Sanding
De Brug (BE)
De Brug (Dutch for: The Bridge) is a customisation company that employs people with disabilities. They make patio heaters with a base in aluminium that is sanded by a sanding robot from CNC Solutions, in collaboration with Cibo.
Without pollution or nuisance
‘For us, if possible, it is even more important that our people can sand in a healthy way. They were getting more and more sanding and grinding work that was very polluting, and many of our workers were quickly affected by high noise pollution. These factors, among others, made it increasingly difficult to find people willing to take on the sanding and grinding work. With the sanding robot, that problem has been completely solved. The robot is in a closed cell, so there is no longer any pollution or noise pollution,’ says Luc Cools, director of De Brug.
"The robot makes sanding healthy for our people"- Luc Cools, De Brug
Perfect synchronisation
'The patio heaters we make, consist of an inner tray, with an outer tray over it. It is that outer tray that is sanded. The biggest advantage is the smooth cooperation between the robot and our people. While the tray is in the sanding robot, they synchronously do the other necessary work such as polishing. Their timing is perfectly coordinated,’ Luc explains.
Ideal combination of partners
Luc Cools is very enthusiastic about the sanding cell. ‘The collaboration between Cibo and CNC Solutions was the ideal combination for us. Both have their expertise that contributes to the whole. Controlling the robot is crucial, but the result also depends on the right sanding tool for the right application. With the sanding robot, we have a tool change that we can put different grains of sandpaper on, according to the result we are aiming for.’