Dugard to exhibit at Robotics & Automation exhibition

Introducing its new range of Hanwha HCR collaborative automation solutions will be the priority for Dugard Machine Tools at the Robotics & Automation exhibition taking place at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry from 29-30 October.

Dugard is well established in the machine tool market and the arrival of the Hanwha HCR cobots in 2018 has already given the company an excellent platform for automating machine tools.

On stand 412 at the show, Dugard will be demonstrating the HCR-5 model that caters for loads up to 5kg. With a reach of 915mm, the cobot can be easily moved around the workshop via a trolley that is also available as an optional extra. Each system in the extensive range includes one arm, one pendant and one case. However, one case can actually run two robots, so the second robot system will always prove more cost-effective.

The user friendly and flexible system has already been successfully installed in a number of UK machine shops with many looking to install additional cobots, Dugard reports.

Siavash Baghaei, technical manager at Dugard said: “The cobot market is very extensive and mainly applied to materials handling, injection moulding and packaging with machine tool applications currently sitting at below 2% of the market for Hanwha robot solutions.

"At Dugard, we will be following this model and aiming at the wider industrial audience. The Robotics & Automation exhibition will prove the perfect platform for us to promote the new range to an extremely diverse audience.”

Commenting on the benefits of the Hanwha HCR robots, Mr Baghaei added: “The robots are so easy to program - you don’t need another skilled individual to use or program the system. Another advantage of this Hanwha robot is the ability to push the arm back once it has reached its stop position.

"This is unlike other systems that lock in a specified destination. So, if your hand ever gets trapped between the robot and the machine or a wall, it can be moved. This is an excellent safety feature."

Taking safety a step further; the HCR Series incorporates collision detection, joint rotation and speed limits, a virtual safety fence and a reliable control system. An additional benefit on the Hanwha is the ‘path teaching’ function which is an optional extra on alternate systems.

This robot unlike the standard Linux-based systems is Windows based, which is ideal for the educational sector and general ease of use. This allows the user to ‘break-into’ the software and reprogram or add features for universities and educational establishments.

Exactly like a PC, customers can store thousands of programs and even increase the hard-drive or connect via Ethernet or a USB port, so data storage is not a problem.

The Rodi operation software is central to the robot's ease of use, applying an intuitive and efficient interface with icon based GUI, a timeline programming basis that permits the easy monitoring of workflow whilst the API makes it easier to develop customer specific applications.

Dugard www.dugard.com