CASE
Injection molded parts handling with AI-supported quality inspection
We have automated the complex handling of injection molded parts with a compact robot system. An AI-supported quality inspection developed in-house checks the finished parts.
The challenge
Our customer D'Emmould in southern Germany manufactures injection-molded components for the automotive industry. The customer was looking for a robot-supported automation solution for a steel-insert that had previously been manually loaded and removed from the injection molding machine. An automatic optical quality inspection was also required.
One challenge was the complex cycle: the raw parts - cylindrical steel parts - have to be inserted into a 4-cavity injection mold and aligned in rotation. These blanks are then overmolded with plastic on one side. The short injection molding cycle required rapid removal, while the raw parts had to be inserted into the tool with great precision. Subsequently, the quality of the overmolded steel part and the surface had to be visually inspected.
The solution
The customized solution from Robotec Solutions consists of two robots that handle the components. A camera with a Cognex vision system visually inspects the quality of the overmolded steel part.
A cycle starts with the first robot preparing four raw parts: It picks these up as they are fed in via the conveyor bowl. These four parts are placed on precision mandrels and are then already correctly aligned. The second robot picks up the parts and moves in front of the tool. As soon as the mold is open, it picks up the finished parts and the sprues, swivels the gripper around and inserts the raw parts.
The sprues are dropped into a box and the finished parts are transferred to a camera station. This now checks the parts individually. Based on the camera evaluation, the first robot places the parts in boxes or throws them into the bad parts chute. Thanks to our self-developed vision system, only a single photo is required for the optical quality check. The evaluation is carried out using AI software that has been trained using good/bad samples.
“The use of two robots and a vision system makes it possible to solve the required tasks in a single intelligent system. The robots' high degree of freedom of movement has resulted in a very compact robot cell.”
The project
The Robotec team included Jörg Lanz (project management, design), Urs Heimann (software programming) and Livio Stocker (on-site installation, commissioning).
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Challenge
Metal parts are inserted into a 4-station injection mould tool, where they must be oriented in rotation. A short injection moulding cycle requires a quick removal of the finished parts and the very precise raw parts require an exact insertion into the injection moulding tool.
The quality of the surface of the finished parts are visually checked from above.
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Solution
A robot prepares four raw parts by picking them up from the feeder. These four parts are placed on precision pins - after this they are aligned correctly. The second robot picks up these parts and moves in front of the moulding tool. As soon as this is open, the robot first picks up the finished parts and the sprues, then places the raw parts in the tool.
The sprues are dropped into a box and the finished parts are transferred to a camera station. This now inspects the parts individually. Based on the camera evaluation, the first robot places the parts in boxes or throws them into the bad parts chute.
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Conclusion
The use of two robots and an optical vision system enables the solution of the required tasks. The high freedom of movement of the robots has resulted in a very compact robot cell. Thanks to the optical system developed by Robotec Solutions itself, only a single photo is required for the optical quality inspection of the finished parts. The evaluation is carried out with the help of an AI software that has been trained based on good/bad samples.
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Special features
- Cognex vision system with AI
- Precise insertion of blanks into the injection moulding tool
- Interface to the injection moulding machine with handling system
Jörg Lanz, Sales Manager DACH
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