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    1. Injection Molding

    Ranger Automation introduces ‘world’s largest injection-molding robot’ 

    Aug. 26, 2024
    The company also launched the new RT6 and TBot lines at NPE2024.
    Ranger Automation Systems
    Ranger Automation Systems' RT-8000-S18 was built to tend an 8,000-ton MIlacron IMM.
    Ranger Automation Systems' RT-8000-S18 was built to tend an 8,000-ton MIlacron IMM.

    By Bruce Geiselman 

    Ranger Automation Systems’ new RT-8000-S18 robot is the largest robot ever built to tend an injection molding machine, said John Campbell, Ranger’s national sales manager. 

    Ranger Automation announced during NPE2024 that it delivered the first RT-8000-S18 to 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics in Holiday City, Ohio, which specializes in injection molding structural foam products. It was made for tending an 8,000-ton Milacron injection molding machine. 

    Related

    Read more about the 8,000-ton Milacron machine here. 

    “They’re a very big customer of ours, and they continue to challenge us with the next biggest robot that we can make for their applications,” Campbell said. “This is the biggest of the large press series that we make that spans from 1,000 tons all the way up to 8,000 tons.” 

    The RT-8000-S18 features four arms, each with nearly 20 feet of vertical travel and a payload of 200 pounds, with 18-axis servo control. It includes flexible programming to allow the robot to run with anywhere from one to four arms simultaneously for handling large part combinations.  

    In 2018, Ranger Automation announced it was building the Ranger RT-6000-S10 robot, also for 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics, for a 6,000-ton press. At the time, the RT-6000-S10 robot was the largest injection molding robot on the market, according to Ranger. 

    The RT-8000-S18 was one of three new products Ranger announced at NPE2024. 

    Ranger Automation Systems
    Ranger Automation Systems introduced the new RT6 robot line at NPE2024.
    Ranger Automation Systems introduced the new RT6 robot line at NPE2024.
    The new RT6 Series of six-axis robots is designed in a top-mounted configuration that is more space efficient than traditional floor-mounted robots, according to the company. The RT6 includes servo A-, B- and C-axis wrist articulation in addition to linear X, Y and Z motions for demanding part extraction and insert-loading applications.  

    Models in the series are designed to fit molding machines ranging from 300 to 3,000 tons. 

    Ranger’s new TBot Series robots are designed for thermoforming applications. The TBot’s unique arm design allows simultaneous and coordinated motion from dual high-speed servo drives to achieve part extraction and stacking as fast as 30 shots per minute, which is up to 50 percent faster than other standard robots, according to the company. The robots also feature a compact footprint for stacking parts off the side or the end of the line. 

    Ranger Automation has been designing and building robots for more than 35 years for injection molding, blow molding, extrusion, thermoforming and material handling. 

    Ranger Automation Systems Inc., Millbury, Mass., 508-865-0151, www.rangerautomation.com 

    About the Author

    Bruce Geiselman | Senior Staff Reporter

    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.

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