Robotic shear tending cell
Our customer: Isola Powertekk s.r.o.
Isola Powertekk s.r.o. operates manufacturing facilities in Olomouc and Velké Losiny, Czech Republic. The company, part of the Norwegian Isola Group, specializes in the production and supply of gutters, lightweight roofing systems, insulation materials for pitched, flat, and green roofs, as well as floor insulation solutions. In addition, it operates in the field of deep foundation engineering, manufacturing components and accessories used in foundation construction and tunnel engineering.
Robotic handling of cut sheet metal
For Isola Powertekk’s manufacturing plant, we designed and integrated a robotic shear tending cell for handling sheet metal after the cutting process. The cell forms the first stage of the production line for roofing products and is designed to take over the physically demanding and repetitive handling of cut sheet metal.
A KUKA industrial robot automatically picks individual sheet metal parts from the shear outfeed and stacks them onto pallets. The cell also performs automatic pallet exchange without operator intervention, ensuring a continuous, reliable production process while significantly reducing the need for manual handling.
Project overview
The robot operates with a cycle time of 4.5 seconds per part and can stack up to 300 sheet metal parts on a single pallet. A specially designed vacuum gripper ensures fast, gentle, and energy-efficient handling of the workpieces.
The robotic cell includes:
- Automatic picking of cut sheet metal parts from the shear outfeed
- Handling using a vacuum gripper with compressed air-saving technology
- Automatic palletizing of sheet metal parts
- Automatic exchange of full and empty pallets
- Unattended operation throughout the production cycle
Benefits of the Solution
The implementation of the robotic cell eliminated physically demanding and repetitive sheet metal handling, increased workstation productivity, and improved process stability. Operators can now focus on higher-value tasks, while the robot ensures consistent performance, repeatability, and high production quality.
Automatic picking and palletizing of sheet metal parts contribute to a smoother material flow, reduce the risk of product damage during handling, and enable more efficient utilization of the workforce. In addition, the automatic pallet exchange minimizes operator intervention and supports continuous, uninterrupted operation of the cell.
Beyond increasing productivity, the automation solution provides a safer working environment, improves overall manufacturing efficiency, and ensures long-term process stability.
Roofing production automation
Watch the video in which we present the full scope of our cooperation with Isola Powertekk.
Our customer says:
»There are many suppliers of robotic workstations on the market today and it is not easy to choose a reliable partner able to come up with the right solution, able to deliver the equipment on time and provide long-term reliable service.
I am glad that we have chosen Blumenbecker Prag for our projects.«