Que sera?

Hello everyone, after a longer break I'll be in touch again at the end of the year.

After a year that seem to have left many people in a depressive mood, characterized by arguments, war, hostilities and an increasing lack of a sense of community I have to admit that the expected annual final spurt became a relatively stress-free affair compared to previous years.

The November / December madness is now almost completed with project consultations, tests, POTs (personal online training for the correct programming of deburring tool paths for robots) and a short trip to Italy for a two-day intensive on-site consultation - which led to a catalog of tasks for a special tool, with delivery wanted in January (Okay, you can tell it's Christmas, the wish lists are full ??). You shouldn't believe it: despite our range of over a hundred (customized) tools for a variety of deburring tasks, there is still no solution for this automation task from a non-automotive industry customer - Grazie per la ricerca e il ritrovamento. I'll get back to you in the new year with the new tool solution once the customer's implementation is working and the potential customers have been informed in advance.

And another positive feedback came this morning via email, a project also with a maximally positive outlook for 2025:

The first contact took place on September 4th, 2024 and the project was characterized by the following team meetings and emails with ideas, descriptions and contact recommendations for insert tools.

In the photo we see the experimental setup for processing a component subject to a NDA. The goal was a proof-of-concept prototype for the final customer involving cobot deburring of a 26 kg GGG40 marine pump housing for machining the external/internal burrs and various cross holes and bore entries/exits after machining.

This task was previously solved manually by two people in two shifts, so the robot will need the quick-change chucks for the brushes because of the long running times and the variety of inserts.

The end customer wanted a solution / program easy to modify for different products so a VSPIN seemed to be the right choice to get fast results and flexibility for the future tasks.

The existing diamond cutting tools from end customer should be used primarily. The option to resort to alternatives was given.

The product is heavy so the cobot has to hold the spindles.

With the Vspin 170 and its URCap used for the burr contours and edges, the EBMU 23-1000 WS-ST airmotor with quick change chuck and speed sensor for the necessary variety of Flexhone and BRM spiral brushes for the cross holes, a UR 20 and bunch of preparatory tips for implementation the proof of concept was provided after 2 months of prework within 14 days of our tools being shipped. Respect for that.

So if you're still wondering whether a VSpin deburring spindle and a cobot fit together, you might finally start to pay attention. For us, the focus here was on the best possible work result with available resources as a challenge and not starting a discussion about is it the right price or the right robot. The goal was: Get things done with what you have.

By the way, here is the original feedback from the responsible project manager about the VSpin 170:

It is a shame I cannot show you the full process, but you know how it is when you work with subcontractors.

My opinion of the VSPIN is that we have a rigid smart tool that works. It was easy to connect to the robot and it worked straight away. Up-Down compensation is a game changer with die-casted parts and the possibility to change between VSPIN and ESR gives an economical advance.

Now I have a deburring tool that I can trust. ??

I'll contact you in January after we have the next meeting with our customer.

Thanks to Lassi for the photo, his accomplishment and the feedback. Great to end 2024 with positive news, and a feeling that the world will go on rotating.

This is the last posting in 2024 I guess.

Therefore to all our direct or indirect customers, partners, colleagues, all people well-disposed to us and of course also their families, wherever they may be around the world during this complicated time:

I wish you a merry, quiet, peaceful Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year, combined with the wish that decency, rationality, a good sense of reality and community as well as a healthy relationship with what is possible will become our guiding principle in 2025 again - or simply remain.

My thanks to every inspiring person out here.