What a shot! – The  Fanuc  Roboshot  injection  moulding  machines  operate  with  robots  in  a  separate  unmanned  room  at  Pressure  Die  Castings  in  Pietermaritzburg,  the  result  being  that  the  systems  operate  24/7  with  minimal  attention  required
NEWS
Pressure Die Castings uses full range of Fanuc systems Maritzburg  manufacturer  uses  Fanuc  CNC  controls,  industrial  robots,  CNC  milling  and  injection  machines PRESSURE  Die  Castings  in  Pietermaritzburg,  one  of  South  Africa’s  top  metal  castings  businesses  (actually  one  of  only  a  few  to  survive  and  remain  competitive),  is  making  extensive  use  of  technology  from  Fanuc,  including  the  Japanese  equipment  manufacturer’s  CNC  control  systems,  industrial  robots,  CNC  milling  machines  and  now  also  its  injection  moulding  machines. PDC,  as  the  Willowton-Âbased  enterprise  is  known,  has  been  committed  to  automating  production  for  some  time  (without  reducing  staff  numbers  mind  you),  at  least  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  PDQ\ RI WKH PHWDO FRPSRQHQWV LW PDNHV FDQ EH GLI¿ FXOW WR KDQGOH at  the  elevated  temperatures  used  during  production.
The  tie-Âup  between  the  companies  started  some  years  ago  when  PDC  purchased  various  Fanuc  controlled  CNC  machines.  Following  that  successful  introduction,  the  process  went  up  a  gear  when  PDC  installed  one  of  the  Fanuc  ‘i’  series  robots.  With  its  user- friendly  R-Â30iB  controllers,  these  robots  are  capable  of  demanding  production  and  related  actions.  Fanuc  manufactures  a  truly  wide  range  of  robots,  for  ‘payloads’  from  500g  up  to  2,3  tons  and  a  substantial  number  of  these  robots,  big  and  small,  are  now  at  work  at  PDC. This  was  followed  progressively  by  the  introduction  of  Fanuc  Robodrill  CNC  milling  machines,  working  together  with  the  Fanuc Â
Hoses for demanding applications in injection moulding tools +$6&2 RIIHUV D ZLGH UDQJH RI GLIIHUHQW KRVHV VSHFL¿ FDOO\ for  demanding  applications  in  injection  moulding  tools.  7KH QHZ KLJKO\ À H[LEOH PXOWL OD\HU +$6&2 PFA  high-Âtemperature  hose  Z8560,  made  RI SHUÀ XRURDONR[\ FRSRO\PHU 3)$ is  protected  by  a  hard  silicone  VKHDWKLQJ 7KH À XRURSODVWLF has  outstanding  resistance  to  virtually  all  chemicals  and Â
can  be  used  for  mould  temperature  control  with  media  such  as  water,  steam,  oil  and  air.  :LWK WKH KLJKO\ À H[LEOH WZLVW IUHH DQG NLQN UHVLVWDQW KLJK temperature  hoses,  minimal  bending  radii  can  be  achieved.  The  hoses  are  available  in  blue  and  red  to  allow  unmistakable  LGHQWL¿ FDWLRQ RI WKH KHDWLQJ FRROLQJ OLQHV The  ready-Âmade  PFA  high-Âtemperature  hoses,  in  versions  ZLWK PP GLDPHWHU 0 [ DQG * FRQQHFWLRQ DQG PP GLDPHWHU 0 [ DQG * FRQQHFWLRQ DUH GHVLJQHG IRU RSHUDWLQJ SUHVVXUHV RI XS WR EDU DQG media  temperatures  up  to  +200  °C.  In  addition  to  the  standard  lengths  of  300  to  2,500  mm,  other  customised  lengths  are  also  available  on  request.
•  Availabe  from  Ipex  in  South  Africa www.ipex.co.za 38 FEB / MAR 2020
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