Video: Robot Lets Short-Run Shop Take on Large-Quantity Work
The robot needing no guarding on the shop floor offers an accessible way for a shop to expand its capacity by running unattended through nights and weekends.
.jpg;width=70;height=70;mode=crop;format=webp)
Denver-area machining business Tag Team Manufacturing has historically focused on prototyping and short-run work. When the shop had the opportunity to take on a large-quantity job, it wasn’t sure how it would deliver the parts with its current capacity and staffing. The margin between order date and ship date seemed to tight produce all the parts.
According to CEO Terry Taggart in this video, the solution the company found was a “Sawyer” robot from Rethink Robotics. This collaborative robot is easy to program, easy to relocate, and works safely on the shop floor alongside employees without any need for guarding, because the force-sensing robot stops in the event of any contact with an obstacle that might be a human. With this robot feeding the machine through the night and through weekends, Tag Team now has the capacity to fill this large order—and other large-quantity jobs that may come.
Watch the video to see how Tag Team batches several pieces within each machining cycle. The robot loads four pieces of raw stock per cycle, and each of these steel pieces is machined into five parts for a total of 20 units produced per run.
Related Content
-
Lean Approach to Automated Machine Tending Delivers Quicker Paths to Success
Almost any shop can automate at least some of its production, even in low-volume, high-mix applications. The key to getting started is finding the simplest solutions that fit your requirements. It helps to work with an automation partner that understands your needs.
-
Partial Automation Inspires Full Cobot Overhaul
Targeting two-to-four hours of nightly automation enables high-mix manufacturer Wagner Machine to radically boost its productivity past a single shift.
-
Modern Bar Feeds Bring New Life to Automatic Swiss Lathes
Cam-actuated Swiss lathes are still the fastest way to process many parts. By adding modern bar feeders, this shop has dramatically improved their utilization with the ability to work unattended, even in a lights-out environment.
