Sacmi recently held a special event to introduce new systems for sanitaryware casting. Two presses were installed on the station: AVI, for the production of WCs; and ALV, for the manufacture of washbasins. Both were fully operative and served by a single robot. The biggest new development on show was what is reportedly an extremely fast mold changeover system, which provides a competitive advantage for manufacturers, particularly those working at the high end of the market.

According to the company, the AVI system reduces the required changeover time by over 95%. For a complex seven-part WC, traditional mold changeover procedures can last at least 10-12 hours; half that time is taken up with mold handling operations (carried out using fork lift trucks due to their considerable weight) and the rest by calibration of the piece pick and set-down paths effected by the robot. What participants at the Sacmi open day were able to see was the production of WCs and washbasins, with robot-handled changeovers of both molds, and the subsequent production of a second type of both articles—all completed in just a few minutes and with excellent results in terms of finished article quality.

The AVI system features a fully redesigned structure that reportedly enables the fully automated removal of all the mold parts by robot, while retaining the ability to install existing molds already produced for traditional machines. This reduces inefficiencies and eliminates the need for low-added-value manual handling. In addition, reduced machine weight allows the installation of devices that permit lateral or frontal tilting, thus enhancing flexibility. Less maintenance is also needed, due to the elimination of the hydraulic control unit.

For additional information, visit www.sacmi.com.