Robot curbs heavy lifting at Black and Decker
Workers no longer lift heavy objects at the end of the production line, which makes handling procedures more efficient and flexible.
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 4/1/1998
A world-leading provider of home appliances and power tools, Black and Decker faced a significant challenge at the end of its production line. In the shipping department at the company's Power Tool Division in Brockville, Ontario, over 1400 units of cased product weighing as much as 70 lb a piece rolled off the line in a typical day, into the arms of employees. In particular, Black and Decker's line of lawn mowers and work benches posed problems because of the products' large sizes and heavy weights.With the help of its engineering specialist Marc Fortin, the company determined that a flexible automated system would be the best way to handle palletizing the extensive line of lawn mower and work bench products. Black and Decker needed a system to handle the entire end-of-line operation, from random incoming product identification to outgoing stretch-wrapped pallets. The company also wanted to maintain production rates of about one lawn mower every 16 sec. or one work bench every 10 sec.
Black and Decker selected a Canadian robot manufacturer as its automation partner. The new system consists of an articulated robot, a robot end-of-arm-tool, a PLC control system, bar code scanner, product conveyors, pallet conveyors, automatic stretch-wrapper, and appropriate safety barriers.
Key to the system is the robotics company's six-axis robot. This series of robots offers payloads of up to 1200 lb, and features the company's advanced controller and application software. A remote I/O network connection interacts with the robot controller to meet production requirements. "The robot easily handles our product variations, " says Fortin. "In fact, after working with the robot, we've found that its flexibility will allow us to handle production increases or future plant modifications."
A bar code reader scans each product to identify size and style as the product travels to the shipping department. The PLC and remote I/O systems then notify the robot of product arrival. A vacuum system on one side of the tool grasps the top of the uniquely shaped work bench package with enough strength to hold the box securely while the robot moves at high speeds to reorient the unit and place it in the correct pallet position.
The robot and PLC keep track of the bar codes, box sizes, and box orientations for both types of product. The robot stores the product pick-up positions, palletizing positions, and pallet placements in the controller. To accommodate the different products and conveyors, the control system automatically selects appropriate routines.
The robot maker needed about 16 weeks to deliver the system, and provided operation and maintenance training for the Black and Decker operators. Fortin says that "the training our employees received after the installation has proven invaluable."
After several months of operation, the system is a proven success for Black and Decker. Throughput increased dramatically, while operating costs decreased. The robot moves products and pallets tirelessly, and is virtually maintenance-free. Of primary importance, operators who previously lifted and moved heavy products were transferred to other jobs in the plant.
According to Fortin, Black and Decker has long-range plans for the system. The simple programming language, and the capacity of the robot to move heavy weights at high speeds make the system capable of handling most future products. Although exact figures are confidential, Fortin indicates that the project has met all its financial goals, and that the company anticipates a return on investment in two years.
FANUC Robotics 248-377-7000
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