Cobot CNC Tending

One of our customers found themselves grappling with rising labor costs and the struggle to maintain consistent quality in their CNC lathe operations. The manual tending of CNC lathes proved to be time-consuming and vulnerable to human error. They came to us looking for an automated solution to solve these problems.

After careful consideration, we decided to implement two Universal Robots UR5e robotic systems to tend two brand new Tormach CNC lathes. These robots were equipped with dual 3-jaw grippers, enabling quick and seamless part changeovers. To ensure uninterrupted operation, chutes were integrated into the system to allow for continuous feeding of parts. Additionally, a convenient conveyor system was implemented to streamline the packaging process for finished parts.

The implementation of the robotic systems proved to be a transformative solution for the company. They experienced a significant reduction in labor costs as the robots continuously tended the CNC lathes throughout two shifts each day. Not only did the robotic systems boost efficiency, but they also brought about a marked improvement in quality control. With precise and consistent part handling, the risk of human error was greatly minimized, ensuring that each part met the company's stringent quality standards. The ease of use and adaptability of the UR5e models made programming the robots a breeze, empowering the company to adapt to evolving production needs with ease.

The end result was two fully autonomous lathe-tending systems. Both systems could be operated by a single person utilizing about 20% of their time keeping the part chutes loaded, checking for quality issues, and maintaining the tooling on the CNC lathes as needed. This system will have paid for itself in 24 months after which it will be operating for essentially the cost of electricity.