Clean work thanks to HORST

HORST works on the CNC milling machine, just like a human machine operator would. He picks up the end piece of a rotary nozzle... (Image: fruitcore robotics GmbH)

… and places it on the fixture during the recording. (Image: fruitcore robotics GmbH)

Finally, HORST closes the machine's safety door with his arm... (Image: fruitcore robotics GmbH)

...and begins the brewing process with a precise press of the start button. (Image: fruitcore robotics GmbH)

Finally, HORST opens the door again, removes the component, and holds it in the compressed air cleaning system with suction, where it is cleaned with high pressure from fine particles and coolant. (Image: fruitcore robotics GmbH)

"HORST has everything we were looking for. He is very versatile, cost-effective, and above all, the software is very easy to operate," says owner and CEO Peter Imm of Imm Cleaning Solutions. (Image: fruitcore robotics GmbH)

To relieve its employees and produce economically, Imm Cleaning Solutions uses HORST industrial robots in the production of rotary nozzles. The affordable and easy-to-program industrial robot supports the CNC milling machine and cleans the processed parts in a cleaning station developed by Imm.

Imm Cleaning Solutions GmbH has been active in contactless industrial cleaning technology for over 20 years. The company has extensive experience and know-how in three-dimensional cleaning. Owner and Managing Director Peter Imm and his team develop and manufacture cleaning devices with rotating compressed air jets in Baden-Württemberg's Schliengen for automotive suppliers, furniture, foil, and packaging manufacturers, as well as machine builders both domestically and abroad. The devices are used to loosen various particles from surfaces and then dispose of them via suction. Long-standing business relationships with customers characterize close collaboration. "We are knowledge- and innovation-driven," says Peter Imm. "We always develop solutions together with the customer in our house. We also manufacture with modern CNC machines." This allows Imm Cleaning Solutions to respond very flexibly and quickly to customer requirements. "To remain competitive in the future, automation is becoming increasingly important for smaller companies," explains Imm. "It is crucial that costs stay within a manageable range. Robotic systems are usually too expensive and require additional skilled personnel for setup."

At Motek 2016, Peter Imm met the industrial robot HORST from fruitcore robotics and saw the opportunity for an easy and inexpensive entry into automation. "During the presentation, it became clear to us immediately that HORST and especially the software horstFX have great potential," he recalls. "The robot has everything we were looking for. It is very versatile, cost-effective, and the software is very easy to operate." Thanks to its flexibility through the mobile robot base station and the fact that programs can be created simply and very quickly, Imm Cleaning Solutions uses HORST for various tasks in production, such as pick-and-place applications. "Currently, the robot is working on the CNC milling machine and also cleaning the processed parts directly," says Markus Kimmig, Production Manager at Imm Cleaning Solutions. "The milling machine was not originally designed to be operated and supported by a robot." Therefore, and to test its flexibility, HORST is not connected to the machine via an interface but mimics the movements of a human operator. With horstFX, this is not a problem. The software is intuitive and requires no programming skills. This allows any machine operator to use, teach, and set up HORST." "With the straightforward programming, the individual steps a machine operator would need to perform can be very precisely mapped and replicated," explains Kimmig.

As if HORST were a person

HORST works at the CNC milling machine just like a human machine operator would. It picks up the end piece of a rotary nozzle and places it in the holder of the milling machine. Then, the robot closes the safety door of the machine with its arm and starts the milling process by pressing the start button with precise pressure. During this process, a pocket is milled into the component using coolant-lubricant (KSS). Once finished, HORST opens the door again, removes the component, and holds it in the compressed air cleaning system with suction, where it is blasted with high pressure to remove fine particles and residual KSS. Finally, HORST places the end piece of the rotary nozzle into a container, and the cycle begins again. "HORST processes the same number of parts as a human operator," says Kimmig. "It is tireless and runs through its twelve-hour shift in one go – maintaining consistent quality and without piece count fluctuations."

Application in a customer project

HORST proved so successful in its deployment that Imm Cleaning Solutions will also use it in a project for a customer in medical technology. It is to automate a time-consuming process that has been performed manually until now. The goal is not only to palletize implants after production but also to clean them immediately. "This makes us pioneers in this field," says the managing director. Not only HORST but also the support and service from the robot specialists convinced the cleaning experts. "From the very beginning, working with fruitcore robotics has been very pleasant," agree Imm and Kimmig. "We received a lot of technical and creative support and can definitely imagine an even closer collaboration."