February 2021 Volume 3

AUTOMATION

Automated Capabilities Continue to Bring Greater Efficiencies to Manufacturing Robotic automation equipment, like turnkey systems, play a bigger role in tube and pipe fabrication By Eric Lundin

Once a dirty word on production floors everywhere, and formerly spoken with unbridled glee in executive conference rooms, automation has become something much more comprehensive than merely a way to reduce labor. Sure, some workers still grumble, but the longstanding shortage of skilled labor, coupled with advantages in making the workday less monotonous and safer, have helped mitigate some of the perennial objections on the shop floor. Meanwhile, improvements in part quality, machine capabilities, andmanufacturing productivity—especially in light of competition from companies in low-wage countries—have come together to create an updated perspective of automated manufacturing systems in the executive suite. “From 20 years ago to today, the perception of automation has changed dramatically,” said Pat Downing, director of sales for tube fabricating equipment and services for Wauseon Machine and Manufacturing Inc., Wauseon, Ohio. “Back then, you didn’t say ‘automation’ in a tube plant because people were afraid they’d lose their jobs,” he said. These days nearly everyone is aware that automation is a fact of life, and when it makes inroads in an industry, every business has to embrace it to keep up with the competition, Downing said. Critical, too, is the fact that it creates new opportunities. “Some of the old attitude is still out there,” said Carroll Stokes, sales engineer for T-Drill Industries. “Some workers are afraid it’s going to take away jobs. In reality, fully automated turnkey systems can help a company grow by bringing in more business. Automation doesn’t kill jobs, it brings in work that you don’t have.” Automation in the 21st Century Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, programmable control systems provided a big step forward in improving the way manufacturing systems worked. The variations on the theme (DNC, CNC, or simply NC) used programmed instructions to control machine motions. Rather than feeding a length of material until the feeding carriage hit a hard stop for cutting, bending, piercing, or punching, machines with modern control systems would run differently, relying on instructions from a program to tell an actuator how far to move the carriage and another when to make a stroke for cutting, punching, or some other process. Accuracy and consistency

improved dramatically, and NC laid the foundation for automation. As time went on, new possibilities developed that until recently were too expensive for most manufacturing applications. Incorporating more sophisticated actions or motions (or additional motions), adding sensors to monitor them, and developing ever more sophisticated software programs to control them were cost prohibitive steps in the 1980s, 1990s, and even into the early 2000s. However, likemost electronic technologies and software, capabilities grew as prices fell. Many of the underlying technologies are much more capable and much less expensive than in the past, so a process that would have been possible to automate but too expensive for a decent return on investment in 2000 or 2005 might be affordable in 2020. For example, the cost of servo technology has fallen by 60% to 70% over the last 30 years to around $1,500 to $2,000 per axis, according to Stokes. Electronic subsystems have fared much better. “A vision system that cost $30,000 to $40,000 when we first implemented this technology runs just $5,000 to $7,000 these days, and the latest ones are much more capable,” Downing said. “The main drivers are advancements in sensors, vision systems, robots, and software, but this isn’t all,” he said. “Automation in tube fabrication really progressed when the industry started using all electric end formers. Servomotors make it easy to monitor the force developed by the actuator and the distance it has traveled, which allows precise control over the bending cycle.” This means that today’s automated, custom-built machines aren’t just faster and more accurate than their predecessors of a few years ago, but generally they can do more than before, more accurately than before, taking on tasks formerly filled by the operators. Capabilities of Automation In many cases, especially when making a simple part, basic automation is faster than manual processing, and this is reason enough to automate. However, finished products tend to become more sophisticated over time, so the machines that make the components tend to become more sophisticated too. Automated systems help in inspecting raw materials or intermediate goods, error-proofing processes, fabricating parts, and making entire assemblies.

FIA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2021 20