What does robotics and cutting-edge tech have to do with manufacturing? A lot. Automation, robotics, and process development are becoming completely integrated in the manufacturing industry.
- Post Date: September 4, 2018
Arc Specialties Multi-Positioner Robotic Cells Deliver Productivity Enhancement
In manufacturing, efficiency is paramount. To remain relevant in today’s increasingly competitive business environment, implementing advanced technology and streamlining operational workflows is crucial to success. With customer demands for quality products at lower prices on short timelines, only the most optimized manufacturing systems will be able to deliver.
Arc Specialties has taken on this efficiency challenge and developed multi-positioner robotic cells. With an innovative design that greatly enhances productivity while offering versatility, safety, and portability, Arc Specialties multi-positioner robotic cells are the ideal solution to maximizing manufacturing processes.
- Post Date: August 27, 2018
Robotic Solutions for Offshore Oil and Gas Welding
The global demand for energy continues to increase as populations grow and industries expand. To meet these energy needs, the oil and gas industry has explored into harsher terrain and deeper water to locate rich reserves of fossil fuels. These extreme locations create immense engineering challenges to extract oil and gas in a manner that is safe for the environment and those who perform the work.
While conventional onshore and shallow water oil production is still going strong, the development of deepwater offshore fields has become a major contributor to worldwide oil and gas production. To operate in deepwater and ultra-deepwater locations, new oil and gas welding technologies have been implemented to safely produce and transport these reserves.
- Post Date: August 14, 2018
The Solution House for Industries All Around the Globe
ARC Specialties furnishes one-of-a-kind machinery that utilizes its unique welding and material handling experience and knowledge. From machining and cutting to testing and final assembly, everything ARC does is vertically integrated—completed right in the buildings it owns. Furthermore, by having teams of engineers and software developers on-hand, ARC Specialties is able to create process-specific applications perfectly tailored to a specific customer need.
- Post Date: August 10, 2018
Why automate your fab shop with a collaborative robot?
We read article after article stating the biggest problem for fab shops is the difficulty filling skilled-labor jobs. In May of 2017, Industry Week posted that an estimated 2.7 million jobs are likely to be needed as a result of retirements of the existing workforce, while over 700,000 jobs are likely to be created due to natural business growth. The article continues to explain there’s a perception or stigma that manufacturing is outdated, legacy work that is of little interest to the new breed of workers and the skilled-labor shortage has turned into a perfect storm threatening to impeded a manufacturer’s ability to deliver on customer demand.
Here are a few common responses that we hear regarding dedicated, traditional robotic cells:
- We run small batches of parts that would take too long to program on a robot.
- I don’t have enough work or I can’t afford to keep a full time robot programmer on staff.
- Takes up too much floor space, too expensive, and too complicated.
- Post Date: July 19, 2018
Be Strategic in Manufacturing Automation: Start with the Manufacturing Automation Audit Program
Manufacturing is a competitive industry. Domestic manufacturers have been competing with overseas manufacturers for decades, which often offer lower cost labor. With competition high and approximately 96.4 percent of U.S. manufacturers qualifying as small businesses, per the U.S. Census Bureau, they are turning toward automation for leaner operations.[1]
Automation Increases Productivity
Automation delivers higher productivity and is represented in various applications including robotics. According to Robotic Industries Association (RIA), end-to-end automation in manufacturing can double or even triple throughput.[2] With automation, the equipment can also keep running, giving these manufacturers a competitive edge.
- Post Date: July 16, 2018
Double Your Output with ARC Specialties New Cladding Systems
Cladding is a key part of corrosion protection in several vital industries. However, most cladding machines can only deposit material at a rate of two or three pounds per hour. For busy companies, this rate is simply too slow and can cause a bottleneck in production schedules. Fortunately, ARC Specialties has introduced four new cladding system models precisely engineered for high speed cladding. All four of these models deposit material at a speedy eight pounds per hour, representing a giant leap beyond older, slower systems.
