Robotic Bending

RIBS in Operation

RIBS units pick up and insert the sheet or blank between upper and lower beams, supporting it while the punch and die close to form the bend. Found in almost every fabrication shop, the press brake is one of the most common pieces of manufacturing equipment, yet until recently it was considered a manual, and costly, operation.

RIBS comprise more than a robot and a press brake. Sheet material or blanks must be fed into the guarded area, either individually or on a conveyor. Vacuum grippers on the end-of-arm tooling lift the sheet and the robot takes it to a gravity blank alignment table.

The robot then picks up the blank again and takes it to the robotic press brake bending cell, which closes, forming the first bend.

The robot tooling usually supports the sheet as it rises through the bend, just as an operator would. If subsequent bends are needed, the robotic bending cell will reorient and regrip the sheet as necessary, taking it through a sequence of steps. Once all bends are made, the robot will then stack the part on a pallet or place it on an output conveyor.

Automate with RIBS Today

Automation of robotic press brake operations is lowering production costs for medium- and high-volume fabrication businesses. Robotically Integrated Bending Solutions (RIBS) take in metal blanks and pass them through a sequence of robotic bending operations to produce complex forms. Injuries associated with handling and lifting metal blanks can be avoided and recruitment challenges are greatly reduced.