ASSISTEC.CC
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VISITA ASSISTEC.CC

Revamping and Integrated Automation for Transfer Plants

+30% hourly productivity

SECTOR:

Metalmechanics

Location:

Reggio Emilia, Italy

CUSTOMER

Mazzoni, is a historic company in the province of Reggio Emilia active in the processing of metal supports. It has transfer machines installed over 25 years ago that are fundamental for its serial production. It chose to intervene strategically to modernise the plant and automate its operation.

REQUIREMENT

  • Upgrade an obsolete transfer system, overcoming the limitations related to discontinued electronics, software fragmentation and lack of spare parts and qualified service.
  • Eliminate manual loading of parts, increase operational autonomy and ensure correct orientation of components for integration with an existing robot cell.

Targets

  • +30% productivity per hour, thanks to the elimination of downtime between cycles.
  • ROI of less than 12 months, with a drastic reduction in labour involved in loading/unloading.
  • Complete technological upgrade: digitally manageable plant, compliant with safety regulations, compatible with Industry 4.0 logic.
Mazzoni, a long-established company in the metal substrate processing sector, found itself having to work on a transfer system that had been in operation for over 25 years. Although the mechanics were still functioning, the limitations were evident:
  • Obsolete and discontinued electronic and electromechanical components
  • Inability to find spare parts
  • Reduced service by the original manufacturer due to lack of skilled workers
The company therefore decided to intervene first selectively, then strategically, requesting from Assis-tec (ROBO FEED’s technical partner) a complete proposal for an electrical retrofit and subsequent robotic automation of the workpiece loading.

Complete electrical retrofit: new life for the transfer machine

Assistec proposed a complete electronic retrofit that presented major challenges:
  • Original wiring modified over the years and not documented.
  • Obsolete switchgear and non-standard components.
  • Fragmented software, resulting from uncoordinated progressive interventions.

Original Electrical Panel

New electrical panel

Activities performed:

  • Complete redesign of the electrical diagram from scratch, starting from the original documentation
  • Creation of the electrical cabinet in collaboration with IS Automazioni
  • Adaptation of the safety systems: replacement of limit switches, emergency mushrooms and wiring
  • Implementation of the HMI on board the machine to simplify configuration and reduce set-up times previously managed manually
  • Revision and adaptation of the machine software with specific cycles and logic.

Once the installation was complete, we proceeded with the commissioning of the 7 operational heads, tested individually, and with a continuous observation phase while the system was active to finalise the necessary optimisations. The plant is now fully operational and digitally manageable.

Complete system with new switch cabinet

Design and supply of ROBO FEED CUSTOM robotized cell

Parallel to the retrofit, the customer requested a solution to automate the loading of parts into the transfer, which is currently handled by a competitor robotized cell fed manually via cassettes.

The objective: to reduce human intervention and guarantee at least 1,200 parts of operational autonomy.

Part characteristics:

  • Parallelepiped aluminium casting
  • Robot gripper on Ø32 mm central hole
  • Current cycle time: 35 seconds

Initial issue:

  • Feeding cassettes with manual depositing of parts
  • Need to ensure precise orientation for loading into the transfer
  • Requirement for automation and integration with existing robotic cycle
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Custom island

ROBO FEED CUSTOM – customised automation

The solution proposed by ROBO FEED is a fully customised robot cell, designed to dialogue with the existing RR robot and simplify the operating cycle.

Cell structure:

  • FANUC LRM-200iD/7L robot with integrated iRVision 2D vision system
  • Rotating vibrating hopper fed 40L vibrating hopper with anti-noise coating for automatic orientation
  • 150L motorised feeder: 600 parts autonomy (expandable to 1,200)
  • Requalification station for parts preparation input to existing RR robot.
  • Fully automatic management: from the introduction of the blank to the final unloading of the machined parts into the bin.

Island ready for internal pre-testing

Fanuc robots with 2D vision

Fanuc 2D Vision

Vibrating table and hopper

Two-jaw pliers

Redevelopment piece station

Redevelopment piece station

Cyclic cell operation

  • The operator loads the loose parts into the motorised loader at the start of the shift
  • The system transfers controlled quantities to the vibrating hopper
  • The hopper feeds the rotating tank
  • The 2D vision system identifies and orients the parts correctly for robot pick-up
  • The FANUC robot picks up the oriented parts and places them in the pick-up station of the second robot cell already present in production
  • The existing robot cell continues the existing cycle

  • Customer-required cycle time: 35s
  • Cycle time obtained: 15s minuti
  • Footprint: 4350×5140
  • Island height (highest point): 2000mm
  • Total island weight (without machine tool): 570 Kg
  • Power Supply Voltage: 220V
  • Electrical safety management: machine safety for belt hatch opening and emergency button

The benefits obtained

The intervention led to immediate and measurable results:

  • +30% productivity per hour thanks to the elimination of downtime.
  • Drastic reduction in loading/unloading labour.
  • ROI achieved in less than 12 months.
  • Increased plant reliability and compliance with regulations.
  • Possibility of multi-shift operation without constant supervision.

A project that can be replicated for many manufacturing companies

The project realised for Mazzoni is a concrete example of how ROBO FEED can accompany metalworking companies on gradual, intelligent modernisation paths tailored to specific needs.
This project demonstrates that retrofit together with robotic automation is a concrete solution for:

  • sectors such as valves, hydraulics, automotive, taps and fittings.
  • companies that want to comply with Industry 4.0 parameters.
  • companies that want to increase competitiveness without replacing working equipmen

Do you also want to automate a transfer in your company?
Request a personalised consultation

Talk to a ROBO FEED expert today: together we will analyse your transfer machine and design a tailor-made cell, with measurable ROI, full support and integration without disruption