FANUC America Demonstrates Welding and Coating Automation at FABTECH

FANUC America Corp. plans to demonstrate its latest automation for welding and coating this week at FABTECH 2032 in Chicago. The Rochester Hills, Mich.-based company said it will demonstrate its CNC machines and robotic welding in Booth B-27015 and automated systems for painting and coating in Booth D-40523.

A subsidiary of Japan-based FANUC Corp., FANUC America said it is a leader in CNC systems, robotics, and ROBOMACHINES. The company claimed that its innovative technologies and proven expertise help manufacturers in the Americas maximize productivity, reliability, and profitability."

CRX cobots offer ease of use for welding

FANUC America said its collaborative robots provide flexibility and reliability to companies looking to improve productivity and solve labor problems. The company added that its entire series of CRX cobots are easy to use and are designed to operate for eight years without maintenance.

Interactive programming allows operators to teach points using hand guidance or a Tablet teach pendant (TP) with drag-and-drop icons, said FANUC. In addition, all CRX welding cobots support FANUC’s advanced features including iRVision, Touch Sensing, Servo Torch, Thru Arc Seam Tracking (TAST), and Multi Pass (MP).

FANUC will display several of its cobot welders at FABTECH, including the CRX-25iA robot. It now offers a 30 kg (66.1 lb.) payload and 1,889 mm (74.3 in.) reach.

The will demonstrate the CRX-25iA welding joints on a mower deck. Attendees can teach points using hand guidance or the Tablet TP interface.

A FANUC CRX-10iA/L welding cobot with a 1,418 mm (55.8 in.) reach will conduct live aluminum arc welding with the FANUC Servo Torch. Attendees will be able to teach weld joints using hand guidance or the Tablet TP.

The demonstration will include FANUC’s advanced aluminum MIG weld process control demonstrating low frequency pulse and heat wave, using a Lincoln Electric PowerWave R450 weld power supply.

Lincoln Electric’s Cooper mobile welding cart featuring FANUC’s CRX-10iA/L will offer attendees a hands-on experience programming with the Cooper App. The Cooper robotic welding system also works with Tablet TP and allow teaching at the torch by hand.

FANUC asserted that Lincoln Electric’s Power Wave R450 robotic welding platform provides the same industry-leading performance found in traditional robotic welding.

An APT ModWeld Cobot MAC Cart featuring FANUC’s CRX-10iA and a Miller Auto-Continuum 350 offers a modular and expandable system. Visitors can get hands-on experience programming with the APT Clever Torch teach buttons, said FANUC.

CRX-10iA assembly demo with Power Motion i-Model A

FANUC said it will show a CRX-10iA with the Power Motion i-Model A (PMi-A) in a simulated brake rotor assembly. The PMi-A will move parts into position for the CRX, press a simulated rivet into the part, and perform quality inspection of the rivet press.

The company said this will demonstrate the versatility of the CRX cobot combined with the PMi-A, a high-performance and scalable general motion control supporting applications that require one to 32 axes.

The PMi-A, which offers CNC-style motion control for automated assembly and other applications, integrates into virtually any production system using Ethernet connection, said FANUC. The company said that users who trust its reliable control and servo technology along with overall support for machine tools can expect the same performance and value from its general-purpose motion control.

Additional demonstrations in FANUC’s main booth include:

• Intelligent software and factory automation
• High-speed spot welding
• Flexible multi-arm welding
• High-accuracy M-800iA/60 robot with LS2Di-A laser scanner
• FANUC ROBODRILL Plus vertical machining center

FANUC shows robots for painting, coating at FABTECH

In Booth D-40523, FANUC America plans to show its paint-specific robots, all of which have been designed and built in the U.S. since 1982. It said it will exhibit several robotic coating applications using vision guidance and coordinated motion, including:

• The P-40iA paint robot, which uses iRVision 3DV and a new software feature called Visual Tracking for PaintTool
• A second P-40iA paint robot will demonstrate painting a wooden guitar body using coordinated motion
• A Paint Mate 200iA robot uses iRVision 3DV and FANUC's new Visual Tracking for PaintTool software to identify and define the orientation of an auger and paint it.

Also, a FANUC CRX-10iA collaborative robot will utilize a BYK-mac i end-of-arm tool (EOAT) to measure and collect color data on painted test panels. This automated process can help manufacturers determine if the final color meets their specifications, said the company.

While cobots have not traditionally been used for automotive coating, the demonstration illustrates how companies can use cobots for paint inspection.

In addition, FANUC experts will participate in several conference sessions at FABTECH.

Editor's note: For more about FABTECH, visit Robotics 24/7's special coverage page.