How to install and debug the manipulator of injection molding machine for pure water injection molding factory?

To install and debug the manipulator of injection molding machine for pure water injection processing factory, it is necessary to combine the injection production characteristics (high cleanliness, high precision and high stability requirements) of pure water packaging (such as PET bottle embryo and bottle cap) and follow the principle of "safety first, production adaptation and precise debugging". The specific process can be divided into four stages: preliminary preparation, installation and implementation, debugging and calibration, and acceptance and delivery. The operation points of each stage are as follows:

First, pre-preparation: define the requirements and match the parameters with the environment.

Before installation, it is necessary to complete "demand docking-parameter matching-environmental investigation" to avoid subsequent adaptation problems, especially to meet the clean requirements of pure water injection molding.

Requirements and parameter confirmation

Define the function of the manipulator: determine the manipulator type (single-axis/multi-axis servo manipulator, take-out manipulator, insert manipulator, etc.) according to the pure water injection products (such as bottle embryo and bottle cap). For example, the bottle embryo production needs an integrated manipulator of "take-out+gate cutting", and the bottle cap production needs to meet the demand of high-speed take-out.

Matching the parameters of injection molding machine: check the load capacity of the manipulator (product weight+fixture weight should be covered, and 10%-20% redundancy should be reserved), the travel range (horizontal/vertical travel should cover the opening and closing space of injection molding machine mold and the position of product taking and placing), the running speed (matching the cycle of injection molding machine to avoid affecting the production efficiency), and confirm the power supply (such as 220V/380V) and air pressure (usually 0.

Confirmation of cleanliness requirements: the packaging of purified water should meet the food-grade production standards, and the material of food-grade fixture (such as 304 stainless steel and food-grade nylon) and the anti-rust treatment scheme of manipulator surface should be prepared in advance to avoid oil pollution or metal debris from polluting the products.

Site environmental investigation

Space planning: Make sure that sufficient installation space is reserved around the injection molding machine (there are no obstacles when the manipulator rotates/retracts, usually 1.5-2m horizontally and 0.8-1.2m vertically), and the ground should be flat (the error is less than or equal to 3mm/m). If the ground is uneven, it should be leveled in advance (such as laying steel plates).

Infrastructure inspection: Check the field power supply (independent loop is required to avoid voltage fluctuation caused by sharing with injection molding machine), air supply (the diameter of air pipe is ≥8mm, and the pressure is stable without air leakage) and grounding system (grounding resistance is ≤4Ω to prevent electrostatic interference), and at the same time, make sure that there is no strong magnetic field (such as large motor) or high-frequency interference source (such as frequency converter) around.

Preparation for safety protection: install safety fence (height ≥1.2m) and emergency stop button in advance (the manipulator is linked with the injection molding machine, and when pressed, both will stop at the same time), and warning signs should be posted in the safety area (such as "No entry is allowed when the manipulator is running").

Second, installation and implementation: step-by-step assembly to ensure accurate docking

The installation process should follow the sequence of "mechanical assembly → electrical connection → fixture installation", focusing on the coaxiality and action coordination of the manipulator and the injection molding machine.

Manipulator body assembly

Fixing the base: fix the base of the manipulator on the ground or the side bracket of the injection molding machine through expansion bolts (M16-M20, depth ≥100mm), and use a level meter to calibrate the level of the base (front-back/left-right horizontal error ≤0.1mm/m), so as to avoid the jamming of the manipulator due to the tilt of the base.

Axle assembly: according to the manipulator model (such as 3-axis/5-axis), install the rotating shaft, telescopic shaft and lifting shaft in turn, and apply special grease (food grade to avoid pollution) at the joints of each shaft, and check the bearing clearance (≤0.02mm) to ensure that the shaft rotates flexibly without sticking.

Mechanical limit adjustment: Install the physical limit blocks of each shaft (such as the end limit of the telescopic shaft and the angle limit of the rotating shaft), and reserve a buffer distance of 5-10mm at the limit position to prevent the manipulator from collision and damage when it runs to the limit position.

