Robot Automation
Automated Deburring Robot
A compact FANUC robot cell that removes fins and flash from molded shells at the touch of a button. 41 built.
CLIENT
INDUSTRY
SOLUTION
DURATION
The Challenge
Molded shells leave the mold machine with thin fins and flash along their parting lines, and every one has to be removed before the shell moves to the next process. Done by hand, deburring is repetitive, dusty work, the result depends on the person doing it, and a slip can crack a shell. The plant needed a compact, repeatable machine that removes fins the same way on every shell, keeps team members away from the dust, and can be duplicated across many lines.
Key Requirements
- Remove fins and flash from molded shells consistently
- Hold each shell securely without damaging it
- Interface with the customer’s cobot for automatic load and unload
- One-touch start for manual loading
- Light-curtain guarded opening
- Collect debris away from the part
- Compact, mobile, repeatable design for many lines
The ICR Solution
ICR designed a self-contained deburring robot cell around a FANUC LR Mate robot. The robot carries a brushless motor-driven spindle on a spring-floated compliant mount, so the tool follows the molded shell and takes off the fin without gouging it. A shell is placed on the jig, sensors confirm it is seated, five pneumatic clamp circuits hold it, and the program runs. In a cooperative effort with the customer, ICR built in a cobot interface so the customer’s own collaborative robot loads and unloads the cell, with one-touch manual start kept as a backup. Debris falls through a perforated table into a hopper below. Keyence light curtains guard the opening, and the panels and robot controller ride on one mobile base. The design is standardized, and ICR has built 41.
Equipment & Technology
- FANUC LR Mate 200iD robot with R-30iB controller
- Oriental Motor brushless spindle motor
- Compliant floating spindle mount
- Pneumatic shell clamps (5 circuits)
- Keyence safety light curtains
- PLC with touchscreen HMI
- Cobot interface panel
- Perforated work table and debris hopper
- Mobile base with onboard panels
Scope of Work
- Mechanical Design
- Controls Design
- Fabrication and Assembly
- Panel Build
- Robot Programming
- PLC/HMI Programming
- Cobot Interface
- Installation
- Commissioning
Results
With 41 built, the deburring robot is a proven, repeatable ICR design. Every molded shell gets the same fin removal, and working with the customer’s cobot team, load and unload are fully automatic, keeping team members away from the dust and off the hand tools. Because each cell is self-contained on a mobile base with common components, new units deploy quickly and share spare parts across the plant.