25 MAY 2022 – LINKEDIN

Glass Systems have purchased the first IG-L Robotic Loading System from GS-MR.

An unplanned, candid discussion regarding the tangible benefits of incorporating bespoke automation within the glass processing industry, which took place in 2018 between Robert Owen, co-Director of GS-MR and Khaled Elleboudy, Managing Director of Glass Systems, inspired GS-MR to take the lead in Glass Industry Automation by designing, developing and manufacturing the IG-L Robotic Loading System – a unique robotic system which has been called, “The most advanced automation to be incorporated into the global glass industry in twenty years.”

Robert Owen and Khaled Elleboudy’s business relationship reaches back to 2015, during Robert’s 12 year tenure with Lisec, covering their UK & Ireland Southern Regional Sales.

Robert Owen said, “GS-MR were privileged to design and manufacture the IG-L Robotic Loading System for Glass Systems, who continually demonstrate to lead the glass processing industry within the UK. 

With my extensive engineering background, I always pushed for improvements in functionality, promoting much needed industry automation, especially due to manual loading being such a potentially unsafe and uninspiring employee environment.  Designing a solution which affiliated Industry 4.0 principles, further evaluating and improving safety, alongside enabling improved quality and production was an absolute must.  Without question, automation must be able to contribute to future proofing the global glass industry.”

The agreed conceptual scope covered automating the removal of glass from existing racks, loading the glass onto the existing IG line vertical transport systems; the glass pane to be removed on its edge, instead of via the traditional suction system, which would easily damage high performance coatings.  The scope required verifications against production data via existing glass industry software platforms, processing double and triple IGUs, with zero defects to coated glass, reducing safety issues whilst affording improvements in both quality and safety.

Fast forward to 2022, GS-MR’s IG-L Robotic Loading System has quickly proven to be the automated solution to the problem.

Conceptual engineering projects are subject to wide ranging challenges at the best of times and the development process of the IG-L was no exception.  However, the IG-L, designed, developed and manufactured in the UK by GS-MR, has successfully surpassed the original specification, affording the customer the ability to load 180 verified glass panes, every hour, every day.

Khaled Elleboudy said, “The glass industry knowledge and integrity repeatedly demonstrated by GS-MR throughout the automation development has resulted in establishing GS-MR’s IG-L Robotic Loading System as the clear industry success it is, leading Glass Systems to invest in further automation with GS-MR.  Glass Systems are harnessing the undisputed benefits advanced automation technology is bringing to our industry.

Our IG-L at Glass Systems has quickly developed into a standard processing feature – put simply, we wouldn’t want to operate without it.  The functionality of the IG-L has completely exceeded the original plan.  The specification improved substantially as the design progressed and it was clear when GS-MR completed functionality testing during late 2021 that what GS-MR had designed and produced was nothing less than a glass industry game changer.  To be a part of this exciting automation at the very start gives Glass Systems a significant leading edge.  

Growth and development are key areas for Glass Systems, and we were able to increase sales volume by approximately 15-20% in 2021 compared to previous years. With the global challenges experienced more recently, it is more important than ever to focus on customer service and the consistent quality of deliverables.  The business relationship we have developed with GS-MR is key not only to our business strategy of implementing improved automation processes, but also contributes to Glass Systems maintaining their UK premier industry status.”

The IG-L is secured within a safety cell which utilises a similar footprint to that required for a manual operation.  The IG-L dedicated software pre-loads automatically prepared batch files from the customer’s existing software platform and processes the pre-loaded racks automatically.

The IG-L installation coincided with a visit to the UK by the board of Press Glass, who were as equally impressed with the demonstrated abilities of the IG-L.

The interest shown in the IG-L throughout the industry has been incredible, with companies recognising and acknowledging the undisputed benefits the IG-L affords.  Moving forward, further automation solutions designed by GS-MR will complement and bring much needed automation to long standing industry wide processes.      

Glass Systems UK

Glass Systems, UK, has six sites located throughout the UK.  They employ in excess of 1100 personnel and manufacture and deliver on average over 100,000 insulating glass units per week, for a wide range of business platforms.  Originally founded in the 1980’s, Glass Systems has been owned by the Press Glass Group since September 2015 and is headed up by Khaled Elleboudy, Managing Director.  Glass Systems commitment to customers is to surpass their expectations through exceptional performance by continuing to manufacture and deliver products and services.

WWW.GLASSSYSTEMS.CO.UK

10 OCTOBER 2021 LINKEDIN

GS-MR have received a couple of interesting enquiry points regarding the IG-L.  Feedback is invaluable. We would like to share these enquiry points with you, together with our feedback:

Enquiry Point 1:  “It can’t handle broken glass.”

GS-MR Feedback:

Only the glass crusher can handle broken glass.  If broken glass finds its way into a production harp cart you have serious manual loading / internal transport issues.

Enquiry Point 2:  “It can’t locate missing pieces or assume coating face is correct and all the things that can happen with human error, but I personally don’t think always removing the human is the answer.”

GS-MR Feedback:

The IG-L has the capability to load 180 glass pieces per hour, every hour.  However, GS-MR are delighted to confirm, the IG-L does not carry out this function blind, unlike other manufacturers that do.

IG-L software works with the production data supplied performing full cross-referencing verifications and full dimensional checks prior to loading.   It is our understanding no other glass machinery manufacturer at this time is either able to perform or offer these checks to customers at the point of loading.

IG-L verifications performed eliminate the issue of mis-loading, where mis-loading is only discovered further down the production process, by which time the incorrect loading of this glass pane has cost you money and time by interrupting your production process.

The IG-L dimensional verification check for each piece of glass exceeds cutting table tolerances.

Of course, missing glass is obviously due to a production loading error.  Human error – this can happen.

The IG-L informs you there is a piece of glass missing, the position it is missing from, together with the associated data for that piece of glass, the info is obtained from production data supplied.  Of course, the IG-L won’t locate the missing glass within your facility, that is down to human intervention.

Regarding verification of special coatings, and whether the coating is facing the correct direction for loading/assembly, these checks are also performed by the IG-L prior to loading. Unique and invaluable features.

Removing employees, the most valuable asset, is never the answer.  Making the absolute best possible use of the abilities of your employees is.

Proud member of the Kawasaki Robots UK Preferred Integrator Scheme.