Electrical and signal connection

Power supply and air supply connection: connect the power supply of the manipulator to an independent circuit and install a leakage protector (rated current ≥ 1.5 times the rated current of the manipulator); Filter (water and oil removal) and pressure regulating valve (stable at 0.5-0.7MPa) shall be installed in the gas source pipeline, and the gas pipe joint shall be quick-inserted to ensure no air leakage.

Injection molding machine linkage signal docking: the core step! I/O signals of the manipulator (such as "mold opening and closing in place", "manipulator picking completion" and "emergency stop signal") need to be connected with the control system of the injection molding machine (such as PLC) through signal lines. Common signal types include:

Input signal: injection molding machine "mold is in place" and "ejector pin is back in place" (triggering mechanical hand to take parts);

Output signals: the manipulator "picks up the parts" (triggering the injection molding machine to close the mold) and "fault alarm" (triggering the injection molding machine to stop).

After connection, the signal line number should be marked, which is convenient for subsequent troubleshooting. At the same time, the lines should be arranged with tie straps to avoid cable winding or contact with high-temperature components (such as the barrel of injection molding machine).

Fixture and sucker installation

Fixture selection and fixing: according to pure water injection products (for example, the bottle blank needs multi-station suction cups and the bottle cap needs clamping claws), the fixture and the manipulator end effector (flange) are fixed by bolts to ensure that the coaxiality error is ≤0.05mm (which can be calibrated by dial indicator), so as to avoid product deviation when taking parts.

Chuck/gripper debugging: If it is a chuck fixture, it is necessary to adjust the chuck spacing (aligned with the center point of the product) and negative pressure value (usually-0.6 to-0.8MPa to ensure firm adsorption without falling off); If it is a jaw clamp, it is necessary to adjust the jaw strength (it is advisable to clamp the product without deformation, and the cylinder pressure of the jaw can be set with a torque wrench).

Cleaning treatment: after installation, wipe the surface of the fixture with food-grade cleaner to remove oil or dust, and if necessary, stick food-grade protective film (such as PTFE film) on the contact part between the fixture and the product to further improve the cleanliness.

Third, debugging and calibration: from single axis to linkage, gradually optimize the accuracy and efficiency.

Debugging should follow the logic of "first single-axis manual operation → then automatic linkage → then production optimization", and focus on solving the three core problems of "picking accuracy, running stability and cooperation efficiency with injection molding machine".

Single-axis manual debugging (no-load state)

Axis action test: manually control the operation of each axis (rotation, expansion, lifting) through the manipulator operation panel (or hand-held box), and check:

Action fluency: no jamming and abnormal noise, and the running speed is consistent with the set value (error ≤ 5%);

Position accuracy: use laser locator or dial indicator to measure the repeated positioning accuracy of each axis (usually ≤±0.02mm). If the accuracy is not up to standard, it is necessary to adjust the servo motor parameters (such as gain and integration time) or mechanical clearance (such as replacing bearings and adjusting the pre-tightening force of screw).

Limit and emergency stop test: manually trigger the physical limit and soft limit of each axis (the limit value set by the control panel), and confirm that the manipulator stops immediately and the alarm lamp lights up; Press the emergency stop button to check whether the manipulator and the injection molding machine are powered off and stopped at the same time to ensure effective safety linkage.

On-load debugging (simulated pickup)

Fixture adaptation test: put pure water injection products (such as bottle embryo samples) into the mold, manually control the manipulator to take the parts, and check:

Taking stability: the sucker does not fall off after adsorption, and the product is not deformed and scratched after clamping by the gripper;

Pick-up position: the fixture at the end of the manipulator should be accurately aligned with the center point of the product (offset ≤0.1mm). If it is offset, the position of the flange at the end of the manipulator should be adjusted (the X/Y/Z axis coordinates should be corrected by fine-tuning bolts).

Path optimization: Simulate the production cycle of injection molding machine (such as mold opening → ejector pin ejection → manipulator taking parts → manipulator moving out → mold closing), optimize the running path of manipulator, avoid collision with the pull rod of mold and injection molding machine, and shorten the time of taking parts (generally, the period of taking parts is less than or equal to 2 seconds to meet the requirements of high-speed injection molding).

