How can I optimise my CNC Efficiency?

March 2019

CNC Efficiency

CNC machines were first introduced into the industry in the 1940s and were seen to be a means to improve quality and efficiency. It also enabled the machining of otherwise very difficult parts to manufacture.

With continued development, these machines are becoming more and more efficient, with multiple auto tool changes, high-powered drives and, in general, more accurate manufacturing.

How can you make your CNC more efficient?

Whilst CNC machines are extremely efficient when they are running, they don’t make you money when they are stationary. One of the main inefficiencies is loading and unloading.

CNC operators are highly skilled people and, in general, well paid. What you really want to do is make sure you are using them to maximise their skills. Loading and unloading of material and parts is not one of them. What needs to be considered is autoloading to improve CNC efficiency.

CNC Autoloaders Vs CNC Cobot loading

Traditional CNC autoloaders are normally designed and tailored to suit individual machines and batch runs. This is ideal if there are long runs of parts and as it is unlikely that you will need to move the loader. However, with customers’ demands now requiring flexibility, a dedicated CNC Autoloader for one machine may not be the answer. Autoloaders may also require additional guarding, therefore limiting access to your machine tool.

Another option is to integrate a collaborative robot (cobot). Designed to work next to humans “safely”, if the robotic arm comes into contact with a person, integral safety technology limits the forces at contact. The cobots can also be programmed to operate in a reduced mode when a human enters the robot’s work area and resume full speed when the person leaves.

The collaborative robot option can provide many advantages over the traditional loading. Universal Robots provides a future-proof platform for small businesses looking to optimize productions. If your workflow changes, the robot can be deployed quickly and easily in new constellations due to its small size and lightweight design

For those of you who are thinking, “I’ve never used a robot”, your mind can be set at ease. The programming software used in these units is simply child’s play. A universal robot can be unboxed and up and running within a couple of hours by a complete novice using a very simple ‘how to program a universal robot’ set of video tutorials. Even standard CNC interfaces are catered for making this a good option for your machine loading.

How much do CNC autoloaders cost?

Dedicated autoloaders can start from £25k, and the cobot option is around £20k for the machine alone. If you consider how much it costs for your skilled CNC operator to load and unload, you can potentially have a payback of less than a year. The universal robot option does, however, give you the advantage of being flexible and can be customised further. Vision systems can be easily integrated amongst many other 3^rd party devices to allow you to customise your new member of staff to do more than just loading. Mount it on a trolley, and this can be easily moved from cell to cell, which will improve CNC efficiency.

What is the best collaborative robot?

This is like asking what is the best car to buy. All the manufacturers bring their own unique benefits. It all comes down to what you are trying to do with them. Are you looking to carry out a lightweight transfer or much heavier operations? What environment is this to go into? The list of questions is unlimited.

In our opinion, the Universal Robot family offers a good range of cobots to suit most applications. Their simplistic programming makes them very popular in many sectors, even including retail. This said, they are a robust machine, and with an almost endless selection of accessories, this could be a sensible choice for you, regardless of your industry. However, we also work alongside ABB Robotics, Kuka and Yaskawa, all of whom have their own benefits and reasons to be the preferred choice depending on application type.

Conclusion

If your goal is to become more efficient and have a flexible way to load your CNC machine to improve CNC efficiency, then a collaborative robot would seem to be a good option for you. To allow you to fully appreciate what can be achieved, we would suggest that you contact SP Technology to allow us to organise an onsite demonstration to show you the key benefits.

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Read more about our automation here…

• Benefits of Automation
• The Benefits of Machine Vision Technology
• Robots & Cobots – What is the Difference?
• Robotic Automation
• What is a URS? Why is it Important?
• Cost of Industrial Automation
• Advantages & Disadvantages of Robotic Automation

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