Sepro America and Absolute Haitian are teaming up in an arrangement announced at NPE2018 that will make Sepro three-axis, five-axis and six-axis robots available as options on new injection molding machines [IMMs] sold in the U.S. and Canada.
In the past, buyers of Absolute Haitian and Zhafir presses had to purchase Sepro robots separately. Under the new arrangement, the robots will have a user interface based on Sepro's Visual robot control that is fully integrated and accessible from the Absolute Haitian or Zhafir IMM operator interface. All control settings and robot data will be accessible through the IMM control panel.
"This integrated offering gets to the heart of the benefits customers will experience with Industry 4.0," said Glenn Frohring, one of the owners of Absolute Haitian, which distributes Absolute Haitian and Zhafir presses in the U.S. and Canada. "It allows customers to select products in a way that makes sense for them, rather than being boxed into single-supplier solutions."
Absolute Haitian technicians will provide after-sale service.
Sepro wants to simplify the operation of robots used in packages with Absolute Haitian and Zhafir injection molding equipment throughout North America, Jim Healy, VP of sales and marketing for Sepro America, said in a prepared statement.
"The easier we can make it for molders to manage their process comprehensively from a single operator station, the more efficient the machine cell's production will be," he said.
The agreement follows a similar announcement in October by Haitian International Germany and Sepro Group in France. In that arrangement, Sepro robots with integrated controls were offered with Absolute Haitian IMMs sold throughout Europe.
In other news, Sepro showcased its five-axis 7X-45 robot at NPE2018. It is one of the first Sepro robots built outside of France. Sepro's 7X-45 is the first of 40 robots that Sepro America plans to build this year at its plant in Warrendale, Pa.
The 7X-45 configuration couples a two-axis Stäubli CNC wrist with a three-axis Sepro Cartesian beam robot, allowing it to handle high production speeds on IMMs of up to 1,300 tons.
Bruce Geiselman, senior staff reporter
Contact:
Absolute Haitian, Parma, Ohio, 216-452-1000, www.absolutehaitian.com
Sepro America LLC,
Warrendale, Pa., 412-459-0450,www.sepro-america.com
About the Author
Bruce Geiselman
Senior Staff Reporter Bruce Geiselman covers extrusion, blow molding, additive manufacturing, automation and end markets including automotive and packaging. He also writes features, including In Other Words and Problem Solved, for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. He has extensive experience in daily and magazine journalism.