ShopSolutions Continued from page 48
Brenneman chose Methods Machine Tools Inc. (Sudbury, MA), which provided a viable solution. The Methods’ field representative had already been calling on Cheshire NC, and proposed a pre-engineered, integrated cell solution. Called a JobShop Cell, it combines the drilling, tapping and milling capability of a fast Fanuc RoboDrill VMC with a fully interfaced Fanuc six-axis robot for automated loading/unloading. The cell is designed to meet a job shop’s need for simple installation, fast setups, quick changeovers, operator safety and production flexibility. The JobShop Cell is easily configured to handle virtu- ally any part that will fit in its 6" (152.5-mm) vise or chuck. “Even though I had never operated an automated cell, I could foresee the productivity benefits of using the JobShop Cell,” said Brenneman. “For a one-person shop, the cell was a significant investment, so I carefully weighed the benefits. The deciding factor was that Methods would be a single- source provider for both the machine tool and the automation. The JobShop Cell solution didn’t require an additional system integrator to be involved.”
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ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | July 2013
Monthly production of an electrical component on the Job- Shop Cell at Cheshire-NC increased to about 1500 parts.
The JobShop Cell was installed in August 2009. The initial project done on the JobShop Cell was the on-going contract for 1000 electrical components per month. “Production was im- mediately increased to 60 pieces per day bringing our monthly yield to approximately 1300 pieces,” said Brenneman. “Then, as I gained experience with the JobShop Cell and untended opera- tions, monthly production improved to about 1500 parts.” Having excess capacity on this job enabled Brenneman to run additional work on the JobShop Cell, further increasing productivity. “Because I was now able to run jobs 16 hours a day versus nine, without adding new labor, I saved an average of 40% across the board. Due to the speed of the RoboDrill, we were able to reduce cycle times somewhat, but the home run came with the additional untended run time,” Brenneman said. When some parts required more complex features and a multiaxis design, Karl confronted his next challenge. He recognized the need for an automated machining solution for indexing parts.
“The JobShop Cell solution is excellent for general-purpose parts. It does an extraordinary job of picking up square blocks and putting them in vises,” Brenneman said. When requirements demanded machine tool indexing, Methods recommended its Med Cell solution. Like the JobShop Cell, the RoboDrill Med Cell is a complete pre-engineered, fully integrated production machining cell which automates loading and unloading of parts. At the core of the cell is the Fanuc RoboDrill Machining Center providing full five-axis machining capability as well as 3+2 positioning.
Although Cheshire-NC was not making medical parts per se, the complexity of the parts being produced and the indexing requirements made Med Cell an ideal solution for his applications. The Med Cell was acquired in the summer of 2011, doubling production.
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