A current project shows how interfaces can be saved with the combination of thermal processing technology, material handling, automation technology and flexibility in project handling.
The project is primarily a tempering oven including automatic loading and unloading of piston rods in a chrome plating plant. The tempering oven is part of the chrome plating plant, and the piston rods are kept in the oven for a defined time to temperature and then cooled in the oven. The thermal process is correspondingly relatively easy to implement.
Material handling for the oven
To load the oven, the piston rods are removed by a robot with gripper from a chain conveyor and placed on the conveyor of the oven. After the end of the heat treatment, the piston rods are removed from the oven conveyor via a robot and stored in a container provided. Robotic handling is protected against unauthorized access via security cells. The conveyor for transport through the oven has been redeveloped by us and consists of chains with a special sawtooth profile.
Provision of robots
A special feature of the project was that the customer wanted to provide the robots, and we could only simulate the programming before commissioning. The complete solution from Münstermann saved many interfaces, and there was a project manager at our company as contact person for all trades.