Incremental Automation � Fanuc Robotics

TMI is already looking to the future of manufacturing. It is not news to many that jobs are leaving North American manufacturing in droves due much in part to a much lower cost of labor. In order to bring back manufacturing, TMI believes the next level of investment in automation must occur.

However, unlike the move from manual to CNC machines, this move must be flexible and in accordance with the lean manufacturing environment that faces so many shops today.

This is not to say that total lights out manufacturing is right around the corner but rather that the progression to this utopian view will be incremental. This is what TMI refers to as Incremental Automation. In this, technologies are put in place and leveraged in a flexible approach to automation. Such technologies include in-process inspection, gauging, and robotics. TMI has partnered with Fanuc Robotics and has begun offering incremental automation packages for existing, new, and retrofit/rebuilt cells.

Intelligent Solutions

While other robot suppliers rely on third-party companies for their vision solutions, FANUC Robotics has a team of engineers dedicated to developing integral vision products. These products provide a level of performance, reliability and cost effectiveness unmatched by third-party solutions. iRVision - one of FANUC Robotics' many intelligent robot solutions.

2D Vision Guidance

• The 2D guidance product can accurately move the robot to the location of your part, removing the need for expensive positioning fixtures. The 2D guidance package allows you to easily adapt to part change over, and find the part with accurately in X, Y and Rotation. Like all other iRVision products, the camera is integrated with the robot controller so you do not have to maintain a PC on the factory floor

3DL Vision Guidance

• By projecting lasers, the 3DL Sensor provides the ability to quickly find parts position ( X,Y,Z ) and orientation ( W,P,R ). As with the 2D Guidance package, this positional information allows the robot to pick parts with a high degree of accuracy.

Visual Line Tracking

• Building on the 2D Guidance platform, the Visual Line Tracking option provides the ability to pick products from a moving conveyor. An encoder attached to the conveyor provides for speed, position and direction inputs for accurate location of the part. Like other iRVision products, we manage the detail of coordinating overlapping images and parts, and translate the position of the part on the conveyor with the robot.