The automation specialist is presenting a wide array of products at K – from robot innovations and new cells to Industrie 4.0

Augsburg/Dusseldorf, Germany, October 2019 – “industrial intelligence in automation – products and expertise for the plastics industry”: This is the motto under which KUKA is presenting itself at this year’s K trade fair. K is the world’s leading trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry, taking place from 16-23 October 2019 in Dusseldorf, Germany. The KUKA trade fair booth is located in Hall 12, Booth B35. “KUKA will be presenting a wide range of automated solutions for plastics processing to the trade fair visitors. Our portfolio includes new types of robots, various robot cells and software solutions,” says Ralf Schneider, responsible for the KUKA booth.

The plastics industry is booming, but it is also facing a few challenges: higher energy prices and limited access to raw materials require higher productivity. A promising approach: using more automation to improve efficiency. KUKA is presenting various solutions at K 2019 in response to these challenges.

Sustainable, reusable cutlery made of high-performance plastic

One of the highlights at KUKA’s trade fair booth is the environmentally-friendly reusable cutlery that is handed out to the trade fair visitors. During their production at Gindele GmbH, a flexobot cell from robomotion automatically removed the cutlery – which was developed as part of a student project by the University of Applied Sciences Reutlingen for the Molding Expo – from the injection molding machine. Due to its mobile and flexible design, the cell could be put into operation in no time. At the trade fair, the cutlery is assembled and checked for quality by the flexobot. At the heart of the cell is a KUKA KR 10 R900-2 robot. The sustainable cutlery is then printed on-site with a digital printer in a fully automated robot cell that was developed with the help of DP Solutions. A KUKA KR CYBERTECH nano robot supplies the digital printer with components.

Experience “easy-to-program” robot programming

Programming robots doesn’t have to be as complex as some people might expect. At K, KUKA will be demonstrating what the combination of intuitive operation and suitability for industrial use can already look like today. Particularly for small and medium-sized companies with little experience in programming robots, KUKA.IconProg offers an intuitive-to-use alternative to the traditional KRL programming language. Users can select the appropriate modules from a library with more than 600 functions and line them up in a graphic flow chart. This can solve even the most complex of tasks in no time at all.

Clean and flexible material handling

CO₂ laser cutting is used for automatic 3D cutting and perforating components from a variety of plastics. Robot-guided laser cutting offers advantages such as clean cutting edges, a higher processing speed and optimal material utilization. Another topic that will be examined is the use of robots for the extrusion of thermoplastic elastomers. A KUKA KR 120 R2700 extra HA robot is used for the robotic extrusion which produces sealing strips via the extrusion nozzle right in the intended spot. The maneuverability of the 6-axis robot ensures maximum flexibility in the process. The precision of the robot also means that less material is required.

New robot applications increase the potential for automation

Another product that will be presented at the K fair is the latest generation of the KR QUANTEC series. This successful model sets standards in quality, reliability, flexibility and efficiency. Whether for loading, unloading, adhesive bonding, laser cutting or processing – this all-rounder is the best-in-class solution for the plastics industry and ready for use in nearly all areas. In the field of mobile robotics, KUKA will be presenting the KMP 1500 mobile platform. This omnidirectional platform – which navigates autonomously and flexibly – supplies material to robots and machines in perfect coordination.

KUKA

KUKA is a global automation corporation with sales of around 3.2 billion euro and roughly 14,200 employees. As one of the world’s leading suppliers of intelligent automation solutions, KUKA offers customers everything they need from a single source: from robots and cells to fully automated systems and their networking in markets such as automotive, electronics, general industry, consumer goods, e-commerce/retail and healthcare. The company is headquartered in Augsburg. (As at: 31 December 2018)