Are Collaborative Robots The New Must-Haves for Metal Stamping and Punching?

In recent years, manufacturers across the globe have shown a growing interest in automating their production processes. There are compelling reasons for this shift, as collaborative robots offer increased productivity, efficiency, and reduced overall costs.

Collaborative Robots and Their Role in Modern Metal Production

Just a decade ago, many manufacturers hesitated to incorporate robots into their production systems.

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This reluctance stemmed largely from high costs and the specialized programming skills required to implement and adjust the actions of collaborative robots. However, it is increasingly important for manufacturers to recognize that while automation may have been costly in the past, now is the ideal time to reevaluate its benefits.

Intense competition in robotics and automation has driven costs down, and technological advancements now enable companies to harness these innovations to gain significant advantages.

Manufacturers can currently employ robotic solutions to assist their workforce with various tasks that are faster, safer, and more cost-effective. Metal punching and stamping represent two applications where robots can greatly enhance efficiency and precision.

Stamping and Punching: What is the Difference?

Metal stamping involves a series of operations used to create specific shapes on a workpiece. Essentially, the metal stamping process enables the production of a complete metal part with all desired features integrated into the final product.

Typically, stamping has a higher cost and is particularly suited for mass production when the aim is to manufacture entire metal components.

In contrast, metal punching is the technique used to shape a specific form on a metal part. Punching is more appropriate for producing prototypes and small production runs.

Collaborative robots can become invaluable assets on a manufacturer's press line. But what are the main benefits?

How Can Collaborative Robots Support Stamping and Punching Processes?

• Short Changeovers

Traditionally, changeover times of 1.5 to 2 hours were standard.

Imagine a large metal part needing manual transfer to the next workstation. This not only consumes significant time but also presents considerable safety risks to workers. With automation, press lines can ensure seamless production rather than stagnating while waiting for manual transfers.

Simply put, shorter changeovers lead to more changeovers per day, ultimately resulting in increased output.

• More Flexibility

The integration of collaborative robots in conjunction with cobot cells has enabled manufacturers to enhance their production flexibility. Conventional robots often require ample workspace, specialized programming expertise, secure perimeters, and are cumbersome to relocate.

Conversely, cobots can operate safely alongside humans, require minimal programming knowledge, and can be easily repositioned along production lines.

• High Quality and Data Support

Advanced vision systems and high-resolution imaging allow collaborative robots to inspect and assess the quality of production outputs. This capability delivers rapid, scalable, and precise feedback, critical for minimizing scrap production and enhancing overall quality.

Moreover, as collaborative robots evolve, they are becoming ‘smarter.’ By employing AI applications, manufacturers can utilize the vast amounts of data collected during production to gain insights that help optimize their processes.

Manufacturers are still uncovering the extensive opportunities that robotic automation presents. Companies engaging in these trends are likely to gain a competitive edge in the long term.

Robots Advance in the Stamping Shop

For stamping manufacturers facing challenges related to employee safety, a growing skills gap, and heightened throughput demands, robots may provide the solution, as stated by leaders from KUKA, DieBotics, FANUC, and ABB Robotics.

“We have observed difficulties in maintaining pace with the physical demands of handling heavy parts,” shared DieBotics’ Launiere. “Employee safety is compromised whenever a worker must handle the materials.”

FANUC’s Sharpe echoed this sentiment, noting that many stamping operations struggle to meet increasing throughput demands in environments that jeopardize worker safety, particularly with larger and more complex stampings that are hard to handle.

According to KUKA’s Jurczyszyn, maximizing output continues to be a significant challenge for stampers. Achieving this requires rapid, linear, and stable part transfers from press to press, with high availability and minimal maintenance. If automation isn't appropriately tailored to the duty cycle, it leads to premature failures.

Furthermore, a significant degree of flexibility is essential for efficiently allocating parts across one or multiple lines.

“Our clients are asking for faster line operations; however, this causes wear on the presses and can lead to material pile-ups,” Jurczyszyn said. “At a certain point, operators can't keep pace.”

Variations in materials and part sizes also pose obstacles to increasing production output. Substantial differences between the smallest and largest parts, along with multiple pallet stacks of varied blanks, complicate the process.

Robotic material handling systems and technology are evolving to address these challenges.

One Controller for Multiple Operations

Multiple automation requirements can be managed by a single control system, Launiere stated.

“Utilizing our robotic walking beam transfer and two additional parallel-arm robots allows the automatic loading and unloading of the stamping process. This setup accommodates any elongated workpiece requiring subsequent processing, including stamped blanks,” Launiere added.

A built-in, user-programmable control using Boolean logic can manage material handling while performing additional tasks. “For instance, an inspection camera at the process's end can monitor for defects in real-time. In-die sensors can also be tracked and activated using this feature,” he elaborated.

Press-Tending Robot Tends Multiple Presses

ABB recently launched its IRB 760PT flexible press-tending robot, which has 25% faster cycle times compared to traditional linear press robots, according to ABB’s Roda.

This robot is designed to reduce the time, costs, and disruptions typically associated with reconfiguring dedicated press-tending machines. It can be rapidly adapted and reprogrammed for new products without requiring extensive re-engineering,” Roda noted. “With its 3.18-meter reach and a seventh rotating axis, it can reorient parts between consecutive stamping operations, allowing a single robot to access various presses and dies.”

The press-tending robot's servo-tilting modules and two servo side-shifting modules help manage large and medium-sized panels as well as special processes like part reorientation (tilting ±30 degrees) and separation (±300mm).

