SMC has collaborated with one of the largest employers in South Australia’s manufacturing sector, Redarc Electronics, to automate one of its assembly processes. This allowed Redarc to redeploy staff to roles that would add value to the company’s bottom line.
The company says the new automated line could not have come at a better time. It enables Redarc to continue manufacturing around the clock during Covid-19.
Mitchell Adams, manufacturing engineering team leader for Redarc said: “We decided to automate the assembly and labelling of the Tow-Pro V3 Electric Brake controller, to remove the menial tasks in production, while allowing our operators and technicians to transition into higher value roles in the company.”
Core requirements for the project were safety and fitting ergonomically into the current operating environment. The technology deployed needed to be safe, energy efficient, and quiet. Adams says his company engaged SMC to come up with a suitable solution for the pneumatic automation. The solution needed to stand the test of time and offer a blueprint for future automation cells.
Adams said: “It was our first major automation project – it needed to be robust, flexible and of high quality. At the same time, it had to be easy to use and low maintenance. There were a number of process to automate and this took a lot of time and design study.
“Some companies would have put this in the too hard basket, but SMC was up for the challenge and together we worked on a solution which achieved all of our objectives."
In an installation first on local shores, SMC made use of the latest technology from its head office in Japan by implementing the first ZH10 Air Multiplier in Australia. It was run on a trial and found to be a good fit for the automation project. This project also allowed SMC to showcase its compatibility with robotic applications, by providing products that could work in conjunction with collaborative robots (cobots).
SMC has been working on a range of solutions with robotic implementation in mind, and this application enabled it to develop a range of end effectors which worked well in the robotic arm.
Jason Sutton, SMC area sales manager in South Australia, said: "Unlike a traditional suction cup and vacuum generator, we have used an SMC ZH10 vacuum multiplier coupled with a 3D-printed vacuum chuck to pick and place the PCB during automatic assembly.”
This solution provides a close gap between the chuck and PCB board but does not seal against it. The large flow rate of the air multiplies trying to draw air through the gap creates vacuum across the PCB board holding it against the chuck. With the PCB only in contact with the chuck at the outer edges, sensitive board components are protected. The pressure switch ensures constant feedback of vacuum in the system to the PLC and indicates correct engagement of the part in the chuck.
Sutton said the correct product selection was integral to this project especially as this would be a prototype of similar applications to follow.
“We needed to provide a solution that could meet all the customer’s requirements. We looked for a complete solution which would tick all the boxes and work collaboratively to deliver an energy efficient, quiet and smart way of working – sustainable and scalable for the future,” Sutton said.
“By doing this we were able to meet all of Redarc’s operational objectives.”
SMC is a member of the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA).
