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Six-Axis Robot Integration for Injection Molding Plate Handling — MetalPlast

ByMateja Cveticanin
Process Automation Engineering
Serbia
4 minutes
Six-Axis Robot Integration for Injection Molding Plate Handling — MetalPlast - Image 1
Six-Axis Robot Integration for Injection Molding Plate Handling — MetalPlast - Image 2
Six-Axis Robot Integration for Injection Molding Plate Handling — MetalPlast - Image 3
Six-Axis Robot Integration for Injection Molding Plate Handling — MetalPlast - Image 4
Six-Axis Robot Integration for Injection Molding Plate Handling — MetalPlast - Image 5

Triton Engineering — with Sweden Engineering Partner (SE-EP) — integrated a client-owned six-axis robot with an injection molding press at MetalPlast. Automated plate pickup, two-plate stacking and conveyor indexing for unattended production.

THE CHALLENGE

Side-Entry Access, EUROMAP Sync, and Reliable Vacuum Pickup

MetalPlast operates a plastic injection molding press producing perforated plates around 500×500 mm. The existing manual pickup workflow created a bottleneck at the press and ruled out continuous unattended operation. SE-EP, the Swedish integration partner on this project, brought in Triton Engineering to design and commission the automation cell around the client-owned six-axis robot.

  • Restricted overhead clearance ruled out a top-entry approach — the robot had to enter and exit the open mold area from the side on every cycle.
  • Cycle synchronization with the press demanded an industrial EUROMAP 12 interface — generic I/O wiring would not have satisfied operational safety or repeatability.
  • Perforated plates require a vacuum gripper with redundant zones — a single vacuum loss must not drop a part during high-speed extraction.
  • Two plates per cycle had to be reliably stacked and indexed on the downstream conveyor without operator intervention.
THE SOLUTION

Side-Entry Vacuum EOAT and EUROMAP 12 Synchronization

Triton delivered a two-zone vacuum end-of-arm tool, the EUROMAP 12 interface cable, complete robot programming and on-site commissioning. The result: hands-off pickup-and-stack cycles, driven by the press's own mold-open signal.

  • Two-Zone Vacuum EOAT: Custom end-of-arm tool with two independently controlled vacuum zones — each with its own ejector, valves, and confirmation sensing, so plates with holes are held securely throughout extraction.
  • EUROMAP 12 Interface: Standardized industrial cable links the robot to the injection press for mold-open and part-out handshake — no custom electronics or proprietary middleware in the signal path.
  • Side-Entry Trajectories: Robot motion paths were programmed to enter and exit the mold area through the narrow lateral opening with minimum dwell — preserving press takt time.
  • Pickup Confirmation Logic: Vacuum is verified at both zones before the robot retracts from the mold area — if confirmation fails, the cycle holds and the operator is alerted, with no risk of dropped parts inside the tool.
  • Two-Plate Stacking Sequence: Each cycle places two plates onto an indexing conveyor that advances one position downstream — stable, hands-off material flow toward the next process step.
  • On-Site Commissioning: Triton's engineering team commissioned the cell at MetalPlast, ran a live production batch, tuned vacuum and motion parameters, and trained the press operators.
PRODUCTS USED

Equipment & Systems

  • Two-zone vacuum EOAT: Ejectors, suction cups, valves, manifolds, hoses, fittings, gauges and the aluminum mounting frame — engineered for ~500×500 mm perforated plates.
  • EUROMAP 12 ↔ EUROMAP 67 cable: 5 m industrial interface cable connecting the client robot to the injection molding press for synchronized cycle operation.
  • Robot programming: Side-entry trajectories, pickup and stacking sequences, vacuum-zone control logic, and safety-zone definitions on the client-owned six-axis robot.
  • EUROMAP handshake & sequences: Mold-open, part-out and ready signals coordinated between robot and press using standardized industrial messaging.
  • On-site commissioning (SAT): Live production run on the client floor, parameter tuning, operator training, and signed acceptance protocol.

Subsystem Suppliers & Integration Partner::

  • INDAS vacuum components (ejectors, suction cups, valves, manifolds, gauges)
  • EUROMAP 12 / EUROMAP 67 industrial interface cable (5 m)
  • Pneumatic hoses, fittings, and air preparation hardware
  • Aluminum profile frame for the EOAT structure
  • Client-owned six-axis articulated robot (integration only — not supplied by Triton)
  • SE-EP — Sweden Engineering Partner (project coordination and Nordic-market liaison)
RESULTS

MetalPlast's injection press now runs an automated pickup-and-stack cycle directly from the open mold. Operator workload at the press dropped to monitoring only, takt time is repeatable, and the line is ready for continuous unattended shifts.

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