Automation to reduce production costs.

"Automation" refers to the use of machines where "[...] they perform operations with a reduced level of human participation compared to their corresponding manual processes" (1). For the purpose of this article, we will discuss the concept of automation in industrial production processes for machined parts.

The intervention of the human factor in manufacturing is decisive in the final costs of production, and it might seem that the use of personnel is less expensive than the implementation of automated processes and yet, when there is the opportunity to obtain a completely automated solution from the very beginning, the cost will be easily mitigated even in the short term. Part of the advantages of implementing an automated system over one with manual intervention, especially in long term mass production, will be: increased productivity by eliminating fatigue and repetitive work, less dependence on staff availability, offering better job positions (less routine and clerical work), improving job safety, better production times and reduction of downtime, and all these together result in reduced operating costs and improved profit margins.

The loading and unloading of work material in turning work; impact on quality.

From the previous paragraph, we can use as example machining lines for turned workpieces, where the same part needs to go through several turning processes in different lathes, giving rise to production lines of 3, 4, or 5 lathe stations, all served by 1 operator which is basically responsible for changing pieces from one station to the next, a repetitive and routine work prone to fatigue and error after a day's work. What if we could reduce the operator's intervention to a minimum?

High Speed Gantry Loader System TAKISAWA.

TAKISAWA has its own exclusive design of a crane system for the loading of work pieces to work with some of its lathe models. It can be added to the machines of the TNC series (with a spindle Chuck 12 " and up to 460mm working diameter -510mm long- and 12 tools) and connect multiple part dispatchers to create automated machining chained lines; or together with the machines of the TT series of double spindle, that allows to have double turning processing in a single station, with up to 20 tools combined in both stations with mixed Chucks of until 10 "and 290mm turning diameter; or with the TCC series of lathes CNC compact up to 10 "chuck, adding great performance to your machining centers.

The loading arm of the TAKISAWA gantry is very versatile, allowing not only to take and place work pieces in chucks, but to combine the machining process with other manufacturing elements such as measurement systems to detect non-conforming parts, or workpiece washing systems to eliminate traces of shavings and coolant, just to mention some possibilities.

On the other hand, the programming and monitoring of the crane system can be easily done by means of the exclusive of TAKISAWA software system "RAKU-RAKU", which allows, as well as for the machining, an easy multi-functional and convenient way to manage the programming of both the lathe and the gantry, allowing not only to manage the work-life of the cutting tools, monitor the cutting loads and collect information from the machining process (Cp, periodic offset, inputs and outputs), but also to manage the parameters of the gantry easily by operating the visual screen without modifying the internal machining program.

Reducing costs and improving margins

As we can see, the inclusion of the gantry crane system of TAKISAWA increases the performance of the machining line, allowing to reduce the human factor in several tasks, (placement, dimensional verification, washing to name only a few), which it translates into reduced operating costs and better operating margin.
Reach to your Yamazen representative today to help you decide how to implement the TAKISAWA gantry system in your production operation. Contact us now!

References
1. Edvard Csanyi: https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/9-reasons-for-automation-of-manufacturing-processes