T.MAT chooses ABB I-R Waterjet System for flexibility and accuracy
T.MAT chooses ABB I-R Waterjet System for flexibility and accuracy
Keywords: Waterjet, Robots, ABB
T.Mat Engineering Limited, a specialist manufacturer of sound reduction and thermal insulation products for agricultural, earthmoving and commercial vehicles, has commissioned the company's first waterjet cutting system from ABB I-R Waterjet Systems AB of Ronneby in Southern Sweden. Sited at the T.Mat plant in Loughborough, the new Cutting Box Original IV from ABB I-R features a computer-controlled seven-axis ABB robot cutting with high pressure water supplied by a Streamline IV intensifier from Ingersoll-Rand (Plate 3).
The ABB I-R system is part of a new capital equipment investment worth over£0.5 million that includes an automatic lamination and moulding plant supplying products to be cut in the waterjet cutting box.
Plate 3T.Mat Engineering Limited, has commissioned the company's first waterjet cutting system from ABB I-R Waterjet Systems AB
T.Mat chose the cutting box ahead of alternative methods for the flexibility and options offered by the system. These include perforated functions that allow T.Mat to easily cut optional apertures for speakers/radios and other special features within vehicle trim. The level of accuracy of £0.5 mm, the cycle times of 1.5-2 min per part, the lead time and service support were also the key factors in the purchase decision.
Another important aspect of the ABB I-R system is the environmentally friendly nature of the technology compared to the other methods such as laser cutting.
David Huck, General Manager of the T.Mat operation in Loughborough, said:“We have a wide range of cutting requirements that only a flexible system can cope with. For example, on one of the 3D parts we cut there are ten variants alone. The options on the ABB I-R system are very good, allowing users to add to the base programme to do different variants of the same part in the same production run.”
T.Mat has also succeeded in integrating the software on the ABB I-R system with the management software for the plant. This means that when an order is input in the sales office, the appropriate control programs for the ABB I-R system can be downloaded automatically from the central server, minimising the time taken from order entry to cutting the part.
Much is expected from cab trim interiors in terms of aesthetics, sound reduction, thermal management, recyclability and product cost. To meet these requirements, T.Mat, a subsidiary of Airflow Streamlines plc., offers an extensive portfolio of products: headliners, post covers, inner-wing trims,bulkhead insulators, floor coverings and insulation for sound and temperature control.
The ABB I-R system is used to cut a wide variety of parts at T.Mat,including headliners for maximising reduction of reverberate sound inside off-highway vehicle cabs. For these applications, T.Mat offers several moulding processes using composite combinations of fibre and polyurethane foam.
The cutting box original IV forms the core of ABB l-R's three-dimensional pure waterjet cutting technology for trim applications on interior components of cars and other vehicles made from soft materials such as polyurethane foam,moulded fibres, sandwich materials or composites. It is a modular production machine incorporating industrial robots from ABB and high pressure water pumps from Ingersoll- Rand.
For further information, contact: Paul Etchells, ABB I-R Waterjet Systems AB, Eaton Place, 114 Washway Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 7RF, England. Tel:0161-374 0734; Fax: 0161-374 0738.
