CNC Cell Automation with Equator Gauging Integration

A collaborative robot fully automates the handling process on a Nakamura turning center turning it into a CNC Cell Automation – from part pickup, cleaning, positioning, to gauging and sorting.

The client, a manufacturer of motorcycle components, needed a solution to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their machining cell equipped with a Nakamura turning center.
The key requirements included:

fully automated handling of machined parts (zero manual intervention),
integration with a Renishaw Equator gauging system,
automated quality control with sorting of good and bad parts,
cleaning of parts before inspection.

An additional requirement was precise and repeatable positioning, including periodic calibration of the gauging system using a master part.

“We needed flexibility and consistency — Iskra PRO delivered both. Their system helped us scale efficiently while improving quality at the same time.”

Project Implementation

Technical breakdown of CNC Cell Automation that:

1. Part Handling and Cleaning

Picks up a finished part from the output chute of the lathe
Transfers it to a custom air-blow cleaning station, removing debris from both external surfaces and internal grooves
Uses a laser sensor to roughly align the part for further processing

2. Buffering and Equator Interaction

Places the part in a buffer nest
Retrieves an already measured part from the Equator system and replaces it with an unmeasured one
Sorts the measured part – placing good ones on a dedicated pallet and bad ones into a scrap bin

3. Closed-Loop Quality Control

The Equator system continuously measures parts and sends corrective data to the machine tool in real-time
Enables a closed-loop process with automatic tool compensation