With traditional systems, the low pound per hour deposition rate is either the result of old equipment design, or the welding procedure itself. The new ARC-5i, ARC-5PL, ARC-5XP, and ARC-5HVT cladding systems solve both of these problems with a cutting edge design that delivers Inconel® welding deposition rates up to eight pounds per hour. Inconel® 625 is the alloy of choice, it is a nickel alloy containing chromium and molybedenum that is highly resistant to corrosion. ARC’s engineering innovations and process development give ARC customers the ability to double or even triple their output with systems specifically engineered for speed, offering higher welding speeds and pre-programmed welding procedures.
- Post Date: July 10, 2018
3 Ways Robots Can Speed Up a Manufacturing Assembly Line
Automation is the way forward for the manufacturing industry. As much as people are concerned about job losses, nothing lasts forever, and we can’t fight the relentless march of technological innovation. One way that manufacturing is benefiting from technology is via robotics.
Robots Do the Dangerous Jobs
In actual fact, robots are not a bad thing in the manufacturing sector. There are many jobs in manufacturing that are tedious, repetitive, and dangerous. Whilst humans can do these jobs, it’s often safer and more productive to pass them to robots.
Robots won’t get tired after working a 16-hour shift. They are happy to do the same repetitive job in quick succession without a catastrophic loss of concentration. Much of the risk in manufacturing is caused by machinery. When humans operate machinery without due care and attention, accidents happen. This could be down to a lack of training or simply that the person wasn’t paying attention. Robots don’t make these mistakes. They can also work in dangerous environments, such as extreme heat, extreme cold, or working with hazardous materials.
Introducing robots protects low-paid workers from dangerous working environments and creates more high-skilled jobs in the programming and maintenance sector.
Robots are More Efficient
Efficiency is critical in manufacturing. The more efficient your processes are, the more profitable the venture will be. One of the key advantages of introducing robots into a manufacturing environment is that robots can do a task more efficiently than a human worker can. Robots can operate on assembly lines 24/7. They don’t need breaks and don’t slow down at the end of a long shift.
There are many repetitive processes where it makes sense to automate. For example, case erection is a tedious job that can be done by machines in a fraction of the time. Case erector manufacturers produce simple equipment, but it’s equipment that makes packing a lot faster and easier. In addition, the packaging is assembled safely, hygienically, and reliably.
Robots are Faster
Robots are much faster than human workers. When you use robots on your manufacturing assembly lines, productivity will increase, and mistakes will drop. This is the best way to boost profits in your manufacturing operation.
One area where manufacturing speeds up tasks is during transition phases. For example, if blue widgets need to be moved from one machine to another, so they can be packaged and labeled, it will take time when human workers do the job and there are bound to be breakages and product loss.
By automating the process using robotics, moving blue widgets from point A to point B is optimized for maximum efficiency. Time is saved and product losses are minimized. This can be done at all transition phases of the manufacturing process, but especially in the packaging stage.
Lastly, robots may reduce the need for low-paid workers, but they allow manufacturing operations to relocate back on-shore, where more skilled workers are available to maintain, calibrate, and operate complex machinery. It’s a win-win for everyone.
- Post Date: February 25, 2018
4 Ways an Automated Case Sealer Could Add Value to Your Operation
Case sealing is the process of closing or sealing your boxes. This is often the last step in the packaging process, occurring before you slap a label on the box and ship it to the customer or load it on the truck and send it to retailers. This process is often done by hand, but it can be automated. Here are four ways an automated case sealer could add value to your operation.
It Increases Production Rates
Too many production lines experience a bottleneck in the packaging operation. The automated production line churns out a steady stream of products, and your team is clustered at the end putting products in boxes, erecting boxes, sealing them and wrapping them.
This is not just an expensive waste of manpower but a limit on how much product you can ship. Set up case sealers along with other packaging equipment so that your packaging operation can keep up with the production line output and you’ll eliminate the need to pay overtime to packagers trying to keep up with a more efficient production line.
