workpieces, nesting
fixtures and assembly fixtures.
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Driving
JIT with New Technology
Implementation |
Injection
Molding Magazine - October 2001 |
Wouldn’t
it be great if you could buy all of
the high-tech equipment your heart
desired? Imagine all the problems
that could be solved. Your molding
operation would practically run
itself, right? Of course, to be
successful molders must plan and
implement that new technology in an
intelligent way, taking human
factors and specific applications
into account.
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End-of-Arm
Tooling Adds Flexibility in Robotic
Assembly |
Robotics
World Magazine - Sept. 2001 |
When
Fredick Taylor theorized that by
controlling the size, shape, and
application of the end effector
(shovel) at the end of a human arm,
production, cost-effectiveness and
profits would improve. Manufacturing
is continuing to ask the same
questions. The arm and tool may have
changed but the questions have not.
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The
Evolution of End-of-Arm Tooling |
Robotics
World Magazine - June 2001 |
In
the early 1990s, the robot
revolution really arrived in the
United States. And, while
cost-effectiveness and reducing
manufacturing costs were considered
key automation objectives, the
biggest challenge that led to the
evolution of robotic end-of-arm
tooling was that flexible automation
also had to guarantee product
quality.
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Basic
Considerations in Automating
Degating Methods |
Plastics
Auxiliaries Magazine - April 2001 |
Although
hot runner molding continues to
increase in popularity, for many
injection molded parts, cold runner
molding is still the process of
choice. With cold runner molding, of
course, the challenge is to remove
the runner from the molded part
economically.
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E-Stands
for Ergonomics in this EOAT |
Injection
Molding Magazine - August 2000 |
Read
about the installation of a highly
automated manufacturing cell with a
robot transferring subassemblies
from station to station, while
simultaneously handling reusable
machined-metal core inserts, used to
both facilitate robot handling and
ensure overmolding position
accuracy.
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Automating
the Insert Molding Process. |
Plastics
Auxiliaries Magazine - Nov. 1998 |
Insert
molding is a process by which an
object, or insert, is placed into
the mold between cycles and the
plastic is formed around the insert.
Insert molding is not new to the
industry, but it is a process that
can be overlooked as a viable and
innovative solution to molding
problems.
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Specifying
and Designing EOAT for Robots |
Plastics
Auxiliaries Magazine - Sept. 1998 |
Here's
a quick rundown of questions you
should ask, and things you should be
sure to check out in specifying
end-of-arm tooling for your robotic
applications.
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Modular
robotic end-of-arm tooling wins new
acceptance |
Modern
Plastics Magazine - April 1998 |
Modular
approaches to robotic end-of-arm
tooling (EOAT) are fast becoming
widely accepted in North America,
following the lead taken by European
molders.
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Get
a Grip on the Basics of Robot
End-of-Arm Tooling |
Plastics
Technology Magazine - Sept. 1997 |
While
molders will often spend hours
deciding on a robot purchase, many
give little thought to the EOAT that
will go on it. What they end up with
is inflexible tooling systems that
weigh too much and take up too much
space. Even worse, they often end up
with EOAT that simply doesn't work.
There's no such thing as
"do-all" robot tooling.
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