First-class wallets: designer fashion relies on Industry 4.0

Flexibility, short cycle times and optimum material usage: these were the requirements for the new machine for producing credit card slots for wallets.

Autec, a manufacturer of automation systems for shoe and leather goods factories from Pisa, Italy, developed the machine for a prestigious Italian brand. It also included the Festo Motion Terminal as an ideal solution.

“We’ve relied on Festo for a long time,” says Ilario Barsacchi, engineer and project manager at Autec, “not just because of the reliable products, but also the competent customer support all over the world.”

“The design of the new machine is above all the result of our close cooperation with Festo,” explains Giorgio Centola, Industry Manager of the Printing & Plastic segment. “When designing a machine, we always focus on the actual application.

For the new machine, Autec needed a component that was easy to reconfigure. The function and flow rate of the valves had to be easy to change – and they also had to be remotely controllable – as with the app-controlled Motion Terminal.”

Software for greater flexibility

The software and apps played a major role in the system implementation. They define the functions of the valves and make a crucial contribution to the flexibility of the machine. In addition, the apps enable various tools and the operation of the machine to be controlled remotely. Barsacchi explains:

“Reconfiguring the Festo Motion Terminal is now extremely fast. Instead of ordering, installing and reconfiguring additional proportional valves, all we have to do is activate an app.”

Many functions in a single valve – thanks to apps

Autec’s new machine controls the gluing of two pieces, one made of leather and one made of silk. A servo robot then transfers the glued pieces to a leather folding machine. “In this space-saving, compact solution eight credit card slots can be glued and folded in 14 seconds,” continues Barsacchi.

The Motion Terminal enables a fast change in the tool function from suction gripper head to gripper head with pin terminal as the valves can be used both as proportional valves and as control valves. The system is then just like a reprogrammable piece of hardware and the software content is adapted to the relevant application.

The days when a valve only had one function are gone. A piece of administration software for this machine was developed and implemented in a PLC that acts as the interface for controlling the device. The entire process was very simple and did not cause any difficulties.

The error rate associated with manually manufacturing these credit card slots has been eliminated and optimum use is made of the available raw material – thanks to a true Industry 4.0 solution.

www.festo.com

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