Flexibility,
Automation in Small Metalcasting Facilities
Two case studies illustrate how automation can be implemented in a small metalcasting facility in order to react to today’s global manufacturing demands for quickly delivered customized parts. RHYTHM WADHWA, NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY-VALGRINDA, DEPARTMENT OF PRODUCTION & QUALITY ENGINEERING, TRONDHEIM, NORWAY
I
n recent years, flexibility has attracted significant attention from small to medium enter- prises (SMEs) in metalcasting
and academia due to varying cus-
tomer demands and increasing com- petition. Changing operating condi- tions are forcing firms to be flexible in handling variations in demand and product and uncertainty and changes
in the environment. Such factors have affected manufacturing companies for a long time, but their influence has escalated during the past 20 years as a result of advances in manufactur- ing technology and demand for mass customization. Organizations, both large and
small, require reconfigurable equip- ment to produce one-of-a-kind or small batch quantities of customized products. Client demand for small volumes of customizable product leads to a paradigm shift in how effectively an SME, with 10-25 employees on average, would operate to quickly and effectively deliver parts. Identifying best practices is a tricky process that is difficult to implement, which is more noticeable when the companies are SMEs. Typically, SMEs have limited resources and knowledge of automa- tion methodologies. To address this, the Norwegian Research Council started a project to test the concept of a shared flexible manufacturing envi- ronment tailored to metalcasting SME requirements. Te participating metalcasting con-
Fig. 1. Shown is the robot assembly cell set up in the iron casting facility. 38 | MODERN CASTING October 2015
sortium in the project agreed to test part handling automation solutions
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