Laser tube cutting machine and gantry robot are an efficient, automated and intelligent solution in the field of modern metal processing. This combination can realize the fully automated process of tube processing from raw material loading, cutting to finished product unloading, significantly improving production efficiency, processing accuracy and safety.
Why choose matching?
The laser tube cutting machine itself is responsible for high-precision tube cutting, but if its loading and unloading links rely on manual labor, the efficiency will be greatly reduced, and it will consume a lot of workers’ physical strength and be prone to errors. Gantry Robot, with its large range, high speed, high precision and high load capacity, perfectly meets the needs of laser tube cutting machine for efficient and stable loading and unloading.
Composition of supporting system
A typical laser tube cutting machine and gantry robot supporting system usually includes:
Laser tube cutting machine:
Main machine: Contains laser generator, laser head, chuck system (for clamping and rotating tubes), machine bed and control system.
Automatic feeding mechanism: Usually silo type or bundle type, used to store tubes to be processed.
Automatic unloading mechanism: used to collect finished products or waste after cutting.
Truss manipulator:
Gantry frame: usually set up above or on the side of the laser tube cutting machine, composed of X, Y, and Z axes, covering the entire working area.
Grabbing fixture/end effector: customized according to the shape (round tube, square tube, rectangular tube, special-shaped tube), size and weight of the tube. Common ones are pneumatic grippers, vacuum suction cups (for thin-walled tubes or special tubes), clamps, etc.
Control system: communicate with the main control system of the laser tube cutting machine to achieve precise coordination of actions.
Pipe storage and conveying system:
Feeding rack/silo: store a large number of raw tubes.
Conveying track/chain: transport the tube from the rack to the grabbing area of the truss manipulator.
System integration and software:
Central control system: coordinate all actions of the laser tube cutting machine, truss manipulator, feeding system and unloading system.
MES/ERP interface: Optional, used for data interaction with the factory’s production management system to achieve production planning, order management and traceability.
Workflow
Pipe loading: The truss robot moves to the loading bin and accurately grabs one or more raw pipes through a customized fixture.
Feeding into the pipe cutting machine: The truss robot smoothly and accurately feeds the grabbed pipe into the chuck clamping area of the laser pipe cutting machine.
Laser cutting: The laser pipe cutting machine starts to cut the pipe with high precision according to the preset program. During the cutting process, the truss robot can return for the next loading or wait for unloading.
Finished product unloading: After cutting, the truss robot moves to the discharge port of the pipe cutting machine and grabs the cut finished pipe fittings or waste segments.
Classification placement: The truss robot places the finished pipe fittings in the designated collection area (such as finished material racks, turnover boxes), and places the waste in the waste box to achieve automatic classification.
Cycle back and forth: The system continuously cycles the above-mentioned loading, cutting, and unloading processes to achieve uninterrupted production.
Matching advantages
The laser tube cutting machine and the truss manipulator can bring the following significant advantages:
Greatly improve production efficiency:
Achieve 24-hour uninterrupted automated production and significantly shorten the production cycle.
Reduce the waiting time for manual loading and unloading, and improve the equipment utilization rate of the laser tube cutting machine.
The grabbing and handling speed is fast, and the efficiency is far superior to manual.
Improve processing accuracy and product quality:
The truss manipulator can accurately locate the pipe to ensure the consistency of each loading, thereby ensuring the accuracy of laser cutting.
Reduce the scratches or deformation of the pipe surface that may be caused by manual operation, and reduce the scrap rate.
Significantly reduce labor costs and labor intensity:
Replace the heavy and repetitive manual loading and unloading work, effectively reducing labor costs.
Liberate workers from potentially dangerous working environments, reducing physical exertion and occupational disease risks.
Improve production safety:
Automated operation avoids direct contact between workers and high-speed mechanical parts, laser cutting areas or sharp pipes, greatly improving operation safety.
Optimize space utilization:
Truss manipulators are usually set up above the equipment, making full use of the three-dimensional space of the factory and avoiding occupying valuable ground area.
Flexibility and intelligence:
The system can quickly switch and adjust the working mode according to different pipe specifications, cutting procedures and material requirements to achieve flexible production.
Easy to integrate with MES/ERP systems to achieve intelligent functions such as data traceability, production management and fault diagnosis.
Applicable scenarios
This supporting solution is particularly suitable for:
Pipe processing companies with large-scale and continuous production.
Industries that require high-precision and high-quality pipe cutting (such as automobile manufacturing, furniture manufacturing, fitness equipment, building structures, agricultural machinery, etc.).
Companies with high requirements for automation and aiming to achieve “dark factories” or less-managed production.
Companies facing the challenges of rising labor costs and difficulty in recruiting workers.