The most common multi-axis robot systems supplied by TQC have used 6 axis robot arms, SCARA or bespoke cartesian systems. In most cases, the Client specifies which robot supplier they prefer but TQC can help you through the selection process to suggest the most cost-effective robot for a particular application. TQC has experience in interfacing to ABB, Fanuc, Kuka, Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, Omron, Seiko Epson, Sony, Toshiba and Yaskawa robots, so we probably have experience with your preferred Robot supplier or will help you select the best choice for your application.
Key elements in robot selection are the reach and the payload. TQC has experience in handling small lightweight parts over a short 300mm reach, up to moving Internal combustion engine parts over several metres. Other elements are the number of discrete positions or the locus to be scribed if adhesives or sealants are to be applied. TQC has significant experience in the application of RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanised) sealant applied to engine parts and the application of cyano-acrylate adhesives to medical devices.
TQC has also built a sophisticated cartesian robot (or gantry robot) with a working envelope of 6 metres long (X axis), 4 metres wide (Y axis) and 2 metres high (Z axis) to produce batteries for electric vehicles. This robot also had a pneumatically counterbalanced Z axis.
Other systems supplied have included mounting a 6-axis robot base onto a 7th axis servo to increase the reach of a single robot, a collaborative robot system where 2 robots share the same space and equipment, plus a range of inventive gripper systems including ones that have a lighter touch than the human hand.
In recent times, TQC has been integrating sophisticated vision systems into multi axis robots for picking parts of unknown orientation, checking plastic moulded parts for short shot and flash, checking correct position of inserts in a mould tool ready for over-moulding and checking positional accuracy of parts prior to laser welding by positioning camera systems within the optics of the laser equipment. Some of the latest projects have used vision systems for high speed, large scale inspection using high resolution cameras with high shutter speeds on a continuous motion with telecentric lenses to accommodate curved surfaces and to remove parallax.
The multi-axis robot systems TQC has supplied have been in the Medical Device, Automotive, Aerospace, Consumer White Goods, Defence and Nuclear industries.
