Plastic and Rubber Automation
Assembling rain gutter parts for Marshall TufflexThe success of this system of PVC guttering and rainwater systems meant that the original production method of hand assembly of the components could no longer cope. A.T.L was commissioned to design and build equipment to automatically assemble the moulded guttering coupling parts and introduce a flexible neoprene seal. The system shown was designed and manufactured over a thirteen week period and can cope with a number of different part types. Production is now handled with only one operator who can produce up to 4 fully assembled couplings per minute. The machine handles the automatic supply of the neoprene seal on continuous rolls and sorts and supplies the plastic clips from a motorised bowl separator. | |
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 | Mobile Phone - Inserter.This machine was designed to automatically insert 8 brass screw thread inserts into the plastics body moulding. The machine could handle two 'phone bodies every 8 seconds and could position the inserts within 0.025mm. The system used a vibratory bowl feeder to deliver and orientate the inserts and an integral heater to heat the inserts prior to insertion. The system utilised a reconfigurable controller that could be programmed to position the inserts at any position and to any depth within the moulding. |
Plastics - assembly.The recently launched 'Dreamcast' system by Sega required the production of a new CD crystal case. A.T.L were commissioned to design and build the assembly system for this product. The example shows one part of the assembly process which encompasses the complete production chain from injection moulder to finished product. The system collects the individual CD case components directly from the injection moulders and assembles them to produce the finished product. The system operates on a 24 hour basis and produces approximately 1000 complete cases per hour. The complete system was designed, manufactured and installed within 12 weeks from order. |  |
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 | Calender Roller.This machine, which is the largest single unit machine manufactured at this site, weighs in at 20 tonnes and was designed to roll silicone rubber and laminate it to a glass fibre matrix. The material is used in the production of flexible automotive hoses. The three cylindrical rollers each of 3000KG are hardened and ground and are automatically adjustable allowing the thickness of the rubber to be precisely controlled. |
Hotplate Welder.Being unable to source a hotplate welder that could be integrated within a production cell, Polypipe commissioned us to design and build a custom hotplate welder that could handle their range of plastic water cistern siphons. The machine accepts two siphons directly from the unloading beam robot and automatically welds the siphon cap. The caps are held in a unique dual archimedian screw magazine prior to welding giving approximately 20 minutes production time. The system effectively enabled the complete process from moulding to completion to be supervised by a single member of staff. The system could automatically be reconfigured to accept the complete range of siphon types and sizes. |  |
