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September, 2017


Cobot Colleagues from Universal Robots Aid Scott Fetzer Electrical Group


By Brian F. Dillman, Area Sales Manager — East, Universal Robots USA A


mobile fleet of Universal Robots’ (UR) collaborative robots, or “cobots,” now receive daily work


orders to solve ever-changing tasks for high-mix, low-volume electronics man- ufacturer Scott Fetzer Electrical Group (SFEG). These cobots have op- timized production at the company by 20 percent, taking over monotonous and potentially hazardous tasks from employees who have been moved to more rewarding jobs. When the first UR5 robot ar-


rived at SFEG’s Fairview, Ten- nessee, facility, it was quickly named “Waldo,” inspired by the popular Where’s Waldo? books, in which a friendly fellow keeps appearing in new places, blending among crowds of people. “One day Waldo would be bend-


ing sheet metal, the next day he would be performing pick-and-place tasks, and the third day we would take him to manufacturing day at the local high school,” says Matthew Bush, director of operations at SFEG. The fact that the UR robots are


re-deployable and can operate right next to humans is a radical break- away from traditional industrial ro- bots that stay hardwired behind safe- ty guarding, fenced off from people. These robots are classified as collab- orative due to their interactive de- sign that makes it easy to set them up for a new task. They also have


Operators teach a robotic arm by programming it through physical movement.


for ways to make SFEG more compet- itive on the global scale, while taking advantage of existing machinery. “One of our biggest challenges is


that we’re a high-mix, low-volume producer, most of our lines don’t run


ple of offerings and the UR robot was the only robot that we thought could do the job. It’s got the speed and pre- cision of a standard industrial robot, along with the ability to move around and work next to humans.”


DISPENSE WORKS INC Benchtop Assembly Solutions


 Vision system with up to 4 cameras  Multiple pick & place heads  Corrects for X, Y and Theta (rotation)  Assembles chip with controlled force  Z height probe / XYZ calibration  Great for low volume / high mix  





 Ultra precise adhesive dispenser option  Universal vacuum tooling  Optional tool changer (8 position)  


 Network (LAN), RS-232 & Dual USB Ports  Gerber, DXF, G-code, PLT, etc. Direct input  Windows Software Suite graphical setup


SMT Production System with Vision 


built-in safety systems that enable the robot arm to automatically stop operating if it encounters objects or people.


Traditional Robots a Challenge Bush came across this new au-


tomation solution as he was looking


all the time, so trying to find a way to put robots on the line in the tradi- tional sense was a very big chal- lenge,” he says. “We wanted to build a mobile,


flexible robot force. The only way we would accomplish this was with a col- laborative robot. We only saw a cou-


SFEG placed the UR robots on


wheeled pedestals and is now build- ing a fleet of mobile UR robots to de- ploy throughout the sheet metal de- partment. They will be integrated in- to the entire production cycle from cutting the initial blank on the blanking press to forming, folding, and final assembly of the electrical components. Additional robots are planned to help tend the turret presses and press brakes. “We want to have robots stand-


ing by, waiting for a job to do. When the staff arrives in the morning, we’ll have work orders printed for employ- ees to wheel the robots over to the tasks at hand,” says Bush.


Robot as Pacesetter SFEG general manager Rob


Goldiez explains how productivity and consistency on lines with UR ro- bots improved. “Before we had the UR robots on our transformer line, we averaged about 10 parts per per- son per hour. That’s increased to 12 parts per person per hour now — so about a 20 percent increase — having a pacesetter with the robots working hand in hand with our people.” The UR robots working the mo-


tor field line are a UR5 and a UR10 robot named after their payload in kilos. The UR5 is placed at the end of the line right next to an employee


Continued on next page


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