It Reduces Material Use
Packaging automation doesn’t just save money on labor costs and increase production. It also reduces how much packaging material is used. Automated case sealers use as little tape as possible. Furthermore, they’ll use the right adhesive for the job and apply it correctly. This allows you to use less material without sacrificing packaging performance.
If you use less tape, labels and other packaging materials, you’ll be able to tell customers that you’re reducing material use and waste in the facility. This makes packaging automation like case sealers an investment in a greener business. This is even true when you buy a case sealer that can support several tape widths. That machine can be used on multiple products, and it won’t use the widest tape on every single box coming off the line unless it is necessary.
It Improves Employee Productivity
A case sealer and similar packaging automation will improve employee productivity. When they are stuck loading and taping boxes, they’re going to get tired. They’re at risk of repetitive stress injuries, too, that can result in missed work and medical bills. Having a lot of people packing boxes and loading them onto pallets or trucks also increases the risk of other accidents. Every incident results in increased insurance costs for the business and lower productivity for everyone involved.
Automating tasks like this frees up employees to do a variety of value-added tasks. Whether this is reloading cases and tape in packaging equipment or handling shipping problems, they’re doing more of the work that can’t be automated.
It Improves Quality
A case sealer will not only close boxes quickly but give it a professional finish. Compare this to the masses of tape sometimes applied by inexperienced or rushed employees. Instead, you’ll get even tape lengths and positions that are consistent across all your boxes.
Retailers and distributors will notice this as well as the impact it has on the supply chain. For example, the well-sealed box is less likely to be tampered with or have products stolen from it. There won’t be as many disputes over whether or not you failed to ship a full order or that something was pilfered before it hit the shelves.
A side benefit of proper sealing is that you’re less likely to have products get damaged in transit. The box is not prone to coming open if it tips over during transport, spilling the contents. It is less likely to get crushed or shift because someone didn’t seal the top properly.
Conclusion
Case sealers are a surprisingly valuable form of automation for the average business. They will directly impact your business’ bottom line while improving quality and productivity across the board.
- Post Date: January 21, 2018
FANUC America Features Robotic Plasma Cutting System for Metal Pipe from ARC Specialties
From FANUC America:
FANUC America Authorized System Integrator ARC Specialties designs and builds custom manufacturing machinery and automated systems including systems for metal welding and cutting, material handling, pick and place, test equipment and other custom applications. In this robotic system, ARC Specialties utilizes a FANUC M-710iC/20L robot to perform plasma cutting for 40-foot long sections of metal pipe.
First, a full-length pipe moves from a notched workplate to an automated infeed conveyor system. The automated in-feed conveyor indexes the pipe into the headstock cutting area, where the pipe is automatically positioned into place by chuck jaws. The system has five sets of chuck jaws that can be manually changed to accommodate pipes of varying diameter – from 0.75” to 24” in outer diameter. The six axis FANUC M-710iC/20L robot, equipped with a quick tool changer, picks up either an OAC or PAC torch from the quick tool change station. The robot uses touch sensing, as well as laser sensing to locate the nozzle parts and the pipe.
Once the pipe has been located the FANUC robot proceeds to first make a bevel cut. The headstock contains a robotic aux axis motor package and pop-up turning rolls that rotate the pipe in coordinated motion with the robot as it makes the cuts. After the bevel cut, the robot proceeds to plasma cut small and large holes into the pipe. The robot uses FANUC Constant Path, which allows it to maintain the same path regardless of static or dynamic speed override changes.
The system features simple setup – An operator simply inputs the desired cut dimensions into the HMI, presses the Go button, and the robot executes the cut. ARC Specialties’ cutting software generates robot code to execute the desired cuts based on the operator’s input, and the HMI is able to save and store these part programs. Once the FANUC robot is finished cutting, the pipe parts roll onto a gravity-fed pipe rack where they are removed from a notched work plate and finished pipe rack manually.
FANUC America Authorized System Integrator ARC Specialties transform manufacturing processes into high-quality, high-production and high profit operations. To learn more, please visithttp://www.arcspecialties.com.
- Post Date: November 28, 2016
