A fully automatic bending robot boosts productivity, safety, and precision while offering cost savings and flexibility, making it a valuable tool in industries like automotive, aerospace, metalworking, and manufacturing in general.

In the sheet metal bending process, each press brake bending machine in the traditional production process requires manual cooperation. Since each industry requires a large number of products, and bending machines are high-risk operating equipment, the potential safety hazards are also relatively large. This has led to this production process becoming an increasingly dangerous process, so using robots to replace workers has gradually become an inevitable trend.

Compared with manual work, the advantages of bending robots are reflected in three aspects: efficiency, safety and quality. The advantages of the first two aspects are self-evident. And the advantages of quality are divided into two points:

- The accuracy and repeatability of the bending robot are good.

- Accidents caused by manual fatigue are avoided.

For many small and medium-sized companies, the size of the products they produce is not fixed, the demand is small and unstable, and the bending machine needs to frequently replace and adjust the upper and lower die blades so that the reference position changes continuously. The robot must be recalibrated, so that the advantages of robot automatic bending cannot be fully reflected. Bending robot workstations have not been widely implemented in these companies.

However, it is worth affirming that with the improvement of robot intelligence and flexibility, these companies will gradually become potential customers for robot development and application in the future. Fully automatic bending robots are more suitable for enterprises that process large workpieces, large batches, and a small number of workpieces. Not all enterprises are suitable for robot bending, but the trend of replacing manual labor is unstoppable. So what are the characteristics of the full auto bending robot?

1. Characteristics of  fully automatic bending robot

The fully automatic bending robot is an advanced device used for automated bending of metal sheets, plates, pipes and other materials. It combines robotics, computer control, sensor technology and servo drive systems, and can efficiently and accurately complete the bending of metal sheets. It is widely used in automotive manufacturing, home appliances, aerospace, electronic products and other heavy industries.

The fully automated bending robot has greatly improved the efficiency, accuracy and safety of metal bending through advanced robotics and intelligent control systems, and has gradually replaced traditional manual operations, especially in industries with mass production, complex shape processing and high precision requirements. It has shown great potential.

With the continuous advancement of technology, fully auto bending robots will become more popular in the future and become an important part of the automation transformation of the manufacturing industry.

1) Main features

Automated operation:

The fully automatic bending robot realizes automated operation through an integrated control system, which reduces manual intervention and improves production efficiency and precision.

The robot can automatically load, position, bend and unload metal materials without manual intervention.

Precise bending control:

The robot can accurately control parameters such as bending angle and bending radius according to the set procedures and process requirements.

Using sensors and visual recognition technology, the robot can monitor and adjust the bending position in real time to ensure the quality of each product.

Flexibility and adaptability:

It can adapt to the bending processing of workpieces of different types and specifications through programming and adjustment of parameters.

Suitable for mass production of complex shapes and diversified products.

High-speed and efficient production:

Automated robots have high-speed response capabilities and can complete multiple bending operations in a short time, greatly improving production efficiency.

The automated bending process can also reduce downtime and labor costs.

Intelligent control system:

Equipped with advanced CNC system (CNC) for precise control, combined with robot technology, it can complete complex bending processes.

Through data collection and analysis, the robot can adjust the operation according to the actual situation of the workpiece to ensure the accuracy of each processing.

Integrated workstation:

Robots are usually used in conjunction with laser cutting machines, automatic feeding systems, loading systems, etc. to form a complete automated workstation and an automated production line.

Through the cooperation of automated workstations, unmanned operation can be achieved in the production line, reducing labor costs and operational risks.

2) Working principle

Automatic feeding:

The robot system is equipped with an automatic feeding device to feed the unbent metal sheet into the working area.The feeding system can accurately control the feeding speed and position of the material.

Visual identification and positioning:

The workpiece is identified and positioned by a visual system (such as a camera or sensor) to ensure the correct placement of the material.

Precision bending:

According to the control program, the robot uses a bending die to bend the metal sheet. The bending angle, bending speed and pressure are controlled by a servo motor or hydraulic drive.

Detection and adjustment:

The robot can monitor in real time through sensors to detect whether the bending position and angle meet the requirements. If there is a deviation, the system will automatically adjust to ensure the bending accuracy.

Automatic unloading and handling:

The bent workpiece can be automatically unloaded by the robot arm and transferred to the next process or storage location.

3) What fields are they widely used?

Automobile manufacturing:

Fully automatic bending robots are widely used in the bending of metal parts of automobile bodies, doors, roofs and other parts.

Home appliance industry:

Used to produce various home appliance shells, such as bending of metal sheets for refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioner shells.

Aerospace:

High-precision bending robots can provide precise bending of metal parts, such as wings and structural parts, for the aerospace industry.

Electronic products:

Used in the production of metal shells, such as bending shells of electronic products such as mobile phones, televisions, and computers.

Heavy industry:

For example, bending of metal structural parts and machine tool parts to improve production efficiency and product consistency.

Fully automatic bending robots can greatly improve production efficiency, reduce labor costs, ensure processing quality, reduce human errors, and provide real-time feedback and continuous optimization capabilities through efficient, precise, safe and flexible automated operations.

For large-scale production, high-precision requirements and complex processing applications, automated bending robots are undoubtedly an important tool to improve corporate competitiveness, reduce production costs and improve product quality. With the continuous development of technology, automated bending robots will show their great potential in more fields.

