rotary table automation factory

Cam Indexer Technology is Sankyo Automation’s specialty. We’re continuously working to develop new, innovative technologies in motion control. Our collection of high-speed, high-precision rotary indexing solutions are frequently utilized in manufacturing systems that require accurate, high speed actions.

Rotary indexing table use is widespread in automated assembly machinery and selecting the proper mechanism is essential for both maximizing performance and minimizing the cost of this critical component. This how-to-guide will explore two common devices that can be used for rotary indexing and give advice for proper selection. These two popular devices are cam indexing drives and servo rotary tables.

Cam indexers are a ubiquitous mechanism that have been used for rotary tables for many decades. They are a great fit for applications that will always index the same angle and that require high-precision positioning at a very reasonable cost. A cam indexer uses a mechanical cam to provide the motion control to position the load. A mathematical motion curve is machined onto the cam that provides extremely smooth and repeatable motion.

A cam indexer has two main modes of operation. One mode is referred to as “Cycle-on-Demand”. This indicates that the camshaft will be cycled one revolution at a time to advance the output one position at a time. This is typically achieved by using an inexpensive camshaft sensor package to detect camshaft position and a VFD to stop and start the motor. The camshaft dwell period offers a wide window for the camshaft to stop without affecting the position of the output. To cycle the indexer, a PLC gives a command to the VFD to accelerate the drive motor to a preset speed, the cam rotates one revolution indexing the output, a sensor sends an in-position signal to the PLC, and the PLC signals the VFD to stop the camshaft during the cam dwell position. The table will be in the dwell position for however long is necessary to complete the work at each station. The dwell time can range from a fraction of a second to several minutes or hours depending on the application. This combination allows very accurate positioning with an inexpensive drive system.

A fully programmable servo rotary table is another common option. There are two specific cases where a servo rotary table is advantageous. The first is when a flexible motion pattern is required. An example is two different products being run on one machine that each require different indexing patterns. The other situation that suits a servo indexer is when extremely fast positioning is required followed by a long dwell period. A cycle-on-demand cam indexer is limited by the need to accelerate the camshaft up to speed during the dwell period before output motion is started. There are practical limitations to how fast the camshaft can be accelerated so there will be a delay before motion is started. With a servo rotary table, the output rotates as soon as the servomotor starts moving. A practical example would be a load being indexed 90 degrees in 0.25 seconds. This is not difficult for a continuous cam indexer or a zero-backlash servo indexer, but a cycle-on-demand cam indexer may struggle with that motion. For quick servo indexing applications, a preloaded gear reducer with zero-backlash is critical to achieving smooth indexing motions with minimal settling time. A zero-backlash RollerDrive mechanism would be an optimal choice to achieve accurate positioning with great dynamic response.

For either style of indexer, application information including moment of inertia, indexing angle, indexing time, and dwell time is required. A reputable manufacture should then be able to properly size the rotary table for the application.

Indexing tables are used in a multitude of industries and in numerous applications. Their design is optimal for many manufacturing jobs, and they are a critical component in most automated manufacturing systems. Indexing tables are best defined as a machine tool positioning device. They carry components in a manufacturing environment with a repeating process of indexing (rotating) around an axis, stopping, dwelling while an operation is performed, then indexing again to repeat the process. They are usually made of circular steel plates, with one or more spindles, a drive system, encoders, sensors, controllers and slots or mounting holes to hold components.

Virtually any manufacturing operation can be performed on a part held by an indexing table including welding, grinding, drilling, assembly, painting, inspection, testing and more. In order to maximize operational efficiency, the machine doing the operation must also be built for the same intended application as the indexing table for them to work in synch. Similarly the machine that loads the indexing table with parts must also be synchronized. They must have the same capacity and be able to manage to the same dwell time for the system to work.

Industries that use indexing tables include automotive manufacturers, bottling companies, microchip manufacturers, pharmaceutical makers, consumer products companies and many more. They are invaluable to manufacturers pushing for automation and increased efficiency in their factories, turning work that used to take days into work that takes only hours. If a simple assembly task is required on small parts in a factory, there is no better way to complete the task than by coupling an assembly tool and an indexing table.

When it comes to clamping operations, reliable supply and flow control of the needed media is crucial. We design rotary unions for rotary tables to meet the exacting fluid, operating pressure, speed and space requirements of your individual application. We design, manufacture and assemble all workholding rotary unions in house.

Robotic Automation Systems introduces several enhancements to their direct drive automated rotary tables/turntables used for an automated box or tote filling systems at the end of plastic injection molding machines or other automation applications.

The upgraded heavy duty 550 lbs swivel type bearing casters are incredibly robust for long life and durability, roll easier, and now include thumbwheel leveling capability making it fast and easy to level the table for more stability operation.

Each automated rotary table/turntable is now equipped with an audible safety alarm that “chirps” to warn the operator before the dial indexes. To avoid overfilling, the alarm also alerts the operator if a box or tote arrives at the filling position already full, and remains until the full box has been replaced.

Robotic Automation Systems direct drive automated box filling system turntables come in 36″, 48″ and 60″ diameter table sizes that meet almost all applications, or can be customized for your specific need. Unlike other belt or friction drive automated box fill system rotary tables and turntables, these direct drive rotary tables employ a direct drive motor with a torque monitor that eliminates tensioning and maintenance.

