Thinking About Automation?

For several years now, manufacturers and machine shops have lamented the shortage of skilled employees. The general opinion from business leaders is that this trend is only going to continue.

One of the surest ways to overcome these challenges is by automating machining processes. Automating can seem like a daunting task to those who have not been exposed to automated machining processes, but it’s much simpler than it appears. Knowing where to start and having a basic roadmap is usually all it takes for a creative machinist or engineer to begin automating.

It is important to remember that there are degrees of automation from very advanced to very simple, but the goal is always the same — to reduce human intervention.

For shops that have never automated machining processes the best place to start is with turning operations, which are less complex and require fewer inputs than most milling operations. Turning operations will usually have fewer tools, a single work offset and CNC turning centers usually come from the factory with the necessary options.

If you have a machine tool with a control that has been manufactured in the last decade there are only a few things that you need to do to begin automating your turning processes.

Cost-effective automation

Automating the turning process requires having a reliable method of delivering stock to the spindle. It is common to see a turning center feeding a piece of bar through the spindle and cutting off the finished part. This is commonly referred to as “bar work,” which is the most common way to automate a turning process. Bar feeders are used to feed the bar stock through the spindle so the lathe can run in a continuous loop. Bar feeders are relatively inexpensive and very flexible, and that makes them a good investment for the shop that wants to automate.

In lieu of a bar feeder, a shop can use a bar puller. They are simple devices that mount in the turret and grasp the stock while the turret pulls the stock forward for the next part. It’s a poor man’s bar feeder. Both methods are effective and easy ways to introduce automation to a shop.

Doing bar work will require a cut-off operation in the turning process. A parts catcher for the machine is a valuable option to add for this kind of work. The catcher is actuated when it’s time to cut the part off, and, once complete, the part is ejected outside of the machine. While not absolutely necessary, a parts catcher is a clean and safe way to get finished parts out of the machine.

When bar work is not possible, then the workpiece has to be loaded another way. This is where robots and gantry loaders are utilized. Machines with robots and gantries are complex and not very flexible. They are also expensive and the integration of the loading device and the turning process can be complex. Therefore, robots and gantries may be out of reach for some shops, forcing them to load parts manually.