Electricity and Control July 2023

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Automated welding in towbar manufacturing

Brink Towing Systems is a glob al leader in developing and manufacturing towbars. Since the end of the Covid‑19 pan demic, many of the car brands it supplies have been ramping up production to keep up with rising demand. For Brink, this means finding new ways to fulfil customer orders, which al ready see the towbar specialist manufacture more than 160 000 towbars per year for South Africa and markets in the UK, Europe and Thailand. The company’s towbar manufacturing facility in Pietermaritzburg is equipped with a number of Yaskawa robotic welding cells. Each cell comprises two stations where there are two GP25 robots running in synchronised motion with a set of positioners, all housed in a protective enclosure. For operators, using the system is simple, says Devon Prinsloo, National Project Manager at Yaskawa Southern Africa: “Load the part, press the button, and the doors will close. Brink runs the two stations in parallel so there is always an ‘active’ part getting loaded and unloaded. This reduces the cycle time in the long run.” Since the system was installed, Brink has seen a sub stantial increase in production, helping it meet demand that was otherwise unattainable before the introduction of automated cells to assist in running the operation. And car production rates indicate that demand for Brink’s towbars will continue to grow. The company has recently installed

its fifth cell from Yaskawa – and will soon install the sixth. Designing and installing customised solutions for niche manufacturing operations is not easy, but Yaskawa has a history of problem-solving and optimising production lines to integrate robots. “Brink uses a water-cooled torch welding system,” says Prinsloo. “The booth itself was designed by one of our suppliers, Dynamik, but for the most part, we set up the entire system, including writing the PLC program and robot program.” In this case, Brink is also well-versed in the robot system, so it handles live programming on-site with extensive use of MotoSim. Overall, the system is controlled using PROFINET, EtherNet IP and PROFIsafe. PROFINET is an open Industrial Ethernet solution based on international standards. It is specifically designed for collecting data from and controlling equipment in industrial systems with a particular strength in delivering data under time constraints. With the re-emergence of high demand across different sectors in the global economy, manufacturers are pushing the boundaries of how automation can add accuracy, efficiency, productivity, and return on investment for their operations by partnering with experts like Yaskawa. For more information contact Yaskawa Southern Africa. Tel: +27 (0)11 608 3182 Email: devon@yaskawa.za.com Visit: www.yaskawa.za.com beverage and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors, as well as for applications in other industrial sectors. It promises ‘plug and print’ performance and, as a result, unrivalled availability with consistently high print quality – without the need for cleaning. The IQJET does not require scheduled maintenance for a full five years from installation. It promises manufacturers ‘a fresh experience’ when working with Continuous Ink Jet (CIJ) printers for coding and marking. Operating costs can be reduced by as much as 30% compared to those of conventional systems and the IQJET also supports sustainability. The new IQJET incorporates four assistance sys tems: the SMART.OS operating system, IQPRINT tech nology, the SMART.EFFICIENCY assistance system, and the intelligent SMART.CARE function. These sup port easy integration into the production line, reliable printing performance and consistent print quality, cost efficiency, and minimal maintenance.

In each welding cell, two GP25 robots run in synchronised motion with a set of positioners,

all housed in a protective enclosure.

Leading the way in product coding and marking

Leibinger, a global innovation leader in coding and marking systems, introduced the world’s first intelligent coding and marking system – the IQJET – in early May just ahead of the interpack trade show in Düsseldorf, Germany. The IQJET is designed for the direct coding and marking of products and packaging. It can be used in the food and

[Source: Paul Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG]

The new IQJET provides reliable marking on a wide range of materials.

For more information visit: www.leibinger-group.com

10 Electricity + Control JULY 2023