A leading manufacturer of robotic waterjet cutting systems for trimming automotive interior parts has introduced a new compact system specially designed for cutting dashboards, door panels and other similar parts.

ABB I-R Waterjet Systems AB, recently unveiled its 'cutting-system dashboard' that was developed to meet an initial request from BMW AG in Germany, which needed machinery for waterjet trimming of the dashboards on the company's new 7-series cars.

The new 'cutting-system dashboard' features one or two fixed floor-mounted ABB IRB 2400 M98/10F robots, the same as those used in ABB I-R's larger Cutting Box Original IV or Cutting Box Stationary systems.

Like the Original IV, the new system incorporates a double-sided turntable with 60 degrees angled cutting tables offering a carry load of 300kg each side and indexing every seven seconds.

"With the combination of the floor-mounted robots and the limited variants of parts to be cut, the system offers a very compact solution for waterjet cutting and the actual cell offers a footprint of only 2.7 x 3.0 m, said ABB I-R," said the company.

The scope of supply for the machine designed for BMW AG included a complete suite for off-line programming in RobCad for both the left- and right-hand drive versions of the 7Series dashboard.

According to the company, off-line programming can significantly increase waterjet cutting productivity, offering several advantages over the traditional use of online programming, where work is done directly on the robot.

The fixtures in the BMW machine include suction cups controlled by an external foot panel, which ensure optimum attachment of the part to the cutting table. Sensors mounted on the fixture giving signals to detect the presence of parts are wired to the Stecker code plug, making tool changes a very simple process.

With a loading height of approximately 1200mm from the floor to the centre of the dashboard, the system also offers excellent ergonomics.

The 'cutting-system dashboard' is built on a steel base plate on which the robot(s) are mounted. A sound cover is placed on top of the base plate, reducing emitted noise to approximately 75 dB(A).

The floor inside the cell is made from stainless steel and is angled towards one side, at the lowest point of which is a pit with a drainage pump for removing water from the cell.

Lifting pockets are an integral part of the cell, allowing it to be easily manoeuvred using a standard forklift. The back of the cell comprises two large doors that allow full access to both robots. The high pressure equipment on the robots does not include a swivel joint since the limited working range of the robots does not require this.

The ductwork for the ventilation fan is connected directly to the turntable, to facilitate extraction of mist and water through a perforated plate in the turntable.

The perforated plate prevents any off cuts from passing into the ventilation fan. Instead they fall to the bottom of the turntable and are emptied via a hatch mounted on each table into a waste container on the outside of the cell. The ventilation fan also helps to ensure that the part is securely held during the cutting process. As an alternative to the ventilation fan, ABB I-R can also offer an optional cyclone vacuum system with scrap separation.

"The 'cutting-system dashboard' is one of a number of ABB I-R solutions for robotic waterjet cutting based on the company's unique Cutting Box, a modular production machine incorporating industrial robots from ABB and high pressure water pumps (intensifiers) from Ingersoll-Rand," ABB I-R said.

The intensifier powering the BMW system is an Ingersoll-Rand(r) Streamline IV 50 HP redundant model.

"The market for robotic pure waterjet cutting systems continues to expand, based on its very successful use in the automotive industry, where systems of this type are used in trim applications on interior components of vehicles made from soft materials such as polyurethane foam, moulded fibres, sandwich materials or composites," said the company.

"The Cutting Box from ABB I-R offers a very safe, cost-effective, high productivity and environmental solution for these applications and is available in a range of variants depending on the size of the component to be cut."