An Adaptable Automation System in Action
Videos show how a flexible robotic system for part loading and unloading helped a shop increase capacity.
This article from our January issue describes how a job shop increased its capacity by using a flexible, easy-to-program system for automating part loading and unloading. Kilgore Manufacturing in Columbia City, Indiana, was looking for automated part-loading option adaptable to small-batch production, and the shop found it a robot system from Halter. These videos illustrate how the adaptable robot works.
The LoadAssistant from Halter works with any CNC lathe or mill. The operator interface uses a 12-step, icon-driven process to quickly and easily set up new jobs.
Once the system is programmed, the robotic arm picks up blanks from a turntable grid on the staging pallet and loads them into the machine.
When the cycle is complete, the CNC signals the system to remove the finished part from the machine and place it back into the grid.
After all the parts on one side of the grid are complete, the robotic arm turns the grid and begins loading the parts on the other side. The operator can unload the finished parts from that side of the grid and replace them with blanks.
Robots and Autonomy Correspondent
Julia Hider
Julia Hider graduated from Ohio State University in 2014 with a B.A. in journalism, and joined Gardner Business Media as an assistant editor with Modern Machine Shop in 2017. She has served as an editor on several Gardner Business Media brands, including Production Machining and Additive Manufacturing Media. She is currently a senior editor for Modern Machine Shop as covering robotics for all Gardner Business Media brands.
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