New developments at Wiegand-Glas: lubrication robot

For several months now, a trial has been running at IS3 in Steinbach with a robot that lubricates moulds.

An important breakthrough in automatic mould lubrication

The robot is a new development of the company X-Par. The aim is to make the machine operator's work easier and to better reproduce the lubrication of the moulds. Over a period of several months, the software was continuously improved, resulting in better handling, faster job changes and greater stability. X-Par follows a different system to its competitors. An interval lubrication time of 2 hours should be achieved with a very durable and well adhering coating agent. The application of the agent takes place at a stationary station. The coating is applied slowly and therefore cannot be applied on a moving station.

Process optimisation using the latest technology

X-Par is currently working to optimise the speeds of the coating process so as to generate as few ejection cycles as possible. This is also the current main problem and therefore only a maximum of 4 stations were lubricated with the robot. The coating itself is also a great challenge and was continuously improved with the help of other nozzle shapes and settings. One of Wiegand's requirements was to ensure the simplest possible operation for the machine operator, which was achieved with a simple 1-click system. In the future, the robot will have to show that it can lubricate a complete machine without yield losses and that it is a real help to the machine operator.

Author: Oliver Wiegand