Fanuc unveils full Industry 4.0 potential at EMO 2017
Factory automation solutions provider FANUC UK will be using this year’s EMO to display its selection of Industry 4.0-ready technologies alongside its robots, robo-machines, drives and controls.
Among the products on display, there will be a range of proprietary FANUC technologies that can be integrated easily into FANUC robots and machines to facilitate collaborative working, lights-out manufacturing and unrivalled data collection and analysis capabilities – all designed to increase production efficiency and component quality.
The FIELD (FANUC Intelligent Edge Link and Drive) system will be networked to more than 150 machines as part of the display. FIELD is an open platform for machine collaboration, and presents data on a central monitor.
FANUC’s “Zero Down-Time” (ZDT) technology will demonstrate the company’s ability for lights-out, unmanned manufacturing for robot users. The ZDT technology is already used widely in the automotive industry, with more than 10,000 robots across 27 countries using the monitoring software.
The “Surface Flaw Inspection by Machine Learning” tool will provide a live example of FANUC’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. To demonstrate the technology, a CR-7iA robot will present a work piece to a camera in multiple orientations, the images of which are then processed. From this, quality decisions can be made to ensure no faults are forwarded on machined components (no-fault-forward).
The “MT-Linki” software will also be integrated into several robo-machines on the stand to further demonstrate FANUC’s machine monitoring and preventative maintenance capabilities.
As well as Industry 4.0 technologies, FANUC will also be unveiling new products across its ROBOCUT, ROBODRILL and ROBOSHOT ranges.
The ROBOCUT a-C800iB will be presented for the first time at EMO. This wire EDM machine is suitable for heavy workpieces measuring 1250mm (X) x 975mm (Y) x 500mm (Z). The ROBOCUT a C-iB series uses FANUC’s CNC controls with touch screen and iHMI interface. It also includes the ROBOCUT “Linki” software, which displays the status of the machine in real time.
FANUC will also unveil the new a-CiB series for its vertical milling machine ROBODRILL range, which offers a larger working space, as well as CNC and servo technology. The ROBONANO, FANUC’s, ultra-high, precise machining centre, the α-NMiA, has a resolution of 1 nanometre and is suitable for milling, turning and marking workpieces of up to 280mm in length. It will demonstrate the flexibility of the ROBODRILL technology for both large and precision part manufacturing. The ROBONANO is already used for the manufacture of IT components, medical devices and parts for smartphones.
Andrew Armstrong, sales and marketing manager at FANUC UK, said: “As the largest of its kind in Europe, EMO is a great opportunity to share and discover the latest advances and developments in manufacturing technology from around the world. For this reason, we could think of no better place to demonstrate FANUC’s Industry 4.0/ IioT (Industrial internet of things) capabilities.
“These technologies won’t be seen in isolation, however. Visitors to the stand will receive live demonstrations of how these capabilities can be integrated into FANUC robots and robo-machines to provide unprecedented insight into machine performance and capability. We will have several working, automated production cells on display, and will also be demonstrating the power of FANUC’s communication platforms through central monitors, which will be available to view on the stand.
“With Industry 4.0 on the horizon, manufacturers will need to engage in order to remain competitive. We look forward to demonstrating our long-standing capabilities for Industry 4.0 and how automation can be integrated into any production facility for true lights-out unmanned production. This will help our customers achieve a return on investment in less than two years.”
Visit the Fanuc website for more information
