"The decision to automate came down to cost," says Tim Roskey, business unit manager at Eagle Manufacturing Co. (Florence, Kentucky). "The pressure to cut costs and increase the frequency of deliveries meant that we had to figure out ways to be competitive. So, we faced a dilemma— increase productivity and quality for less money."

Eagle manufactures engine components such as cylinder heads, connecting rods, intake manifolds, exhaust manifolds, lower crankcases, flywheel housings and transmission shafts. As a subsidiary of Linamar Corp. (Guelph, Ontario), Eagle makes a lot of these parts. Its production line for intake manifolds consists of nine FH-5800 horizontal machining centers from Mazak Corp. (Florence, Kentucky) and two M-710IT toploader overhead rail-mounted robots from Fanuc Robotics (Auburn Hills, Michigan) running 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. This represents a complete turnkey installation of a high volume manufacturing system that integrates its machine tools with material-handling equipment from other companies.

The company's new intake manifold cell consists of nine Mazak FH-5800 horizontal machining centers, which are fed by two Fanuc overhead robots.

"The intake manifold is a dynamic part that is driven by new model designs," Mr. Roskey says. "Manufacturing them requires flexible fixtures and equipment that can handle the dimensional changes." It also requires reliable production equipment, because Eagle produces 1,200 intake manifolds per day.

The cell is currently configured with nine machining centers. One robot loads and unloads five machines from a conveyor belt; the second robot loads and unloads four machines from a separate conveyor belt.

"Without the new intake manifold cell, manufacturing these components would be extremely labor-intensive," Mr. Roskey says. "Making the decision to automate the line offered two immediate benefits for Eagle: part quality and consistency would increase, and the reduction of employees needed—from 12 people to four people per shift—meant the company could remain competitive on wages and benefits."

The FH-5800 horizontal machining centers feature spindle speeds as high as 12,000 rpm, powered by a 30-hp spindle motor, with 0.7G acceleration in the X, Y and Z axes. The centers mill, drill, tap and bore the intake manifold castings, which are automatically presented to them by the robots. The cell machines two types of intake manifolds: a high-volume and a low-volume model. A single end effector for the robots can handle both versions.

Running 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, the cell produces 1,200 intake manifolds each day.

Each center also includes a two-pallet changer, so loading and unloading takes place without interrupting machining. "The only labor required in the cell is loading the buffer conveyor and off-loading the parts for shipping or testing," Mr. Roskey comments. "So the centers never sit idle."

With the robots presenting one in every 50 manifolds to a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) station, the company can ensure that the dimensions, diameters and tolerances are correct. From the cell, every intake manifold proceeds to parts washing and pressure-decay testing. Then manifolds are shipped to assembly operations. All quality and operating statistics for the cell are stored in an electronic database.

Along with the new production cell, Eagle Manufacturing adopted a lean manufacturing initiative in 2003. It provides training for all of the company's 200+ employees.

"From documentation and work instructions to production and shipping, everyone is on a mission to reduce waste," Mr. Roskey says. The cell contributes to this initiative by providing production information and a percentage of good parts versus scrap by each machine. "We have a better handle on quality because we constantly monitor each machine's production," Mr. Roskey adds. "This helps us stay competitive in a worldwide market."