What are the precautions when installing the fixture of injection molding manipulator?

The following are some points for attention when installing the fixture of injection molding manipulator:

First, the preparation work before installation

Familiar with products and fixtures

Carefully study the shape, size, weight and material characteristics of injection molded products. This is helpful to determine the type of fixture and the appropriate installation method. For example, if the product is a thin-walled plastic product, special attention should be paid to avoid product deformation caused by improper installation of the fixture when installing the fixture.

Deeply understand the structure, function and operation requirements of fixture. Check the instructions, operation manuals and other materials of the fixture, and clarify the functions of various parts of the fixture, such as the opening and closing mode of the clamping jaw and the adjustment range of clamping force.

Check equipment compatibility

Check whether the fixture matches the mechanical interface of the end effector of the injection manipulator. Check whether the parameters such as the size of the connecting flange, the position and number of screw holes are consistent. If the interfaces do not match, the fixture may not be installed firmly, and even the normal work of the manipulator may be affected.

Confirm that the control signal of fixture (such as pneumatic, electric or hydraulic signal) is compatible with the control system of injection molding manipulator. Ensure that the manipulator can correctly control the action of the fixture, including the opening and closing and rotation of the gripper.

Tools and site preparation

Prepare the necessary tools for installation, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, pneumatic or electric tools, etc. Different fixtures may require different tools to install, for example, installing fixtures with bolted connections requires a suitable wrench to tighten bolts.

Clean up the installation site and ensure that the work area is clean, tidy and free of sundries. A good working environment can prevent foreign objects from entering the joint of fixture or manipulator during installation, which will affect the installation quality.

Second, the points for attention in the installation process

Correct positioning and installation

Accurately position the fixture on the end effector of the injection molding manipulator. According to the design requirements, to ensure the installation position accuracy of the fixture, auxiliary tools such as positioning pins or positioning keys can usually be used to improve the positioning accuracy. For example, when installing some fixtures with high precision requirements, the positioning accuracy error should be controlled within 0.1 mm.

Tighten the connecting bolts or nuts evenly. Cross-tightening is adopted to avoid uneven fixture installation surface or stress concentration caused by unilateral tightening. For the bolts at key positions, tighten them according to the specified torque value, and a torque wrench can be used to ensure that the tightening force meets the requirements.

Connect lines and pipes (if applicable)

If it is a pneumatic fixture, connect the gas pipeline correctly. Ensure that the pipeline is firmly connected and there is no air leakage. After the connection is completed, you can use soapy water and other methods to check the tightness of the gas path. For example, apply diluted soapy water to the gas path joint to observe whether there are bubbles, and if there are bubbles, it means there is air leakage.

For electric jigs, be careful to connect the wires. Pay attention to the color coding and connection sequence of wires to avoid wrong wiring. After connection, check the insulation performance of the line to prevent electrical problems such as short circuit.

Debugging and installation effect

After the initial installation is completed, conduct simple action debugging. Check whether the jaws of the fixture can be opened and closed normally and whether the rotating parts can rotate flexibly. For example, by manually operating the control signal, the clamping jaw of the fixture is opened and closed, and whether its movement is smooth or not is observed.

Check the overall balance of the fixture after installation. If the gravity center deviates seriously after the fixture is installed, it may affect the motion accuracy and stability of the injection molding manipulator. The balance can be improved by adjusting the installation position of the fixture or adding counterweight.

III. Inspection and testing after installation

Functional integrity check

Comprehensively check whether the functions of the fixture are normal. For example, for jigs with multiple grasping modes (such as internal support grasping and external clamp grasping), it is necessary to test whether these modes can work normally respectively.

Check whether the clamping force of the fixture meets the requirements. Tools such as pressure sensor can be used to measure the clamping force to ensure that the clamping force can firmly grasp the injection molded product, but it will not damage the product due to excessive clamping force.

Safety performance check

Check whether there are potential safety hazards in the working process of the fixture. For example, whether the edge of the gripper is sharp may scratch the operator; Whether the fixture will collide with the injection molding machine or other equipment during the movement, etc.

Ensure that the safety protection devices of the fixture (such as light curtain protection, emergency stop button, etc., if equipped) are installed correctly and can work normally. These safety devices can stop the dangerous action of the fixture in time in an emergency and protect the safety of personnel and equipment.

Collaborative testing with injection molding process

The injection manipulator with the fixture installed is connected to the injection production process for actual test. Observe the performance of the fixture in the process of grabbing and placing the injection molded product, and check whether it can match the production rhythm of the injection molding machine and whether it can accurately place the product in the designated position (such as the conveyor belt, the mold in the next process, etc.).

According to the test results, the installation position and control parameters of the fixture are adjusted to ensure that the fixture can work stably and efficiently in the whole injection production process.