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Low-cost machining robot launched at Euromold

Manufacturing News Center

The robot is intended to provide a low-cost alternative to machine tools for many largescale manufacturing operations carried out on softer materials.

Until now, machining by robot has been limited to a small number of specialized production operations. Developments undertaken recently in Delcam's PowerMILL machining software and in KUKA's control system have made it far easier to program robots for a much wider range of applications.

"The cost of installing a robot is far less than the price of a large machine tool with a similar working envelope," says Brett Green, general sales manager for KUKA. "For example, a robot capable of machining a five-meter long component would cost around Euro 40,000, whereas a similar sized machine tool would be nearer Euro 400,000," says Green.

In addition, the flexibility of a robot means that complex operations can be carried out in a single setup, cutting production times and reducing the number of fixtures needed. The ability to program the robot effectively off-line from 3D CAD data offers a significant advantage.

"We anticipate that the main applications will be in pattern- making and in trimming of composite components," says Delcam's Peter Dickin. "However, the technology can be used in any areas where softer materials need to be machined to accuracies of tenths of a millimeter. While this doesn't match the tolerances possible with a machine tool, it can often be more than adequate for components that might be several meters in length," says Dickin.

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Source: Northrop Grumman Corp.

Tooling & Production - Copyright Nelson Publishing Dec 2003

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