Before it developed Elevate, Cellro had already had success with Xcelerate, a flexible automation solution. Xcelerate offers customers flexibility when automating small to medium-sized series. However, it seemed that there was also an increasing demand for a loading system with a larger storage capacity.
This was particularly true of machining companies which make their own products. That’s when work started on Elevate.
From ‘traylift’ to total solution
The traylift was a predecessor to Elevate. It could be linked to a robot cell and offered larger storage capacity. However, the traylift could not be used as a stand-alone system. With Elevate, Cellro has developed a robot loading system with an integrated traylift. Production can continue uninterrupted thanks to the large storage area next to the machine.
Greater storage capacity also often means a wider range of products can be processed automatically.
This gave customers a need for more insight into and an overview of their production. Cellro achieved
this by successfully integrating additional features into the Elevate software.
Countless possibilities
Elevate is equipped with a large robot which makes even pallet handling an option. Clients can also
choose a different robot instead, as it is separate from the Elevate unit itself. This means clients can
take their pick of pallets and clamps. This also makes it possible to load a pallet with a given product.
Last but not least: Elevate can be linked to two machines at once, either when first set up or later on. This makes it a future-proof automation solution.
Real-life experience
Clients love the fact that this closed system produces without interruption and can be loaded and unloaded while production is taking place. Because two workflows can run simultaneously, the production process never has to be paused. The first company to buy Elevate uses the machine’s large storage capacity to
avoid machine downtime. Imminkhuizen, which supplies machine components, could previously only set up a new batch once the previous run had finished.
Elevate allows them to schedule everything in advance. Grippers and clamps can be changed automatically (thanks to the Fixture Exchange feature), meaning products with different dimensions can be processed one after the other without the need for manual intervention.
Another major benefit is the software whereby human error is carefully and entirely filtered out of the process. If there’s a mistake, the customer can immediately see what’s wrong and where the error lies. Flowserve, the latest company to begin using Elevate, is using it for a multi-task machine, combined with the Collet Exchange feature. They run small batches with components that vary greatly between batches when making their own products.
The future
If required, Elevate users can expand the robot loading system with a variety of extra options. For example, a monitoring station, a pallet docking station, or a chest of additional pallets or clamps can be added simply. Cellro also expects new clients with complex production planning to increasingly look to Elevate to meet their needs. The possibilities offered by Elevate, together with its user-friendly control system, mean that the production process is as controlled as it is stress-free.
Cellro Automation