2. Advantages of fully automatic bending robots

Fully automatic bending robots are an automation system that integrates robot technology, CNC technology, intelligent control and sensor technology. They are widely used in the metal processing industry, especially in the bending of metal sheets. Compared with traditional manual operation or semi-automatic equipment, fully automatic bending robots have significant advantages. The following is an analysis of the advantages of fully automatic bending robots:

1) Improve production efficiency

- High-speed bending: fully automatic bending robots can perform bending operations quickly, far exceeding the speed of traditional manual operations. Under high-frequency and high-speed working modes, robots can efficiently complete batch production tasks and significantly improve production efficiency.

- 24/7 continuous work: robots do not need to rest and can operate around the clock, which is suitable for large-scale production. For high-volume enterprises, the automation system can significantly shorten the production cycle and improve overall production capacity.

- Reduce downtime: Since fully automatic bending robots can complete predetermined tasks in a very short time, the downtime in the production line is greatly shortened. Compared with traditional manual operation, the system takes less time to complete the bending of a single workpiece.

2) Improve processing accuracy

High-precision control:

Through precise digital control systems (such as CNC control), fully automatic bending robots can accurately control the bending angle, bending radius and various parameters to ensure consistent bending accuracy for each workpiece, reducing errors and deviations.

Real-time monitoring and correction:

The sensors and visual systems equipped with the robot can monitor the bending process in real time and automatically adjust according to feedback signals. This adaptive ability ensures high-precision bending and can compensate for material unevenness or other processing errors.

Consistency and stability:

The robot can perform operations with high repeatability and stable precision, avoiding errors in manual operations, ensuring that each product meets the design requirements, and is particularly suitable for the production of precision parts.

3) Reduce labor costs

Reduced labor demand:

Fully automatic bending robots can replace traditional manual bending operations, reducing dependence on manual operations, especially for processes with high repetitiveness and high work intensity. This not only reduces the labor intensity of workers, but also reduces waste caused by human errors.

Reduced human errors:

Since the robot system is pre-programmed and can perform bending tasks according to the set program, it avoids errors that may occur in manual operations, such as wrong bending angles, inaccurate positions, etc., thereby reducing the scrap rate in the production process.

Reduced personnel training costs:

Although operating robots requires a certain technical background, compared with manual operations, robot systems usually only require a few technicians for monitoring and maintenance, thus reducing the training needs for large-scale production workers.

4) Flexibility and adaptability

Adapt to diversified product needs:

Fully automatic bending robots can quickly adapt to the bending requirements of products of different types and specifications by modifying programs and adjusting parameters, and have strong flexibility. Whether it is mass production or small batch customized production, the robot can easily cope with it.

Multiple material processing:

The robot can adapt to different types and thicknesses of metal materials, such as aluminum, steel, stainless steel, etc. The robot system can adjust parameters such as bending force and speed according to the characteristics of the material to ensure that each material can be processed optimally.

Efficient product switching:

For manufacturing environments that require frequent changes in production processes, robots can quickly switch between different bending programs to adapt to the processing of different workpieces, avoiding downtime and time waste of readjustment.

5) Improve safety

Reduce operational risks:

The robot does not require direct manual operation during work, avoiding the risk of manual contact with high-temperature, high-pressure equipment and heavy objects. Fully automated operation can ensure that workers are away from dangerous areas, thereby improving workplace safety.

Reduce fatigue operation:

During manual bending, long-term repetitive operations can easily lead to fatigue, which in turn increases the possibility of accidents. Robots can work continuously for a long time, avoiding fatigue accidents.

6) Save space and reduce energy consumption

High space utilization:

Robot systems usually have a compact design that can effectively utilize limited workspace. Compared with traditional bending machines and manual operation layouts, automated bending robots occupy less space and have higher space efficiency in production lines.

Energy saving and high efficiency:

By precisely controlling the power system (such as servo motors, hydraulic systems, etc.), fully automatic bending robots can effectively reduce energy consumption. Compared with traditional mechanical bending machines, robot systems can adjust energy consumption according to actual needs and improve energy efficiency.

7) Continuous optimization and data feedback

Production data collection:

Fully automatic bending robots are usually equipped with data acquisition systems that can record various data in the production process (such as production efficiency, quality, machine status, etc.) in real time. These data can be used for later analysis to help companies optimize production processes and discover potential bottlenecks and problems.

Automated adjustment:

Through real-time data feedback and analysis, the robot can automatically adjust parameters to adapt to different working environments or workpiece changes. The system can also predict maintenance needs, reduce downtime, and improve equipment availability.

8) Improve product quality and consistency

Consistency and standardization:

The automated system can produce according to unified standards to ensure that each workpiece meets the same quality standards. Regardless of the production volume, the robot can maintain stable quality and reduce quality fluctuations caused by manual differences.

High-quality bending effect:

Because the robot system can accurately control the bending force and bending process, it can obtain higher quality bending effects, avoid post-finishing work caused by poor bending, and reduce the cost of rework and waste.

9) Long-term return on investment

Improve capital utilization:

Although the initial investment of fully automatic bending robots is high, due to their high efficiency, precision and low maintenance, they can significantly improve productivity and reduce production costs in the long run, thus bringing higher returns to enterprises.

Scalability and upgradeability:

With the development of technology, the robot system can be modularly upgraded according to needs to adapt to new bending processes or production needs, thereby extending its service life and enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises.

3. Bending Robot Challenges and limitations

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High initial investment:

The initial investment of the fully automatic bending robot system is relatively high, including the cost of purchasing the robot, installing the system, and training operators.

Maintenance cost:

The robot system requires regular maintenance and care to ensure long-term stable operation.

Programming and debugging:

Although the robot system has high flexibility, the bending program for new products may require programming and debugging, and the operator needs to have high technical capabilities.

Material adaptability issues:

Some materials with high hardness or brittle fracture may pose challenges to the operation of the robot system, especially materials with high bending precision requirements.