Dugard To Exhibit at Robotics & Automation

Dugard Machine Tools has announced that it will be exhibiting at the Robotics & Automation exhibition at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on the 29th and 30th October. The UK’s largest dedicated robotics and automation event will be a launch-pad for the Brighton Company to introduce its new range of Hanwha HCR collaborative automation solutions.

Dugard has long been an industry leader in the machine tool market and the arrival of the Hanwha HCR Cobots in 2018 has already given the company an excellent platform for automating machine tools.  On Stand 412 at the show, Dugard Machine Tools will be demonstrating the HCR-5 model from the Hanwha range that caters for loads up to 5kg. With a reach of 915mm, the Hanwha HCR Cobot can be easily moved around the workshop via a trolley that is also available as an optional extra. Each system in the extensive range includes one arm, one pendant and one case. However, one case can actually run two robots, so the second robot system will always prove more cost effective.

The remarkably user friendly and flexible system has already been installed at a number of UK machine shops with phenomenal success; many of the new customers are already looking to install additional Cobots.

Siavash Baghaei, the Technical Manager for Dugard Machine Tools said: “The Cobot market is very extensive and mainly applied to materials handling, injection moulding and packaging with machine tool applications currently sitting at below 2% of the market for Hanwha robot solutions. At Dugard, we will be following this model and aiming at the wider industrial audience. The Robotics & Automation exhibition will prove the perfect platform for us to promote the new range to an extremely diverse audience.”

Commenting upon the benefits of the Hanwha HCR collaborative robots, Mr Baghaei says: “The robots are so easy to program, you don’t need another skilled individual to use or program the system. Another advantage of this Hanwha HCR robot is the ability to push the arm back once it has reached its stop position. This is unlike other systems that lock in a specified destination. So, if your hand ever gets trapped between the robot and the machine or a wall, it can be moved and is recognised as a positive safety feature.”

Taking safety features a step further; the HCR Series incorporates collision detection, joint rotation and speed limits, a virtual safety fence and a reliable control system. An additional benefit on the Hanwha is the ‘path teaching’ function which is an optional extra on alternate systems. This robot unlike the standard Linux based systems is Windows based, which is great for the educational sector and general ease of use. This allows you to ‘break-into’ the software and reprogram or add features for universities and educational establishments.

Exactly like a PC, customers can store thousands of programs and even increase the hard-drive or connect via Ethernet or a USB port, so data storage is not a problem. The Rodi operation software is central to ‘ease of use’, applying an intuitive and efficient interface with icon based GUI, a timeline programming basis that permits the easy monitoring of workflow whilst the API makes it easier to develop customer specific applications. For further information on the Hanwha HCR collaborative automation solutions and how they can be integrated into your facility, please visit Dugard Machine Tools at Robotics & Automation on stand 412 and talk to the integration experts.