Liftcom is a company engaged in the production, installation and servicing of elevators, installation and maintenance of escalators, platforms for the disabled and travelators.

BG Robots performed the automation of the process of assisting a press brake.
In the process at the time, the machine was operated by two workers, and the work process involved turning large and heavy parts, which slowed it down.
The robot enables automated work, without the need for an on-site worker, by itself taking pre-fed parts, bending them and placing them on a cart for removal.

The installation includes one robot, two grippers (pneumatic from SMC) with a quick changer for easy operation (from Gimatic.) and an energy-saving vacuum generator. Separately, a pneumatic station for turning the more complex parts when needed, a calibration table and a PLC system with a touch display (Siemens S7 1200) through which the parts to be worked are selected and which monitors the processes and controls the additional devices and the communication with the abcant.

 In the PLC system, the bending workpieces are set, and the operator selects the corresponding workpiece at the beginning of the process, turns on the safety systems and starts the work process.

The robot takes a workpiece to be bent, calibrates it and brings it to the bending machine.

The implemented system requires connecting the robot to an old model press brake, which has no communication inputs and outputs.
The customer's desire is to bend the maximum number of parts with only two grippers. Therefore, the addition of a pneumatic turner, which has its own system for rotating the clamped workpiece, is necessary. Due to the very limited space, a detailed design and simulation of the entire project in KUKA.SimPro was necessary.