Furthermore, to mitigate potential interference between robots and presses, the design was modified to minimize the robot's working area in its third axis from 120 degrees to 80 degrees.

3D Vision Systems and Sensing

Sharpe stated that the latest advancements enable robots to utilize 3D vision for adapting to the loading and unloading of press blanks, as well as for transferring stamped components into laser cells. Enhanced sensing capabilities allow robots to pick from stacked or accordion configurations of stamped parts. “This ability reduces operator fatigue and negates the need for lifting devices for large components such as automotive door rings,” he added.

The combination of robotic systems with sophisticated sensors and vision systems enables quick identification and adaptation to alterations in part positions prior to loading items onto the press line, Jurczyszyn explained.

Automatic Tool Changes

The ABB press-tending robot supports rapid automatic tool changes in both the interpress floor area and within the bolster equipped with the dies, according to Roda. KUKA’s automatic tool change can be validated through simulation, ensuring that additional motions for the robots, such as floor- or ceiling-mounted transfers, are also confirmed when necessary, added Jurczyszyn.

Robots can be outfitted with tool storage along the line, thereby ensuring tools are readily available to the robot during die changes. One method to provide tool storage is having a destack robot utilize a universal tool.

Intuitive Interface

The simplification of programming and electronics is making automation less daunting, according to DieBotics’ Launiere.

FANUC is developing new, intuitive user interfaces and applications that ease startup and programming for users, Sharpe confirmed.

ABB’s StampWare features a graphical programming wizard that significantly reduces the time required for operator and robot programmer training, enabling prompt system deployment, Roda noted.

Synchronized Software

Advancements in robotic automation heavily rely on intelligent technology software to oversee all system components, synchronizing actions for optimal output and production efficiency, stated Jurczyszyn. This synchronization is critical, especially with servo presses.

Our clients are increasingly indicating that servo presses are becoming standard, he remarked. Software packages for servo press and automation synchronization continue to be optimized.

FANUC’s PressSync software links an encoder to the press, allowing the robot to determine the correct timing for entering and closing the press. This software removes the necessity for expert programmers to adjust anticipation timing for achieving maximum throughput, according to Sharpe.

The press-linking software brings several improvements, as Sharpe further explained. A servo-controlled handling system allows robots to modify press speeds, thus avoiding the delays caused by stopping and re-accelerating before the press.

An early press start minimizes unnecessary delays during exit and closure. Encoders within the press enable the loading robot to adjust to part spacing, thereby optimizing the unloading robot's process and preventing time loss from signal exchanges.

Application Trends

Robotic technology has evolved to meet the needs of stamping operations as well.

Laser Trimming and Transfer for Hot Stamping. “Hot stamping of lightweight steels presents an entirely new set of challenges distinct from traditional stamping, requiring adjustments to both dies and processes,” Jurczyszyn stated.

FANUC has developed the new M-800iA/60 high-precision, high-speed laser processing robot, featuring a revamped servo control system that increases path accuracy for precision applications. “This development allows for laser trimming of hot-stamped components, replacing costly multi-axis CNC machines for this function,” he added.

Many robots and lasers can work concurrently on a part, making them ideal for larger components like door rings, Jurczyszyn mentioned.

Special-purpose robots can better serve specific needs, according to Launiere. “We are identifying unique requirements and developing specialized automation solutions to address needs best met with unique robots.”

Complex Parts Handling. Handling systems have been enhanced to accommodate more intricate components, providing better dynamic linear axes, tilting, and shifting capabilities. “Our Cobra handling systems employ specialized carbon carriers that are lightweight yet stable enough to manage materials in these applications,” Jurczyszyn said.

Modified for Electric Vehicles and Alternative Materials. The increased adoption of electric vehicles has triggered a shift from mild steel to lightweight alternatives such as aluminum, high-strength steels (HSS), and ultra-high-strength steels (UHSS), Jurczyszyn noted. This necessitates modifications to the handling equipment to effectively work with these materials, such as non-magnetic destackers and double-blank detectors for aluminum.

Automation for Nesting. The drive to minimize material use in production is prompting a need for nesting blanks, Launiere stated. “Nesting blanks do not lend themselves to progressive die carrying techniques, thereby necessitating automation, which can range from a simple pneumatic shuttle for basic parts to comprehensive three-axis transfer systems,” he added.

Hard Automation to Robots, Robots to Hard Automation

High-speed stamping robots tailored for press-to-press operations are entering the market to meet hard automation throughputs. Concurrently, some OEMs are transitioning from robots to hard automation for operating tandem lines at 16 strokes per minute, Jurczyszyn observed.

Augmented Reality. ABB’s new RobotStudio AR viewer offers a quick method for visualizing how robotic automation can integrate into a process using a smartphone or tablet. This viewer, a component of the company's PC-based RobotStudio offline programming software, enables users to test a model created in the software, providing insight into the size and shape of a robot or robot cell and how it could fit into existing factory layouts.

The app overlays the model over the real production environment. Users can scale it to full size, rotate to various angles, and observe the model in motion. A timeline feature allows the evaluation of cycle times, thus enabling users to enhance performance or identify potential issues.

The viewer grants stamping operations the ability to trial and refine options before implementation. New product lines can be installed more swiftly, ramping up to full speed without unexpected challenges during commissioning, Roda said.

“Many stamping companies want to incorporate robotic automation but are uncertain about how to begin,” Roda added. “RobotStudio serves as an intuitive digital tool that simplifies robot installation and operation.”