CPT International 02/2016

K AUTOMATION
Author: Laura Schwarzbach, KUKA Roboter GmbH, Augsburg
Well guide
At the BMW plant in Landshut, permanent casting molds are cleaned with a manually guided
KUKA robot
In cooperation with the MRK-Systeme GmbH, an innovative solution for
robot-based dry ice blasting for eight different types of tools has been developed
(Photos: KUKA)
The cleaning of permanent casting
molds in foundries by using dry ice
is today still largely done manually,
which places a great strain on the
worker. However, this is not the case
at the foundry of the BMW plant in
Landshut, Germany. Here, a KUKA robot
of the KR Quantec series takes care
of the cleaning procedure. The robot is
taught its path by the worker through
manual guidance.
Since 1898, around 1,500 employees
of the BMW Group in Landshut have
been manufacturing five million cast
components of aluminum and magnesium
per year with a total weight
of around 69,000 t. The scope of production
includes engine components
such as cylinder heads or crankcases
as well as parts for the body structure
and chassis. Once a week, the permanent
molds in the foundry are cleaned
with dry ice. The advantage of this
non-abrasive and non-corrosive cleaning
procedure is that it neither damages
the material to be cleaned nor does
it leave behind dry ice residue. With
dry ice (solid CO 2
), the most complex
geometries, as are often found on permanent
molds, can be cleaned without
damaging or dismantling equipment.
At BMW in Landshut, this was previously
done manually. In cooperation
with Augsburg-based MRK-Systeme
GmbH, an innovative solution has
now been developed for robot-based
dry ice blasting for eight different types
of tools.
Founded in 2004, MRK-Systeme
GmbH and its fourteen employees develop
and implement function packages
for human-robot collaboration. The
system solutions are used mainly by
automobile manufacturers and their
suppliers but also by all other branches
of industry. In cooperation with
Cold Jet, the Augsburg company developed
a cell for the foundry of the BMW
plant in Landshut in order to make the
cleaning procedure with dry ice more
efficient and effective. The main player
in this solution: a manually guided
KUKA robot of the KR Quantec series.
The worker first selects the “Smart-
ICE” software on the KUKA smartPad
teach pendant and from there uses the
graphics to select the type of permanent
mold as well as the relevant areas
on the casting mold. The worker then
manually guides the robot intuitively
through these areas (Figure 1). This offers
primarily ergonomic advantages
when compared to the manual procedure.
With the aid of the force/torque
sensor, the robot can be easily guided
without process forces. In addition,
peripheral signals (e.g. to the actuators
or from/to the dry ice aggregate
through the Aero interface) can be easily
saved in the program by the operator
via touch operation. The worker
then gets the robot to automatically
execute the taught 3-D path and clean
the permanent mold with the dry ice.
“Since the worker no longer carries out
the cleaning procedure directly, he is
no longer exposed to dirt during the
process,” explains Michael Mohre,
Oper ations Manager at MRK Systeme.
34 Casting Plant & Technology 2/2016