The easy to program automated direct drive rotary tables can operate on a count signal from the plastic injection molding machine, robot, or weigh hopper, and can be programmed to fill all different box or shipping container sizes and shapes. An optional counter will count machine shots and send an indexing signal. Control options include the rotary table’s PLC or control via dry contact relay from the plastic injection molding machine system’s PLC.

Even with all of these upgrades and robust construction, Robotic Automation Systems rotary tables are typically lower in cost than current options and are ready for fast configuration and shipping.

SHL consulted with Weiss North America, Inc. (Willoughby, OH). Using the same dimensions and load data, Weiss offered both fixed-position and user-programmable tables, both with and without their own drive as required. Thus Weiss was able to offer SHL not only a high degree of standardization in design and construction, but also flexibility when it came to the drive and control system.

In a typical robot cell, several grinding and polishing machines are mounted on a rotary indexing table or arranged in a fixed constellation around a robot. The articulated arm grips a component and guides it along the polishing disks and grinding belts. The Weiss rotary indexing tables allow processing at various angles and even enable travel during processing.

Notably, SHL selected the rotary indexing tables for their swivelling and positioning units, and rotary indexing rings and heavy-duty tables for special solutions without drives.

The lightweight design has both of the smaller SHL grinding and polishing machines mounted to a fixed-position WeissS TC220 rotary indexing table. The table rotates in 15-degree steps and swivels the machine a maximum of 90 degrees from the central axis.

SHL also increased use of the Weiss rotary indexing tables for special machines and feeding systems. One such case is the polishing robot, in which a user-programmable Weiss CR750 heavy-duty table takes care of changing the work piece carrier.

Weiss supported SHL in selecting a drive to go along with the rotary index table. The drive and control system are selected in accordance with the customer‘s requirements, which means many different motors are used. In some cases, the rotary indexing table is even controlled by the robotic control system as an additional robot axis.

Weiss’ first step is to define the size of the rotary indexing table in line with the specified volumes and dimensions in the concept phase. As soon as detailed construction data and information on the desired drive are available, they contact the drive manufacturer in order to find the optimal motor size and transmission ratio for the application and the table used.

Finally, the SHL robot heaves an enormous polishing unit over the work pieces that the heavy duty rotary indexing tables from Weiss replaces with a fresh batch once processing is complete. To date, more than 1,100 SHL robotic grinding and polishing systems have been implemented worldwide.

Off the shelf solutions are not something we believe in. Ultimately, every automation challenge is different. That is why we do not have any prefabricated rotary indexing table plants in our product catalog. Instead we rely on using synergies and proven standards whenever possible. In reality it looks like this: If you approach us with a concrete automation requirement that can best be handled by a rotary indexing machine, at the start of the design phase we will consider very exactly if we could possibly use one or more of the standard ones that we have already developed. If that is in fact the case, time and cost advantages are associated, from which you benefit. That is because we use our existing solutions as the basis and correspondingly supplement them or adapt them to match your needs. If there aren’t already any approaches that can help us along, we develop and design a completely new one for you. In any case, at the end you will be able to work with a fully-automated, high-performance rotary indexing table plant.

We develop, design and fabricate not only individual rotary indexing machines but we also take care of the installation and commissioning onsite together with the instruction or training of your employees. That means you obtain all services from one, single source at the highest level of quality. Our outstanding qualified developers, design engineers, technicians and fitters who work together with you hand in hand ensure that. During all phases of development, manufacturing and commissioning we also keep in close contact with your experts. We use this method to ensure that we understand all details in depth, develop tailor-made solutions and can quickly react to any change or adaptation requirements.

We combine rotary index tables with industrial automation systems so each task of your manufacturing process blends seamlessly into the next. For example, in the past we’ve created industrial automation systems that join rotary indexing machines with pick-and-place units for some of our clients. Contact us to see what we can do for you.

Rotary indexers are just one part of the equation when building a custom assembly cell. It’s important to remember the entire scope of the project and be cognizant that the rotary table should be able to move precise distances before stopping cleanly, with no backlash or wobbling. It needs to be balanced and capable of handling the tasks at hand.

Our automation experts have years of experience in consulting with our customers to create machines that suit their needs. We incorporate rotary tables from industry leaders like WEISS, Fibro, and Camco into our machines to create the perfect fusion of form and function. Our dedication to quality is unmatched in the world of custom machinery.

We seamlessly integrate rotary indexing tables into our automated machinery to provide you with custom solutions that work for your business. If you’re looking to take your manufacturing process to the next level, give the custom machine builders at Paramount Tool a call at (616) 582-5300 today. We’re always happy to answer any questions you may have about our rotary indexing machines or the machine building process as a whole. For a free quote, fill out our contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

6.1. North America Automated Rotary and Indexing Table Market Size (US$ Mn) and Volume (Million Units) Analysis & Forecast, by Configuration, 2017‒2031

Rotary Indexers & Servo Positioning Turntables for Robotic Work Cells Gate- CDS designs and manufactures precise work positioning systems for robotic welding cells and other advanced systems in automated manufacturing. These robust rotary positioning tables are utilized in robot work cells where around the clock 24/7 performance and reliability are a must. Gate- CDS indexing tables & servo turntables are designed to meet the heavy duty, high production demands of robotic welding work cells. We offer a wide range of different model sizes of Cylindrical Cam Driven or Servo Controlled Rotary positioners ranging in capacity from 200 pounds to 20,000+ pounds. The typical number of positional stations for a Cylindrical Cam Driven indexer include 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 positions, with other numbers of stations also available as standard. Whereas our Servo Controlled Rotary Tables provide flexible positioning for any number of stations.