“Gear manufacturers continue to
upgrade their machine tools to find improved levels of productivity, and
frequently, automation is a leading choice for such upgrades,” says Adam
Gimpert, president of Helios Gear Products.
Manufacturers will find no
shortage of automation options: robots, cobots, gantry loaders, bowl feeders,
rotary conveyors, linear conveyors, ring loaders, and pick-and-place systems. Third-party
integrators often deliver automation systems, but gear manufacturers should
also evaluate the benefits of a single-source supplier. “Unified” automation
systems offered by Helios are integrated at the factory from the machine tool original
equipment manufacturer (OEM).
Automation systems offer labor recovery.
“Compared to manually loading a
machine, automation frees the operator to perform other more valuable tasks,
and automation typically makes sense for lot sizes of 50 or more pieces,” says
David Harroun, vice-president of Helios.
Consistency offers additional
benefits by automating. Once a job is set up, programmed, and dialed in, the
gear manufacturer can rely on repeatable performance. By removing variables
associated with manually loading jobs, such as bathroom breaks, human
distractions, or operator errors, quality can remain high and production time
can be reliably minimized. More predictable operation time allows the gear
manufacturer to more accurately allocate resources and increase overall
productivity of workflows. Such benefits can even be found from automating
mechanical (not CNC) equipment.
High-volume applications, such as
those for automotive customers, can justify unique, customized automation
systems. However, for other gear manufacturers with low- to medium-volume jobs,
versatility is very important. For example, the automation system should easily
adapt to handle most part types that fit on the production equipment. Gear
manufacturers must consider all aspects of changing over the automation system
such as carriers, magazines, conveyors, distributors, grippers, etc. Are these
easily adjustable? Can a changeover be performed in under 30 minutes? Will the
automation adapt to the machine’s full range of part sizes? These are only a
few questions to ask when choosing an automation system, and if the machine OEM
offers a unified solution, this was likely designed to meet such needs.
Conversely, a third-party integrator will choose a best-fit solution
after-the-fact, which may or may not meet the tests for versatility.
Unified automation systems
offer gear manufacturers a single source for service solutions. Because the
machine and automation system are built as one from the factory, gear
manufacturers benefit from a consolidated resource for preventative
maintenance, technical issues, and training.
“Over the life of a machine, this
can add up to significant savings in service expenses by consolidating visits,
calls, and spent resources,” says Troy Kutz, service manager for Helios.
Technical issues between a
machine platform and an automation system can be solved faster and avoid
integration problems because the two are unified as one.
Gear manufacturers should consider
the benefits of automating their processes. Such automation systems are often a
sounder investment when provided by the machine OEM. This results in a unified
system that offers more profitable production for gear manufacturers over the
life of the automated machine solution.