Robot Automation
FANUC Robot Automated Gate Cut Cell
A FANUC robot gate cut cell, delivered in six months, put a spare casting machine into full production.
CLIENT
INDUSTRY
SOLUTION
DURATION
The Challenge
The customer was expanding capacity by bringing a spare casting machine online, but the machine lacked an automated gate cut process to complete the line. Without it, castings would leave die cast with gates and runners still attached and bores unpunched. ICR was tasked with developing the complete solution within a six-month lead time: take castings straight from the casting machine, remove the gates, punch the bores and send runners to scrap, all inside a guarded enclosure with safe access for blade changes and service.
Key Requirements
- Take castings directly from the die cast infeed
- Saw off gates on the top and bottom of each casting
- Punch bores with a quick-change punch insert
- Carry runners and scrap away automatically
- Fully enclose the saw, punch and robot
- Provide safe access for blade changes and service
The ICR Solution
ICR designed and built a turnkey gate cut cell around a FANUC R-2000iB/250F robot with ICR-built end-of-arm tooling. The robot picks each casting off the infeed conveyor, presents it to a spindle-driven saw that cuts the gates top and bottom, then to the bore punch, and sets the finished casting on the outfeed conveyor. Gates and runners drop through trap doors onto a vibratory scrap conveyor, purchased and installed by ICR, that carries them to the scrap bin. ICR also raised the existing nipper unit, built the walled enclosure with viewing glass and Keyence door latches, added shutter doors, a raised walkway and a railed service platform, and handled controls, pneumatics and programming.
Equipment & Technology
- FANUC R-2000iB/250F robot with ICR-built EOAT
- Gate cut saw (spindle-driven, top and bottom cuts)
- Bore punch with quick-change insert and air blow
- Vibratory scrap conveyor to scrap bin (ICR purchased and installed)
- Infeed, inside exit and outside exit conveyors
- Walled enclosure, shutter doors, Keyence door latches
- Control panel, HMI station, pneumatic panel
Scope of Work
- Up-Front Engineering
- Layout & Reach Studies
- Mechanical Design
- Fabrication
- EOAT Design & Build
- Controls Design
- Panel Build
- Robot Integration
- PLC & Robot Programming
- Installation
- Commissioning
Results
ICR delivered the cell within the six-month window, and the spare casting machine now runs as a complete, automated process. The robot saws and punches every casting the same way, every cycle, runners go straight to scrap, and the saw and punch run behind locked, interlocked walls. Built-in pins lock the saw, doors and shutters for maintenance. The added capacity runs 24/7 without manual gate cutting.