What kind of automation should I Invest for my company.
Manpower has dramatically reduced in the nowadays, especially for new generation of the young people. For CNC machining field, due to the requirement and the standard from customer, the workpiece final products has been considered very strict compare to the past, therefore the quality of the manpower has been increasing.
Machine tool build manufacturer developed many kinds of TURNKEY solution to solve the manpower shortage, this is due to the demand of the automation bloomed in recent years.
However, the initial investment is big portion for machine tool, it can be calculated as 30-50% of the total machine price if you decided for a Robot automation. It is significantly higher than expected from management’s point of view. It could be the reason to make the pause for the automation investment due to the high cost. Therefore, if you choose the workpiece wisely with certain amount, quantity, and it is highly rely on the manpower, you should consider automation turnkey solution.
There are some pros and cons for robot automation
- Pros
- Higher Productivity compared to manpower, works for 24/7 nonstop.
- High Precision,the human error is eliminated.
- No cost for salary, social welfare and benefit.
- Lower cost in long term
- No Staff training, and it takes faster time to get the robot to production line.
- More safety
- Cons
- Higher investment cost in the beginning stage.
- Not very flexible and versatility is smaller compare to real human.
- Unexpected maintenance cost for robot
There are two main Robot automation main stream in the industry for CNC automation
6 Axis Robot
The 6axis robot is used for loading and unloading purpose in majority, build by 6 motors, and installed by jaws and jigs to do the workpiece loading and unloading process. The benefit for 6 axis robot is used for multiple machines like 1 to 2/3/4 machines, or used on the conveyor to multi machine loading process, so it comes with higher flexibility. The market is most occupied by major brand such as Fanuc, ABB, YASKAWA, KUKA.
In addition, the 6 axis robot is also heavy duty for thousand kg of the workpiece.
The Cobot, called as collaborative Robot, is emphasizing on the cooperation between human and robot with high safety standard and can work together. It is comes with teach mode so that the user does not need any programming background to operate the robot.
For Example, Fanuc Cobot
Or Universal Robot smaller size Cobot
Gantry Robot
The Gantry Robot is combined by industrial robots and aluminum extrusion rail as guideway to implement loading and unloading process. Compared to 6 Axis robot, the gantry robot is used for light duty process, and it is more economical solution. It is consider a part of automation process like 6 axis robot. Unfortunately, the floor print is more bigger and it can not be utilized for 1 robot to 3-4 machines.
Example：
MYLAS has much experience for automation, turnkey solution for different workpieces. We are recognized as one of the most capable manufacturers in offering highest quality CNC automatic lathe machines. Contact us today to get the latest quote for automation solution.
