Sustainability, Energy Efficiency and Reliability at Heart of FANUC FAKUMA Display

The long-standing FANUC ethos of developing injection moulding machines that deliver sustainability, reliability and the market’s lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) will provide the platform for FANUC’s presentation at FAKUMA 2023. Taking place on 17-21 October in Friedrichshafen, Germany, FANUC will showcase a trio of injection moulding cells in live action from its three adjacent stands (3209, 3210 and 3211) in hall B3.

The latest-generation FANUC ROBOSHOT 𝛼-S𝑖B all-electric injection moulding machine ensures companies can take advantage of low energy consumption. Featuring advanced servo technology and an intelligent energy recovery system, the electricity usage of ROBOSHOT is up to 70% lower than hydraulic counterparts. Further environmental credentials of ROBOSHOT machines include the elimination of oil treatment and disposal and no requirement for additional cooling requirements of the hydraulics.

"Reliability and machine uptime is at the heart of our success," states Andy Armstrong, FANUC's Head of European Sales for ROBOSHOT. "The Total Cost of Ownership is an ever more important part of the decision-making process for future investments. Customers are no longer thinking about short term upfront capital investments but calculating over the lifespan of a machine. Less wear, simple mechanism with fewer parts and high spares availability means investing in FANUC ROBOSHOT machines and our supporting automation solutions will deliver the market's most attractive TCO."

Central among the FANUC displays at FAKUMA will be an LSR (liquid silicone rubber) demonstration cell. Here, a ROBOSHOT 𝛼-S150𝑖B LSR injection moulding machine with 26mm screw and barrel will be producing an optical part for a light guide using a 2-cavity mould. A FANUC M-20𝑖D industrial robot and 𝑖RVision visual detection system are set to automate the process. Among the highlights of the display will be virtual mould-filling simulation using Moldex3D software.

Picking up on the sustainability theme, another FANUC demonstration cell at FAKUMA will focus on the injection moulding of recycled plastic. Visitors will see a ROBOSHOT 𝛼-S100𝑖B producing an automotive housing made from Sabic Cycoloy™ PC/ABS recyclate using a 4-cavity (2+2) mould. Automation will come courtesy of a Martin Mechanic box-change system with FANUC LR Mate 200𝑖D/7L compact robot and 𝑖RVision. Further supporting energy efficiency, the machine is set to feature a 26mm energy-saving Inmex barrel with integrated heating/cooling. FANUC’s new customisable PMC (programmable machine control) functionality for managing the cooling and mould evacuation sequence provides customers with even higher levels of control flexibility.

Elsewhere on the stand, FANUC will demonstrate a ROBOSHOT 𝛼-S50𝑖B injection moulding machine producing a high-precision smartphone lens carrier, served by a FANUC LR Mate 200𝑖D/7L compact robot that will remove parts ready for inspection by FANUC 𝑖RVision. A ROBOCUT 𝛼-C400𝑖C wire EDM served by a FANUC CRX-10𝑖A/L collaborative robot is set to operate in partnership with this cell, producing the lens holder mould inserts.

FANUC will also shine the spotlight on its extensive range of IoT solutions. For instance, all ROBOSHOT machines & Robot vision quality data on the stand will connect with the ROBOSHOT-LINK𝑖2 quality information management tool, predominantly for collecting inspection data and ensuring quality control. In addition, a EUROMAP 77 interface will pass information between one of the ROBOSHOT machines and an SAP MES (manufacturing execution system) to help track and document the transformation of raw material into finished components.lobal Partner of the organisation since 2018.