UR10 cobot helps boost production speed and effectiveness

2D&S s.r.o.

In short

2D&S s.r.o. is engaged in molding plastics, or more precisely thermoplastics, as well as producing tools for molding these materials. Based in Kuřim, 2D&S offers its customers range of complex services that include, among other things, the design of the product model using construction software. Among other things, the company pays great attention to shortening delivery times while maintaining high quality end products.

"Recently, the greatest challenge for our company has been work efficiency, increased productivity and the shortest possible production cycle," says David Dědek, CEO of 2D&S, s.r.o. Increasing customer demands for speed and product quality led the company to the decision to fully automate the thermoplastic press machine. It was also important to eliminate the cost of any building modifications to the factory that would require the purchase of a standard industrial robot.

2D&S s.r.o.

Industry Plastic and Polymers

Country Europe

Number of Employees 25-50

Robot UR10

Video — 2D&S, Czech Repulbic

UR cobots meet high demands for reliable integration

Based on numerous positive references, it was decided to purchase a collaborative robot UR10 from Universal Robots, which meets the most demanding requirements for reliable integration into the existing manufacturing process.

Primarily, the UR10 cobot is designed to be used to insert IML (in-mold labeling) foils into a plastic mold. With IML technology, a multilayer plastic foil is embedded in plastic during the manufacturing process. When the plastic foil is inserted into the pressing machine, it is melted to the outside of the plastic mold. Partial melting of the IML foil ensures adhesion to the plastic. Plastic foil will thus become an integral part of the final product, such as a returnable plastic cup that can be found at outdoor events or festivals.

Handling repetitive tasks with precision

The production of plastic cups is a very monotonous activity, but it requires great precision in the handling and loading of plastic foils into the machine. The workstation where the robot is placed must be collaborative because the human worker puts the plastic foil in a tray from which the robot subsequently takes the IML foil. In view of the size, it is also necessary to overcome the relatively large distance from the tray directly into the injection molding machine. For this purpose, the UR10 from Universal Robots with a large working range is the ideal choice.

UR cobots meet high demands for reliable integration

“The production of plastic cups has dramatically improved. At the beginning, we had minor problems with the accuracy settings that were resolved very quickly. Now we can proudly say that we can no longer imagine the production without the collaborative robot,” says Jiří Kašparec, production operator at 2D&S, s.r.o. "We haven’t had any robotic workstation before, so we had some worries about reliability of collaborative robots before the acquisition. We completed a professional training of our employees at Universal Robots, which has been a great asset for starting production with this new device. Thanks to the perfectly prepared program from MP LINE, the production started very quickly. The integration of the collaborative robot UR10 into the production process surprised us especially thanks to its speed."

Expanding automated production

The UR10 collaborative robot has significantly accelerated the production of plastic moldings. Currently, the company uses a six-axis collaborative robot from Universal Robots on a single injection molding machine. At the same time, 2D&S s.r.o. continues to expand production, which will require the acquisition of at least two more collaborative robots.

Thanks to the perfectly prepared program from MP LINE, the production started very quickly. The integration of the collaborative robot UR10 into the production process surprised us especially thanks to its speed.

David Dědek, CEO of 2D&S, s.r.o.