THE CHALLENGE
At the beginning of 2016 we were commissioned by one of the largest multinational aluminum foundries in the world for a new project at their French plant. The project, part of a broader modernization plan for the production of automotive cylinder heads, consisted of the replacement of an old two-station casting line with a new cutting-edge system that guaranteed high flexibility and a productivity of 13 pieces/hour for each shelling machine while respecting the ergonomics and safety of the operators.

THE SOLUTION
The limited space available of just 100m² was ideal for our ModulArt system composed of cantilever gantries for molding and casting with an under-beam robot for handling the castings. The two gantries have the task of interfacing the molding machines with the 3T capacity waiting oven and a core preparation area, composed of a two-station turntable and an automated system for the overturning and positioning of the upper cores. The line is completed by two pre-cooling stations and an automated system for breaking the cores outside the casting, served by the anthropomorphic under-beam robot.

THE RESULTS
One of the challenges faced and successfully overcome in this project was the need to interface with the existing unloading shuttle located at one end of the layout, above a cooling tunnel. In fact, this entailed the need to use an unloading robot with a wide range of action, combined with a high load capacity at the wrist. It was therefore chosen to use a Fanuc system for the first time on a ModulArt, also including this option in the company's know-how which already includes ABB and Kuka technology.

Having met the required safety, functionality and productivity objectives, this new ModulArt is now working 24/7 to satisfy our customer's production needs. An ultra-modern system was thus inserted into an old factory, respecting the strict regulations and the most advanced production processes.

We are thus ready to satisfy other customers around the world with a greater technological offer. Improvement continues….