May 2023 Volume 5

AUTOMATION

Before Automation…Things to Consider By Drew Locher

Looking Externally When a company is considering investing in automation, a good, hard look at current products needs to take place. Application to high volume, repetitive production environments is the norm. But what about high mix, lower volume situations? I asked this question of Jim Morris, Executive V.P. at Automation for Manufacturing, based in Himrod, NY. Jim has decades of experience in the forging industry. “The key is to identify families of parts. Parts that share similar geometry can be relatively easier to switch over: same robot, same actuator, customized fingers which can make use of quick changeover techniques to minimize downtime.” What about new business? Jim said that the signal that investing in automation sends to existing and potential new customers is powerful. “It sends the message that the company is in it for the long haul.” The potential to acquire new business came up in my discussion with Mario Trizzino, Sales Engineer at Adaptec Solutions, a full-service provider of automation and material handling solutions. Mario pointed out that, “the consistency in quality and the productivity gains realized through automation can be leveraged to offer more aggressive pricing if that is necessary to obtain new business.” Therefore, expect growth. When looking for new business, consider how new parts can fit with existing families. Developing a target list of sales opportunities that align with the new capabilities provided by automation should occur well before the equipment is received. What will be your growth strategy? Consider the impact an increase in sales will have on current business systems and practices. Continuing the outward focus discussion, what about external resources? Jim Morris says, “Partnering with the right system integrator is critical. The integrator should have vast industry experience and be able to handle all of it: designing end-of-arm tooling, integrating with existing equipment, conveyors, etc. The integrator should be able to put together an hour-by-hour project plan to ensure a more seamless installation.” Jim continues, “a forger pursing the automation path should provide to the integrator a list of part attributes the robot is expected to handle from biggest

My first encounter with an industrial robot was in 1986. I was standing in an electronics assembly shop that was part of GE Aerospace. A process engineer named Joe was standing next to me. We were both staring at the robot that had just been unpacked. He was explaining how it could be used to do simple repetitive tasks. The plan was for the robot to ‘tin’ parts: dipping the wire ends of electronic parts one at a time into a moltenmetal bath while meeting tight tolerance requirements often found in the aerospace industry. Currently, this repetitive task was done by technicians all shift, every day. I asked who knew how to program it. Joe responded, “we’ll have to learn”. I asked if anyone was familiar with the maintenance requirements. He said, “It came with a manual.” If I recall correctly, Joe was on his way to a training class offered by the OEM within two weeks, and I learned that there really wasn’t much maintenance required beyond lubrication. It didn’t hurt that it was a cleanliness standard ‘Class 100’ electronics assembly shop in which the robot would operate. The robot was fully operating in about three months. I would have similar experiences in subsequent years as I saw some common themes play out. First was the lack of preparation: not ensuring that internal programming capability existed before receipt of the robot, not preparing the work environment ahead of time, not having end-of-arm devices already designed and built, not effectively integrating it with existing equipment and technologies. The result was a painful and frustrating three to six months before successfully commissioning a robot. Second was the application of the technology itself. I didn’t feel that the decision makers really thought out how the robot was to be used. In fact, I read somewhere that up to 50% of all industrial robots installed in the late 1980s to the mid-1990s were removed from service by the year 2000. Don’t quote me on the actual percentage, but I can attest to the fact that many of the applications of such automation were not well conceived. This vastly improved over the years as people gained a better understanding of the technology. In this article, we will explore several factors that every forger should consider before making a substantial investment in automation.

FIA MAGAZINE | MAY 2023 34