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Highly flexible automation system
Making hydraulic cylinders to customer drawings involves machining rather small batches. This, combined with the difficulty of finding technicians with the right skills, led Oleodinamica Forlivese to turn to Iron's Technology, which, thanks to Ready to Use standard cells using Yaskawa's MOTOMAN GP robots, was able to meet its needs by providing an extremely flexible automation system.
A manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders since 1974, Oleodinamica Forlivese has transformed over the years from a small artisan business to a leading player in international industry, and this has also required an adjustment in production methods.
In particular, in the two-year period 2019/2021, the Forlì-based company experienced a very sudden growth, with a +27 percent increase in turnover, which highlighted the need to further increase production capacity. Finding technicians with the right skills, however, proved far from easy, so finding an alternative solution such as automation of the servo system was essential. This in fact made it possible not only to increase production hours but also - at the same time - to allocate already skilled personnel to more value-added activities.
A partner of excellence
To do this, Oleodinamica Forlivese turned to Iron's Techonology, a company founded in Cesena (FC) in 2011 that designs, implements and maintains production lines driven by the claim: 'Mech It Easy!' The focus was on automating the tasks of servicing machines destined for two important processes: those of rod machining and cylinder machining. Given the specifications, it was possible to do so by resorting to some of the standard 'Ready to Use' solutions, so as to offer Oleodinamica Forlivese important additional pluses as well, including capex cost containment, speed of commissioning, but also space optimization and extreme flexibility.
Ready to Use Robotic Cells.
With decades of experience in the fields of robotics and technical support on multi-brand machine tools, Iron's Technology has created a unique project comprising 13 standardized models with as many as 56 configurations of 'Ready to Use' robotic cells intended for servicing machine tools.
Specifically, these are plug-and-play cells, capable of operating in an integrated manner with the main CNC machines and meeting the automation requirements of the main machine tool servicing processes, significantly lowering labor costs and increasing productivity even for small and medium series.
Characterized by ease of use, extreme versatility and reliability, state-of-the-art technologies, low power consumption (starting from 1 KW), focus on eco-sustainability, IIoT connectivity and Industry 4.0 Ready, these solutions well represent the spirit of Iron's Technology: promoting technology that simplifies human work without replacing it.
The 'minimum footprint of 1 m², safety systems, combined with laser scanners with 270° readout, high-quality components and the use of dedicated proprietary software with a user-friendly interface are additional pluses of the proposal.
To build these cells, Iron's Technology used Yaskawa's MOTOMAN GP robots, which were the optimal solution for the cells in terms of reach-range combinations. The characteristics of compactness, speed and precision, typical of this family of industrial robots, fit well with the philosophy of Iron's Technology's proposal.
Extremely versatile from the point of view of application - just think that the acronym GP stands for General Purpose - they offer superior performance even in harsh environments, given the IP67 degree of protection, and are available in a wide range of models, with variable load from 4 to 600 kg and reach from 727 to 3058 mm.
Motoman GP was also an excellent solution to enable Iron's Technology to pursue its goal of space-saving. The small footprint and slim arm design reduce installation space and the risk of interference with peripheral systems, while also increasing installation flexibility. The compact YRC1000 control stands for high trajectory accuracy and high efficiency in a footprint volume of only 125 liters, while its Teach Pendant, at only 730 g, is the lightest programming device in its class.
The cells destined for Oleodinamica Forlivese will handle about 90 percent of the machining operations they are used for, while the remaining 10 percent of cases, related to parts with particularly difficult lengths, can be carried out with manual management by stopping the robot: in fact, the cell configuration is designed to keep the machine loading door manually accessible.
'Our products are hydraulic cylinders based on the customer's design. This means that although the average size of orders is growing, ours still remain fairly small batch processing. We therefore needed an automation system that offered a high degree of flexibility. Being able to achieve this with the use of robots from a supplier we already use and appreciate in the company was a plus, also in terms of familiarity with the machine's characteristics,' said Riccardo Malavolti of Oleodinamica Forlivese.
'This system will be key in meeting the company's need to extend daily working hours to - virtually - 24 hours, as needed. It is a remarkable step in a strategic path that will see the level of automation of company production grow.