2009-03-09 - ABB reaches major milestone – has now installed 200 press automation systems in North America
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (March 4, 2009) – No longer the exclusive domain of automotive manufacturers, sophisticated Press Automation Systems are now becoming an emerging competitive advantage for a wide variety of manufacturers who stamp moderate to high volumes of metal as part of their production processes.
With consumer preferences continually changing and a cyclical economy adding to the uncertainty, building inventory of single product SKUs through long, static production runs is becoming an unacceptable practice. Manufacturers are being challenged now with frequent product design changes, lower production lot sizes and a need to reduce production costs.
Such is the backdrop for the Press Automation Systems unit of ABB Robotics, who recently reached a significant milestone – 200 press systems enhanced with transfer automation in North America since the presence of the unit in the continent in 1996.
“Speaking globally, ABB Press Automation Systems is the market leader with more than 500 worldwide press line installations,” said Enrique Pano, the ABB business development manager for press automation systems in North America. “Reaching more than 200 systems in North America alone is a very important milestone for us. Customer satisfaction is our first priority, and this achievement indicates that we are fulfilling our goal.”
The pressing or stamping of metal blanks or coil fed sheets to form component parts is one of the most capital intensive processes in the manufacturing of large, metal based consumer and commercial products. This is either a single stage operation where every single press stroke produces the desired form, or, as is more often the case in more complex operations, it is a multi-press process.
The transfer of the parts from the unfinished stack to the first press, between multiple presses, and ultimately to the completed part rack is the most time consuming part of the process. ABB Press Automation enhances the entire process by optimally automating and pacing the transfer of parts to and from each step of press cycle, achieving the most efficient flow for entire operation.
ABB systems are installed on both new and existing stamping operations, and typically involve one or more 6- or 7-axis press tending robots. Systems often include robotic or hard automation destacking systems to initially serve the blank metal sheets or coils on the front end, interpress transfer, and racking systems for finished goods on the back end. The IRB 6640, IRB 6650S (S for shelf-mount), the powerful IRB 7600 for very big parts and more recently the very fast IRB 6660 are popular ABB press tending robot models.
Read the entire Press Release to learn more about the Press Automation Business (Press release, pdf, 0,03 MB)