Automatic linkage debugging (synchronous with injection molding machine)

Signal synchronization test: start the automatic mode of the injection molding machine and observe the action coordination between the manipulator and the injection molding machine;

Timing matching: after the mold is in place, the manipulator needs to start picking up the parts within 0.5 seconds; After taking the parts, it is necessary to send the signal of "mold closing allowed" immediately to avoid the injection molding machine waiting;

Troubleshooting: Simulate abnormal scenes (such as product not taken away and suction cup leaking), check whether the manipulator immediately gives an alarm and whether the injection molding machine stops synchronously, so as to ensure that the mold or product will not be damaged in the fault state.

Batch trial production: run 50-100 molds continuously and record key data;

The success rate of picking up parts: 100%. In case of missing or dropping parts, check the suction cup negative pressure, clamping force or picking position;

Production efficiency: compare the production cycle without manipulator to ensure that the manipulator does not reduce the production efficiency (usually it can increase the efficiency by 10%-15%);

Product quality: Check that the trial-produced pure water packaging products are free of oil stains, scratches and deformation, and meet the food-grade standards.

Parameter optimization (aiming at the production characteristics of purified water)

Cleanliness optimization: If there is oil leakage (such as excessive grease) during manipulator operation, it is necessary to reduce the amount of grease and replace it with food-grade low-volatile grease; If dust remains in the fixture, it is necessary to install a small dust cover or a compressed air purging device around the manipulator (to avoid dust pollution to the product).

Balance between high speed and stability: Pure water bottle caps/bottle blanks are usually produced by high-speed injection molding, so it is necessary to improve the stability while ensuring the speed. The vibration during high-speed operation can be reduced by adjusting the dynamic response parameters of the manipulator servo motor (such as increasing the position loop gain) or adding damping devices (such as installing damping pads on the manipulator base).

Iv. acceptance and delivery: defining standards, training and document handover.

After debugging, it needs to be checked and accepted with the manufacturer to ensure that the production demand is met, and at the same time, the training and technology transfer are completed.

Confirmation of acceptance criteria

Functional acceptance: confirm that all functions of the manipulator (taking parts, cutting gates, stacking/setting plates) are normal and the safety protection (emergency stop, fence and alarm) is effective;

Accuracy acceptance: repeated positioning accuracy ≤±0.02mm, picking position deviation ≤0.1mm, and batch trial production of 100 molds is trouble-free;

Clean acceptance: the product is free of oil stain and metal debris, and the fixture material meets food-grade standards (provide material inspection report);

Efficiency acceptance: the production cycle meets the requirements of the manufacturer, and the success rate of picking up parts is 100%.

Operation Training and Document Handover

On-site training: training the factory operators, including:

Basic operations: start/shut down of manipulator, manual/automatic mode switching, parameter adjustment (such as picking position and running speed);

Fault handling: troubleshooting methods and solutions for common faults (suction cup air leakage, limit alarm and signal loss);

Daily maintenance: clean the fixture and check the air pressure every day; Lubricate the shaft body and check the cable connection every week; Calibrate positioning accuracy every month.

Document handover: provide complete technical documents, including:

Installation drawings (schematic diagram of connection between manipulator and injection molding machine, electrical wiring diagram);

Parameter manual (servo motor parameters, limit settings, negative pressure/air pressure settings);

Maintenance manual (lubrication cycle, list of wearing parts, after-sales contact information of manufacturers).

After-sales guarantee agreement

Define the after-sales response time (such as remote support within 24 hours and on-site service within 48 hours), and stipulate the warranty period (usually 1-2 years for the manipulator body and 3-6 months for the wearing parts such as suction cups) to ensure that the problems encountered by the manufacturer in subsequent production can be solved in time.

Through the above process, it can ensure that the manipulator of injection molding machine can run safely, accurately, efficiently and cleanly in the scene of pure water injection processing, and meet the core requirements of food-grade packaging production.