XYZ’s ROBO-TEND very well received at customer events

XYZ Machine Tools unveiled its ROBO-TEND mobile machine tool automation system to customers at two recent customer days held at its Devon headquarters and Nuneaton Technical Centre. Both events were well attended with the new system receiving a very warm reception, with strong interest among companies looking to increase productivity and reduce overheads.

“In developing ROBO-TEND the brief was to create a simple, easy-to-use robotic automation system that would appeal to a wide range of customers, especially those who may not have considered automation as an option previously. Therefore, it was pleasing that many of those in attendance recognised this, with comments that it was one of the simplest systems they had seen,” says Nigel Atherton, Managing Director, XYZ Machine Tools. In addition to simplicity the design brief also addressed affordability and with hourly costs calculated from just £2.00/hour, automation from XYZ Machine Tools is now fast, straightforward and attainable for a much wider audience than previously thought.

ROBO-TEND makes use of a drawer system for component storage, with each drawer holding a maximum of 90 kg of material, with a maximum billet height of 120 mm. These parts are then transferred to the machine by a Kuka robot, all of which is controlled from a Siemens interface with conversational touchscreen control, making programming and operation straightforward. The ROBO-TEND system can be used with any of XYZ Machine Tools’ Siemens controlled machining centres or turning centres, with the advantage of being able to be relocated within the factory to where it is needed, (subject to machine having an auto door and interface).

 “Machine automation is not new, but what we have created in partnership with Adelphi Automation, and the reception it has received, confirms that ROBO-TEND brings a new approach to automated machine tending. Once we have installed the first few systems, I am confident that we will see significant growth from this product, as it enables customers to make significant cost savings and productivity gains by operating machines un-manned for full shifts or even 24/7. The only manual intervention being to restock the raw material in the part storage system. Even here the system allows for a second drawer system to be pre-loaded and simply slotted into place to further improve set-up time and logistics.”