Increase Production with Robotic Trimming System

Medallion Plastics, Inc., one of the largest custom thermoformers in Indiana, has undergone tremendous growth in size and diversification since the company was founded in 1976. The company started as a manufacturer of thermoformed products for the recreational vehicle industry and now supplies quality products around the world to industries such as communications, defense, automotive, transportation, recreational vehicle and manufactured housing.

Medallion needed a trimming solution for its custom thermoformed parts that would be more productive, reliable and cost-effective than the current trimming system they were using. They wanted improved repeatability and quality and reduced scrap and labor costs.

Robotic Production Technology (RPT) worked with Medallion Plastics to develop a large capacity RoboTrim™ router trimming system that could accommodate the custom parts that the company needed to trim. After reviewing Medallion’s requirements, RPT recommended an enclosed RoboTrim router trimming system with an R-2000 robot and a servo-controlled two position table. This robot can trim in a part as large as 100” x 49” x 21” tall. The servo table allows the operator to load and unload parts while the robotic trimming takes place inside the enclosed cell. This greatly improved the productivity of these parts over their old trimming system.

Medallion’s system included RPT’s TrimPro™ off-line programming software and the Accuracy Enhancement software to help accommodate the variance in parts. TrimPro router software provides off-line simulation and programming for FANUC robots used in RPT router trimming systems. Users can import unique CAD models of parts, create a work cell including machines, part transfer devices and obstacles and teach robot paths to simulate the operation and performance of a robotic application. Reach verification, collision detection, accurate cycle time estimates and other visual system operations are simulated in TrimPro’s unique graphical virtual environment.

Key features of the Accuracy Enhancement tools are the ability to automatically realign the router spindle in less than one minute. The software also gives the robot the ability to automatically locate the part holding fixture and orient the robot program to that fixture’s exact position. This software ensures the robot spindle is aligned and that the exact fixture location is known before the first part is ever run.

The RoboTrim system also included a fixture ID system.With the fixture ID system the robot knows what fixture is on the machine and can automatically call up the correct program for that particular part. By utilizing the fixture ID system, the Accuracy Enhancement tools can also automatically be called into action during the set up process.

In a demonstration of the system prior to installation, RPT achieved a cycle time of less than four minutes to trim an instrument panel versus the nine minutes needed from their prior system. Since the system was installed in early 2004, Medallion Plastics has achieved a production increase of 35 percent, quality has improved and they reduced scrap and returned goods authorizations due to human error.

Robotic Production Technology has been a turnkey robotic systems solutions provider for 20 years. Industries served include aerospace, appliance, automotive, composites, construction, consumer goods, marine and plastics industries. The company specializes in high path accurate trimming applications such as router trimming, deflashing, laser cutting and scoring and waterjet cutting.