Standardized approach to cellular machining

Whether a high-mix, low-volume parts manufacturer is new to automation or looking to further the use of automation at its shop by implementing cellular machining, standard automation packages are cost-effective and increase throughput, said Zachary S. Spencer, automation manager of robotics for Methods Machine Tools Inc. in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

“Anything we can quickly deploy and integrate to get machine shops churning out parts faster, that is our goal,” he said.

Spencer said the main difference between the two types of aforementioned customers is that those that have robots and horizontal pallet pool machine tools, for example, understand the productivity-boosting benefits that automated work cells provide, so that group doesn’t need to be convinced.

Those that are new to automation, however, need persuasion.

The rotary storage carousel on the Plus-K automation system can be filled with the number of workpiece carriers and extra tools required for the different workpieces to be machined, enabling end users to let the cell run. Image courtesy of Methods Machine Tools

“They’re not used to setting up a machine and walking away from it,” Spencer said. “Everybody is always a little bit afraid of hitting that green go button for the first time. It’s really just a comfort level with having a yellow robot load and unload a machine rather than having a person standing in front of it.”

The Plus-K automation system is one of Methods Machine Tools’ flagship cell offerings. The company says the system features a Fanuc LR Mate 200iD six-axis, articulating-arm, industrial-grade robot added to a medium-bed Fanuc Robodrill. The robot loads and unloads workpiece carriers from the machine, nearly eliminating setup time and boosting the Robodrill’s output.

In addition to high-mix, low-volume production environments, the system is suitable for medium-volume jobs, Spencer said, because the robot is always picking from the same transport plate and not picking a specific workpiece.

“So when the operator changes from making, say, a 2″×2″×2″ (50.8 mm) square block mounted on a vise to a 1″-dia.-by-3″-tall (25.4 mm × 76.2 mm) round part, the robot is still picking up the workpiece in (the) same place,” he said. “There is no robot setup for the end user.”

Spencer said this arrangement enables an entry-level technician to load and unload parts at the machine instead of using a high-level operator, who instead can work with a more advanced four- or five-axis machine control. This is especially beneficial at shops where one programmer is responsible for programming all the machine tools.

“What we hear from customers pretty much every day is ‘I can’t find help’ or ‘I can’t find qualified help,'” he said. “Standard automation systems are a straightforward way to free up more machinists.”

In addition, Spencer said the Plus-K consumes about a third of the floor space of a conventional horizontal pallet pool machine and has a rotary storage carousel with 60 part/part carrier positions.