A customer magazine from ABB Robotics robotics The plastics issue The sky is the limit 4 Robots cutting into carbon fiber reinforced plastics aid aviation research South Korean manufacturer’s tough challenge 9 Operating costs slashed by paint atomizer upgrade Plastic fantastic 20 Plastic and the automotive industry Power and productivity for a better world™

Australia’s tubs- keep ’em comming ABB robots ensure Australia’s Decor Corporation keep up with growing demand. Per Vegard Nerseth Managing Director, Business Unit Robotics Same old pallet? The traditional wooden shipping pallet has a challenger and it’s plastic. 2|16 In this issue of Robotics Magazine we focus on an industry that is changing as fast as the products it produces – plastics. Like many other industries today, plastics manufacturers are facing an enormous shift from producing large quantities of the same products to smaller and smaller lots of increasingly different products. Innovations...

Trends Plastics are fast replacing metals in the automative industry. Painting better with ABB Paint atomizer upgrade saves customer 60 percent in operating costs. How robots are helping keep carbon fiber reinforced plastic production prices down. 5 ABB ensures fridge tubs keep coming A robotic solution helps Australian homeware producer keep up with growing demand at home and overseas. 9 ABB paint upgrade ABB Robotics Service team meet tough challenge from South Korean automotive parts manufacturer. 11 Robots fuel plastic tank manufacturing process ABB robots used in a manufacturing...

the sky is the limit Robots are helping German researchers keep down production prices of carbon fiber reinforced plastics. The materials used to make modern-day aircraft consist of more than 50 percent carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), as demand for lighter aircraft grows, but the components are costly. “The production and assembly of components still involves a great deal of manual labor and is therefore very expensive,” says Dr. Dirk Nier-mann, head of the Fraunhofer Project Group Joining and Assembly FFM at the large-scale research center CFK Nord in Stade, Germany. Niermann and his...

Competitive edge Decor required a robotics partner that could work with the company to design, build and integrate a system incorporating automation equipment, robotics and machine vision systems, with minimal lead time. The turnkey robotic solution includes a number of ABB robots like the versatile IRB 1200 and ABB's flagship palletizing robot, the IRB 660. The system, designed and supplied by A&RT Systems, has streamlined Decor's homeware products manufacturing, assembly and packaging. By automating its manufacturing operations, Decor has managed to reduce costs while freeing up the production...

Competitive edge Dale Collinson (right), A&RT Managing Director at Decor’s manufacturing plant. plastic homeware products in Australia for more than 50 years. Now the company can spend more time doing what it knows how to do best — the production of homeware solutions that combine aesthetics, functionality, affordability and durability. From its base in Scoresby, Victoria, Decor manufactures an innovative range of plastic fridge containers enjoyed by customers around the world—from local department stores and supermarkets to export outlets across Europe, America, India and Japan. As the global...

Competitive edge The four-cell system manufactures Decor’s tubs, from assembly to palletization. Collinson says, “We’re really proud to be working with Decor Australia – such a household brand – and helping them achieve more market success in such a competitive market. We’ve worked with ABB for many years now, and with the background and history we’ve had with them, it was quite an easy choice in the end, given the range of product, the fact that they’re in Australia in their own right, and the fact we can get global support wherever our systems go.” A&RT was tasked with providing a turnkey system...

Competitive edge Summary −− sing A&RT’s turnkey robotic U solution (which features a number of ABB robots) has allowed Decor Corporation to streamline homewares product manufacturing, assembly and packaging −− he turnkey system is used T to manufacture and process Decor’s plastic tubs from the basic assembly, right through to complete palletization −− he case-packing system T uses an IRB 1200, 15 percent smaller and 10 percent faster than other machines Decor uses the IRB 660 four-axis palletizing robot to palletize all of the product. “ he robot system has an amortization of less than T eight...

Economic incentive Paint ­ tomizer upgrade a saves 60 percent in ­ perating costs for o ­automotive supplier South Korean automotive parts manufacturer Ecoplastic has stringent demands when it comes to implementing robotic atomizer painting technology – a challenge which the local ABB Robotics Service team gladly accepted. Text: ABB Photo: ABB n South Korea, 370 km southeast of Seoul, the coastal city of Gyeong-ju is located among widespread low mountains at the East Sea of Korea. Commonly referred to as “the museum without walls,” the city has become one of the country’s major tourist destinations....

Economic incentive The new atomizer from ABB will pay dividends in reduced cleaning and maintenance time as well as annual operating cost. Established in 1984, Ecoplastic manufactures and sells automotive plastic parts, including bumpers and trims, wheel covers, back panels, radiator grilles, tail gate garnishes, rear garnishes, roof racks, consoles, and instrument panels. Customers are mostly domestic and include Hyundai, Kia, and Hyundai Mobis. The relationship with ABB harkens back to 1993 when Ecoplastic purchased 20 ABB robots for bumper painting. Since then ABB has been a regular supplier...