Grewa-Tech GmbH relies on Epson robots

Grewa-Tech GmbH of Grefrath relies on Epson robots for the automation of its machines.

Grewa-Tech GmbH was founded by Mehmet Eroglu and three of his colleagues in Grefrath in 2015 in the Lower Rhine area. The company specializes in the production, maintenance and repair of tool building systems. Their customers are predominantly in the automotive industry and mainly place orders revolving around stamping and pressing technology. To create an additional viable area of business, the company is looking to diversify its range, open up to customers from other industries and provide additional services.

Mehmet Eroglu, CEO of Grewa-Tech, explains: “Our roots are in stamping and pressing technology, but to attract customers from other industries we need to be more flexible, especially in the field of facility and mechanical engineering. This also means that as a company we will consistently implement automation technology components into our solutions in future.”

Grewa-Tech last received an order to design and produce a pick-and-place system intended to fill pallets with 70 nesting boxes (7x10) with a variable number of selected stampings. A clock rate of at least 45 parts per minute was required across the system.

The stampings are first separated using a separator, aligned and placed on a conveyor belt, which then feeds them to an Epson SCARA LS10-B803S. With a special double gripper, the robot receives two stampings per each cycle and places them in the right nesting box of a provided pallet. When a pallet is filled with the desired number of stampings, it is transported off by an additional conveyor belt and replaced with an empty pallet.

In the process the placing of parts is monitored by a camera system for quality assurance purposes. The photos of each filled, individually identifiable pallet are saved and delivered at the customer’s request. The entire system is controlled via a master PLC, which directs the robot as well as all other components such as conveyor systems, cameras, etc.

“We’ve given much thought to a number of different ways in which we could pick up the parts from the belt and place them on a pallet. An axle system or another type of manipulator might also have been possible. But the advantages of SCARA, its speed, its small footprint and, finally, its excellent value for money, were obvious deciding factors for deploying this type of robot,” Eroglu explains.

“The fact that an Epson robot was chosen was first and foremost due to our previous positive experience with that manufacturer. We were familiar with the powerful yet easy-to-use integrated development environment RC+ and also the outstanding level of support provided for any potential issues. The clincher was Epson’s large range of SCARA robots available, making it easy for us to find the most suitable machine for us. The robot thus met our requirements, not the other way around.”

The entire system was completed in just nine months from placing the order to handover of the key. The program for the LS10-B803S robot, a SCARA with a load capacity of up to 10 kg and a reach of 800 mm, was fully developed within the Epson RC+ programming environment, which is also suitable for entry-level robot programming thanks to its simple, intuitive programming language and simple user guidance.

Other options such as the Epson Vision System, a force sensor, a conveyor tracking system, as well as custom teach counterparts complete Epson’s product range for companies looking to build their own automation solutions. All Epson components are seamlessly integrated into the RC+ environment, so there are no complex, error-prone program interfaces.

“Epson automation solutions are very attractive in terms of price and the support provided by the manufacturer is also excellent. The powerful yet easy-to-use integrated development environment RC+, coupled with the many different options that are all seamlessly integrated into the system, facilitate a fast and error-free implementation of even complex tasks. We can recommend Epson’s automation solutions to any company looking to implement robotics in its production lines,” Eroglu concludes.

Advantages of the Epson SCARA robot:

Robotic systems tailor-made to plant requirements save space, time and money.
The powerful yet easy-to-use integrated development environment RC+ is suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
A diversity of options are available, such as conveyor tracking, vision systems, force sensors etc., making even complex automation tasks easy to solve.

Further information at:

Epson robot technology