May 2023 Volume 5

AUTOMATION

Forge Automation-Recommended Practices for Robot and Cell Programming By JimMorris

Monitor the Process Forge automation is about as tough as it gets. The automation must deal with heavy, extremely hot, and slippery parts. The equipment has to operate in an environment with nasty scale, die lube, moisture, heat, and compact workspaces. Most forge lines produce multiple part numbers, with inherent issues due to job changes. We have all heard of IOT, and good cell programming includes this. Today’s automated equipment works well because it is much easier to monitor the process and display useful information using various sensors and HMI display(s). Temperature sensors are used to sort billets into too cold, too hot, and nominal temperature on part feeding conveyors. Simple-to-program vision sensors are used to verify part location and presence. Sensors are monitored by the cell controller and alarms posted to the HMI screen to alert the operator and guide them to the issue. These various sensors, when implemented correctly allow the cell controller to monitor trends and trigger a halt in case the work piece is not of nominal size or gets out of place. Diagnostic screens on the cell HMI can display digital and analog information pertaining to the last “X” parts which makes it easier to see trends during production. If a photo is worth a thousand words, a video is priceless. Good cell design includes the use of inexpensive video camera systems. These kits are available with TBs of storage so the process can be monitored and video reviewed, to learn and recommend corrective actions.

Many times, it is the seemingly little things that trip up otherwise great automation projects. For instance, an installation that required offset fingers on the EOAT (end of arm tool) used a dowel pattern that allowed the right hand finger to fit on the left hand side of the gripper and vice versa. The first tool change done on the third shift led to a serious crash and unnecessary downtime. The investigation revealed the error, and the fix was quite simple, but the damage was done. Another example is an issue caused by the operator loading the wrong size billet into a robot tended forge. Same result - a bad crash that could have been prevented. So good design can eliminate many of these errors. Good robot and cell programming handles all the normal functions required to make production. Great programming handles the unexpected scenarios along with making all tasks in the cell straight forward. These programming features pay for themselves with serious improvements to OEE. This article is intended to layout some best practices for robot and cell programming in forge applications. Hopefully, these recommendations help the end user develop a robust automation package.

Quality tracking screen

FIA MAGAZINE | MAY 2023 42