Wedgwood to automate cup manufacture

Citation

(1998), "Wedgwood to automate cup manufacture", Industrial Robot, Vol. 25 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.1998.04925fab.009

Wedgwood to automate cup manufacture

Wedgwood to automate cup manufacture

As part of a £3 million investment in new production plant to automate ceramic cup production at its Barlaston factory, Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Limited has placed an order worth £1 million with Comau UK for the supply of 14 "SMART S2" robots (see Plate 4). As part of a turnkey package, Comau will also source turning and sponging machines from other suppliers.

Plate 4 A robotic handling application being performed by a Comau SMART S2 robot. A total of 14 are to be supplied to Wedgwood to automate cup production at Barlaston

Due for delivery this autumn (1998), the Italian-built robots will take over from manual handling operations including loading and unloading of cup blanks in and out of a succession of machines, from the dryer through turning and wet sponging to the kiln batt for firing.

Part of the process includes picking up the handles, applying a clay "slip" and sticking them to the cups fully automatically by robot. Wedgwood claims that when installed, the plant will be in advance of all other ceramic tableware production facilities in the world in terms of the level of automation employed.

Capable of handling loads of up to 8kg, Comau's SMART S2 articulated-arm robots have six computer-controlled axes and are said to reduce cycle times by as much as 50 per cent compared with other robots of similar size and design. This is achieved by virtue of rapid axis accelerations and a newly-developed, dynamic movement controller which continuously optimises the robot's performance according to its position and payload.

Further information is available from John D'Angelillo, UK Manager, Comau UK Limited, Unit 3, Hortonwood 32, Telford, Shropshire TF14EU. Tel: 01952 670396; Fax: 01952 670398.