Robot Automation
Casting Block Deburring Cell
A FANUC robot moves each casting block from gate cut through a deburr machine to heat treat, guarded and tracked.
CLIENT
INDUSTRY
SOLUTION
DURATION
The Challenge
Casting blocks leaving the gate cut process had to be deburred before heat treatment. The customer had selected a third-party NC deburr machine and wanted to keep its existing conveyors, so the job was to tie it all together: move each heavy block from the infeed into the machine and back out toward heat treat, every cycle, without a person in the loop. Every block also had to stay traceable, and the cell had to keep team members out of the robot’s reach while still letting maintenance work safely.
Key Requirements
- Receive blocks from the gate cut infeed conveyor
- Load and unload a third-party NC deburr machine
- Deliver deburred blocks toward heat treat
- Read each block’s barcode for traceability
- Rework and reuse existing customer conveyors
- Keep personnel out of the robot envelope
The ICR Solution
ICR engineered a turnkey deburring cell around a FANUC 165F robot. ICR reworked the customer’s existing infeed and outfeed conveyors to present and receive blocks, and the robot, running customer-provided end-of-arm tooling, picks each block from the infeed, loads the deburr machine, then unloads it to the outfeed bound for heat treat. A barcode reader identifies every block for traceability. Safety is layered: perimeter fencing with a cell door and emergency release, Keyence light curtains, a safety PLC, FANUC DCS zones that limit where the robot can reach, and interlocks with the deburr machine and plant line. ICR built the control panel, HMI station and pneumatics, and programmed the cell.
Equipment & Technology
- FANUC 165F robot (R-2000 class) with DCS safety zones
- Customer-provided end-of-arm tooling
- Reworked infeed and outfeed conveyors
- Barcode reader and traceability station
- Keyence GL-R light curtains and safety PLC
- Cell control panel, HMI display and stand, pneumatics
- Perimeter fencing with cell door, emergency release and teach key
Scope of Work
- Up-Front Engineering
- Mechanical Design
- Conveyor Rework
- Controls Design
- Panel Build
- Robot Integration
- Safety System Design
- PLC & Robot Programming
- Installation
- Commissioning
Results
Casting blocks now move from gate cut through deburr to heat treat with no manual handling. The robot keeps the deburr machine loaded around the clock, every block is read and tracked, and team members stay outside the hazard zone, with light curtains, DCS zones and interlocks guarding every entry point. Reusing the existing conveyors kept the footprint tight and the changeover short.