Kuka robot tackles aluminum ladling

MARCH 22--C.M.H. Manufacturing (Lubbock, TX; www.cmhmfg.com) has selected KUKA Robotics (Augsburg, Germany; www.kukarobotics.com) to provide a seven-axis robot for aluminum ladling applications. The six-axis KUKA robot is fitted with an end-of-arm tool to create a seven-axis ladling robot for pouring molten metal. The robot's seventh axis gives it an additional 360° of rotation, allowing it to pour the molten metal consistently and then clean the ladle of leftover oxide waste by inverting the ladle to remove the waste.

The aluminum ladling application's seventh axis resolves aluminum casting manufacturers' serious issue with part integrity. Without that axis oxide, debris continues to build and be reintroduced into the molten metal. With the additional rotation capabilities the metal composition remains pure and part integrity is not compromised.

C.M.H. Manufacturing was founded in 1982 by Charles M. Hall and produces casting machines, rotary tables, and peripheral workcell-support equipment designed around the tilt/pour principle. KUKA Robotics has an installed base of more than 60,000 units.