Aldridge Plastics
SANDRETTO SUPPLIES EIGHTH MACHINE AND ROBOT CELL TO ALDRIDGE PLASTICS

A Sandretto ‘Nova T’ 500 tonne injection moulding machine, equipped with a Dal Maschio ‘Nepal’ servo drive de-mould robot, material drier and insulated hopper has been supplied as a complete package to Aldridge Plastics in the West Midlands. This is the eighth moulding cell commissioned for the customer by Sandretto in the last twelve months.

A major custom moulder, Aldridge Plastics puts the noteworthy upturn in its business over the last twelve months down to an on-going programme of automating its moulding processes. During this twelve month period the company has installed eight machine/robot cells supplied by Sandretto UK, including the recent commissioning of a Dal Maschio Nepal S1 de-mould robot on an existing Cincinnati 500 tonne injection machine.

The first machine/robot cell produced what Works Director David Breese describes as “a dramatic, overnight improvement in output”.

Time taken for manual removal of the components when run in semi-automatic mode was, he said, restricting output. Furthermore, the operator dependent cycle was inconsistent and this was having an effect on component quality.

An easily adjusted head kit is supplied with every Dal Maschio robot to accommodate the shapes and requirements of different mouldings.

NEW TOUCH SCREEN CONTROL

Machine interface of the 3E 1200K robot supplied with the 500 tonne Sandretto is by means of a key pad, employing a control which is extremely easy-to-use. The programming system comprises pre-set blocks of sequences with free moves in the ‘mould’ and ‘deposit’ areas. Pre-set sub-programmes, such as labeling and gate cutting, will assist Aldridge Plastics in reducing set up times.

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Barplas
SANDRETTO CUSTOMERS PROVE ROBOTS TO BE ESSENTIAL

Recognising the importance of robotics in improving throughput and quality consistency, as well as reducing manufacturing costs, Sandretto has steadily broadened the level of its technical assistance. Complete package deals, specified in conjunction with the customer and fully trialed in the company’s Rugby workshops, are rapidly gaining favour.

Provide examples of customer successes, such as:

As part of its efforts to reduce production costs and raise consistency levels still further, Bradford specialist moulder Barplas made investigations into the use of robots. “Initially, we produced our paint containers from metal” explains proprietor Brian Baghout, “and Sandretto specialists provided invaluable advice during the change-over to plastics moulding. Their presence – as we grew from a small, inexperienced company with a couple of machines to a far more capable, medium-size moulder – proved to be a significant factor in our success. For precisely the same reasons we sought their help this time.”

Until the introduction of mechanised handling, finished containers were ejected into tote boxes beneath the machine daylights, requiring operators to empty the boxes every few minutes. Robots have substantially improved the situation.

On one of the ‘Series Nove’ 300 machines, producing 10 litre paint containers, parts are de-moulded and stacked ten high on an indexing conveyor which accommodates almost an hour’s production. This is accomplished by using a 4 metre long conveyor which is wide enough to stack the containers in two rows, side by side.

Alongside this machine, the second Series Nove is producing paint trays. Because of the shape of the tray, stacking presented a problem; the robot – very user-friendly as there is no need to programme inputs and outputs – rotates alternative trays through 180? to produce a stable stack.

Cycle times remain almost identical; the slightly longer mould-open time is overcome by being able to have a shorter mould cycle as the robot can handle a hotter moulding without causing distortion. Benefits are measured in much improved consistency, elimination of the occasional blemishes through manual handling, greater cleanliness and, vital in any competitive business, reduction in labour costs – one operator less per machine per shift.

A Sandretto ‘Nova T’ 500 tonne injection moulding machine, equipped with a Dal Maschio ‘Nepal’ servo drive de-mould robot, material drier and insulated hopper has been supplied as a complete package to Aldridge Plastics in the West Midlands. This is the eighth moulding cell commissioned for the customer by Sandretto in the last twelve months.

A major custom moulder, Aldridge Plastics puts the noteworthy upturn in its business over the last twelve months down to an on-going programme of automating its moulding processes. During this twelve month period the company has installed eight machine/robot cells supplied by Sandretto UK, including the recent commissioning of a Dal Maschio Nepal S1 de-mould robot on an existing Cincinnati 500 tonne injection machine.

The first machine/robot cell produced what Works Director David Breese describes as “a dramatic, overnight improvement in output”. Time taken for manual removal of the components when run in semi-automatic mode was, he said, restricting output. Furthermore, the operator dependent cycle was inconsistent and this was having an effect on component quality.

At Interplas, Sandretto fitted robots onto its moulding machinery, at the same time introducing new robots and new facilities on robots, typical being a new range of CNC, servo-drive de-mould robots.

Features include a control unit built into the robot beam, brushless electric motor drive to all three axes, speed reducers for controlled accuracy and low inertia and epicycloidal motors to give high travel speeds to match the fast cycling capabilities of modern injection machines. Machine interface is by key pad and easy-to-use touch screen.


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