The company doubled down on Mitsubishi in 2010, this time adding a Mitsubishi 3015 LVP-45CF with a slightly more powerful R 4500-W resonator. Both machines have 60 × 120" (1.5 × 3-m) tables with the capacity to cut 1" (25.4-mm) thick
metal. But MWM didn’t stop there. After all, what good are a couple of super-fast lasers if you can’t keep up with their input and output capabilities? To maximize productivity between the two lasers and allow them to work in tandem, MWM also implemented the Auto-FlexMS HP system, based on the MSCIII (Multiple Shelf Changer). Individual shelves on this 12-shelf loading system can hold 6000 lb (2721 kg) of material each, so a total of 72,000 lb (32,659 kg) can be in the sys- tem at any given time. A full load/unload cycle time is barely more than a minute. “The pick-and-place tower and load- ing system are remarkable,” Miller said. “The machine transfers the material piece in, cuts it, and transfers it out, enhancing our ability to stay on-time dramatically. I thought it would help, but I didn’t realize how much.” Confronted with this happy problem of increased output, all MWM had to do now was prepare operators for a huge fl uctuation in part production.
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“I’ve been more eager to initiate new equipment
growth thanks, in part, to how seamless the laser and cell/automation
“Our beam-on time dramatically increased, putting us in the 90% range. Honestly, having a cell and two ma- chines with fewer operators, was like having three machines,” Miller said. “We ended up having to shift labor from operating the machine to handling all of the components and pieces that were coming off of it. We just didn’t expect the productivity and throughput to increase as much as it did.”
Your workholding needs daily lubrication?! CHUCK IT!