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Home / Solving Pick and Place Challenges for North American Manufacturer Using Injection Molding Robots

Solving Pick and Place Challenges for North American Manufacturer Using Injection Molding Robots

2025/04/18 By Topstar

Most North American plastics manufacturers need highly automated, precise, and flexible injection molding robots, especially in the injection molding pick-and-place process in the automotive, medical, and packaging industries. At the same time, the quality requirements for finished products are very high, requiring robots to move quickly and repeat accurately when picking up parts, avoiding deformation or damage, and ensuring that the plastic parts taken out are defect-free. In addition, to adapt to the production environment of frequent mold and product changes, North American customers prefer modular, quickly deployable, and flexibly programmable robot systems, as well as sustainable development in the North American manufacturing environment, energy saving, and compliance with ANSI, OSHA, UL, and other safety standards.

Achieving seamless automation integration of injection molding robots

One of the primary requirements of North American plastics manufacturers is a high degree of automation, which can realize unmanned and less-manned production lines. Topstar’s injection molding robot is directly connected to injection molding machines, material conveyors, and downstream packaging lines through the integration of self-developed control systems.

The most important thing is:

The self-developed control platform can synchronize the robot signal with the mold cycle. Engineers embed communication protocols, such as MODBUS RTU, in the injection molding machine and robot controller to enable real-time data exchange and motion coordination.

After the injection molding robot receives the “injection completed” signal, it automatically adjusts the motion trajectory and immediately starts the pick and place task. This integrated linkage minimizes cycle gaps, reduces abnormal alarms, and ensures a continuous production process, which improves overall equipment efficiency (OEE) and reduces labor costs.

Plastic Molding Machine 80-1

How can injection molding robots be ensured of high precision and fast response?

North American manufacturers require impeccable part quality, which depends on the ability of injection molding robots to pick and place components with high repeatability and speed. Accurately ±0.1 mm or higher is critical to avoid product deformation, flash, or scrap.

How Topstar meets it:

  1. These requirements are met through advanced motion control algorithms such as contour mode control, which optimizes acceleration and deceleration curves for smooth trajectories.
  2. The gear rack meshing transmission, both before and after the injection molding robot, ensures excellent positioning accuracy.
  3. Built-in vibration suppression function can further improve the robot’s stability in plug-in molding and other high-precision tasks.

Together, these features enable the robot to synchronize precisely with the mold opening, achieving consistent processing of precision parts at high cycle rates and ensuring a defect-free output.

Injection robot 1-4

Improve energy efficiency and safety compliance.

Many manufacturing industries in North America value energy efficiency, sustainability, and safety. Therefore, injection molding robots must have energy-saving drive systems and powerful safety mechanisms. Topstar uses universal DC bus technology based on a five-in-one servo drive system to reduce energy waste during deceleration and power regeneration. This innovation can save up to 10% of energy and lower electricity bills accordingly. At the same time, Topstar’s “servo automatic shutdown” function puts the drive in standby mode when idle, further reducing power consumption by 10%.

In terms of safety:

  1. Equipped with manipulator protection technology (joint soft floating), it can improve the protection ability of the injection molding manipulator when facing a torque exceeding the set torque, effectively reduce potential damage to customer molds, injection molding machine ejectors, and products, and further improve production efficiency and equipment stability.
  2. Optional “personnel protection configuration” can reduce the risk of accidental injury due to unintentional contact with the running manipulator.

Modular design brings flexibility

Given the frequent changes in molds and products in North American manufacturing, injection molding robots must support rapid reconfiguration so that production lines can quickly switch between different parts or tools. Topstar’s modular robot system uses plug-and-play axes and standardized mounting brackets that engineers can reprogram in minutes. Each robot features a dual control system architecture, which enables seamless integration with various IT environments. In addition, with a reusable motion sequence library and a quick-change end-of-tool (EOAT) fixture, manufacturers can minimize downtime, change molds or products, maximize production line uptime, and meet tight production schedules.

injection molding robots Modular design brings flexibility

Enable remote monitoring and predictive maintenance.

Downtime is the biggest challenge and the least desired in modern manufacturing. Injection molding robots with remote monitoring and predictive maintenance functions can significantly reduce unplanned downtime. Topstar’s injection molding robots allow users to obtain operating data directly on the injection molding machine under the same control system, which is more convenient to operate and can capture data such as vibration, temperature, number of cycles, and power consumption in real time. The system transmits these data to the control panel of the injection molding machine to identify abnormal conditions and trigger automatic alarms. In addition, users can access the Topstar MES system and IOT digital platform through the reserved expansion interface. Various terminals can then monitor the automated removal process in real time and optimize it promptly to realize information management.

Enhance the competitive advantage of North American injection molding manufacturers

The key to solving the pick-and-place challenges faced by North American plastic manufacturers is to deploy injection molding robots that combine seamless integration, high precision, energy saving, flexibility, and robust remote monitoring capabilities. Topstar’s injection molding robots use a self-developed control system, a five-in-one servo drive, contour mode control, vibration suppression, and comprehensive safety and energy-saving functions to provide reliable and scalable automation solutions. By adopting these technologies, North American manufacturers can achieve unmanned or minimally manned production lines, quickly adapt to changing needs, and maintain the highest quality and sustainability standards.

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