Automation

Part of the Revolution, Part of the Solution

Automation plays a big role in industry 4.0 technology. Automation means different things to different shop owners. Shop owners who operate a high volume/low mix shop are likely to have a form of robotic automation integrated into their operations while low volume/high mix shops are likely to have little experience with robotic automation.
With market innovations, cost reduction, and a substantial increase in ease of use, automation should mean the same thing to every shop owner: Opportunity.

The facts speak for themselves

Labor and Cost Reduction

Automation replaces low-skilled tasks so operators can focus on their manufacturing processes. These factors lead to labor cost reduction and allow for shop growth.

Increase Production

Automated machine tending generally leads to a 20% machine productivity gain.

Ease of Use

Innovations in machine tending automation make robots and cobots easy to operate and program, flexible for high mix/low volume production, and provide a much simpler integration experience.

Small Job Shop Automation

Machine tending automation has advanced to benefit the small job shop owner and operator, not just high production shops.

Robots vs Cobots

Industrial robots have been commonplace in large-scale industrial manufacturing settings for decades. This is usually what comes to mind when imagining a robot on the shop floor. But industrial robots are not the only option shop owners have anymore.
Collaborative robots (Cobots) are a viable option for automated machine tending and it’s important to understand how they differ from traditional robotic systems.

Cobots

Cobots are collaborative robots that do not require the same safety precautions as traditional robots and they offer easy integration upfront, so a specialized integration engineer is not needed. Cobots are intended to work alongside humans and are easy to program and re-program on the job floor, anyone can do it!
With that ease of programming and flexibility, cobots thrive in high mix/low volume production shops that lack the labor needed to sustain maximum production.

Cobots

Traditional robots can operate heavy payloads with high speed, making them ideal for specialized tasks. Traditional robots require additional safety systems due to the speed and force with which they operate.
Traditional robots are indented to work independently and separately from humans and cannot be moved easily around the shop floor, making integration more specialized and costly.With that ease of programming and flexibility, cobots thrive in high mix/low volume production shops that lack the labor needed to sustain maximum production.

The right choice for your shop

Traditional Robots and Cobots each have their pros and cons, but it’s important to determine which options makes the most sense for your shop based on your operational and financial needs.

Operational Safety: Cobots are designed to work alongside humans, cage enclosures and other safety devices are not required. Traditional robots require extensive safety measures.
Flexible Functionality: Cobots can easily move and be reprogrammed for use in multiple areas of shop production and are light enough to be moved by just one person. Traditional robots are stationary and inflexible, but typically work faster.
Ease of Use: Cobots are easily reprogrammable for use in a variety of tasks without the need for advanced coding skills. Traditional robots usually require advanced coding skills to program bundled with an extensive integration process.
Work with Humans: Cobots are designed to work alongside humans, like an assistant operator. Because humans and cobots operate in conjunction with each other, cobots are designed with safety in mind.

Part Handling vs Pallet Handling

Before integrating automation in your shop, it’s important to understand the main types of machine tending automation: part handling and pallet handling.
As the names suggest, part handling robots interact with the part while pallet handling robots interact with the machine pallet, which is capable of handling multiple parts. We’ll explain the main differences between the two below so you can get a clear idea of what works best for you and your shop production.

Part Handling

Part handling robots load the part in and out of the machine and are generally for shop owners looking for a robot with a small footprint and shorter program run cycles, typically around 2-3 minute per part.

Setup

Setup time for part handling machines depends on several factors, but the most common are the time it takes to change CNC fixturing, in and out feed changeover, replacing robot grippers, re-grip station changeover, and pick point calibration modifications.

Part handling robots typically require less operator labor than pallet handling robots. Part handling robots require the operator to place a batch of parts in the robot’s part loader and then remove the batch of parts once they are machined.

Pallet Handling

Pallet handling robots handle a pallet that is placed into the machine. The operator secures each part to the pallet and the robot places the pallet in the machine and unloads the pallet when the program is finished. Horizontal and vertical machining centers are ideal for pallet handling robots because they incorporate pallet changers.

Setup

Setup time for pallet handling machines depends on how much time it takes to changeover each pallet for the part and the number of pallets used to make the part.

Pallet handling robots require the operator to index the pallets to an operator station and then fixture each part on the pallet, typically using a vise. Parts are typically completed between one and five minutes.

What's in it for me?

The first question a shop owner should ask is: is machine tending automation technology worth it for my shop?
Even if you have just one machine:

Automation Can:

Increase machine spindle time by reducing nonproductive time.

Perform the unskilled tasks often performed by skilled operators.

Provide time for shop owners and operators to focus on other value-added activities.

Automation Cannot:

Replace skilled employees.

Negate the need for all human interaction with machines.

Automation in action

Oakridge Fabrication, located in Minnesota, is a renowned job shop that prioritizes the use of cutting-edge technology and processes to deliver top-notch parts at competitive prices.