Assembly - January 2009 - (Page 16) Do You Have Pressing Needs? Since 1959 We Have Been Providing Solutions! 24 Hour Shipping 800/640-3291 Assembly Innovations Manual Presses • Force Rating From 500 to 8000 lbs • Ideal for Precision Assembly Work • Staking • Shearing • Punching • Left & Right Adjustable Handle • Full Stroke Traditionally, the spars for this jetliner wing would have been drilled with a large, stationary machine that consumed a lot of energy. Spanish engineers have developed a robot to do the same job with more flexibility and less energy consumption. Photo courtesy Airbus Pneumatic Presses • Force Rating from 150 to 8000 lbs • Built-in Adjustable Flow Controls • Dual Hand Anti-Tie Down/ Anti-Repeat Controls Proudly Made in the USA Stock Die Sets Sizes Range From • 2.25'' (D) x 2.625'' (W) to 10.75'' (D) x 12'' (W) of sensors and control software ensure that the robot drills every point safely and automatically. A key feature of the robot is its portability. “If the production system is fixed to the floor, like traditional machinery, it is very expensive and time-consuming to reallocate it throughout the shop floor,” says Any Janesville Tool Product Can Be Modified To Your Specific Need. Please Contact Us for More Information. P.O. Box 67 • Milton, WI 53563 ph608/868-4711 • fax608/868-4925 janesvilletool.com sales@janesvilletool.com This robot drills holes in large aeronautical components. The machine moves over the components while they are fixed to a tool holder. Photo courtesy Fatronik-Tecnalia Valentin Collado, Fatronik-Tecnalia’s robot project manager. “With a small, portable system, such as Roptalmu, the production system is moved to the aerospace part to be manufactured.” A conventional machine that can do the same job as Roptalmu could weigh 15 tons and require large amounts of electricity to move each of its axes. Roptalmu weighs only 3 tons and requires a fraction of the energy. Another benefit of the robot is fully automatic operation. This is particularly important for large aircraft parts, which must be drilled with thousands of holes for assembly. Traditionally, this has only been done with manual or semiautomatic tools. The main technical challenge of the project was to develop a system that met the accuracy requirements for aerospace assembly and yet could also stand up to the reaction forces of drilling, says Collado. The use of Roptalmu is not limited to aerospace production. It could also be used by manufacturers in the renewable energy, shipping and construction industries—any industry that needs to handle large components. In September, the European Manufacturing Summit presented the robot with its International Strategic 16 ASSEMBLY / January 2009 www.assemblymag.com http://www.janesvilletool.com http://www.janesvilletool.com http://www.assemblymag.com
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