W02-22 Integrates Robot and Storage Pallet

Multi-spindle, five-axis machine tools from SW North America feature integrated robotic loading and unloading, plus vertical pallet storage for workpiece blanks and finished parts. The BA 222 and W02-22 cells are crane-hook systems for straightforward installation and set up. The robot is mounted overhead for increased freedom of motion and the pallet storage unit is set off to the side.

The two-spindle machining center can manufacture complex workpieces made of non-magnetic materials at high speeds, suiting it for a range of applications, including the watchmaking industry and impeller manufacturing in the automotive industry. Linear and torque motors in the feed axes ensure positioning accuracy of less than 0.006 mm, the company says. The machine has a factor of 10 kV and a jerk of 1,200 m/s³ for high-precision micro movements. The low weight of the planetary axes is said to reduce cycle time.

With a spindle distance as much as 250 mm, feed axes on the machine accelerate as fast as 24 m/s² to a rapid traverse as fast as 120 m/min. According to the company, in the first configuration level, the motor spindles reach a speed as fast as 25,000 rpm within 0.7 seconds, and chip-to-chip time for a tool change is 1.75 seconds. The double swiveling workpiece carrier enables users to load the machine in parallel to production time.

The machines have a monoblock construction for stability and accuracy, thus the overhead mounting of the robot is advantageous. Because the robot can be configured for specific parts, there is freedom of movement and room for other tasks. The loading module is fitted with standard aluminum support profiles for holding additional devices.

The 7-kg robot accommodates workpieces as large as 100 × 100 × 50 mm and as heavy as 1.0 kg, and can use multiple grippers to load and unload in parallel with machining time. Users can also manually load the machine for small batch sizes. The vertical pallet storage unit is fitted with as many as 24 pallets that are 600 × 400 mm. System runtime at one minute per every two workpieces is 9.6 hours, the equivalent of a 64-meter belt conveyor, according to the company.