Plastic and Polymers

Injection and blow molding operations don’t make money unless the mold is closed. But loading and unloading machines is dull, repetitive, and injury-prone work that is challenging to staff. That makes it ideal for automation. UR robot arms are available in a range of reach and payload capabilities. In existing facilities with low-volume, high-mix manufacturing, they can provide cost-effective automation for tasks that can’t be automated with traditional robots.

Various other processes can also be automated with flexible cobots in plastics manufacturing facilities. Those include secondary processes such as degating, grinding, spru removal, and polishing, as well as applying labels or decals to plastic parts. An assembly, packaging, or palletizing process can be automated with cobots that work alongside operators after a risk assessment has been performed.

In addition to 3D printing, collaborative robots provide additional advantages to plastics manufacturers. Keeping printer farms running is possible with cobots, which can work around the clock. A lightweight cobot can be mounted on a mobile cart and still be able to reach multiple printers to load and unload plates.