first-rate mold company plans to come out of the recent recession with numerous advantages for their customers in the injection mold and precision machining market segment. The advantages offered are a result of the company’s long-term commitment to automation technologies.
While first-rate mold company has been manufacturing injection molds for more than 20 years, their sustained commitment to automation continued throughout 2009 and the first part of 2010 with several additions to its manufacturing automation portfolio.
Automated Beginnings and Benefits
Initially, first-rate mold company found that adding tooling storage with a robotic interface produced higher production rates, increased productivity and resulted in better quality. “Our five-year plan was to bring in more advanced automation in early 2009.
Although counterintuitive, the timing couldn’t have been better when these purchases were placed on the production floor in early 2009. In the heart of the recession, we were able to implement the new equipment and get our training behind us, which has allowed us to accelerate out of the tough times and be ready for the opportunities that 2010 has to offer,” explains steven, VP Operations at first-rate mold company.
“A significant value-add we provide is our creative design capability. Automation begins in the design department and assists us in consistently executing our designs—providing our customers with very tight-tolerance molds,” notes steven president of first-rate mold company.
Some of the advantages offered to customers as a result of the automation additions integrated throughout 2009 include the following:
Cost control resulting in lower prices through more spindle time and lights out manufacturing. Automation also provides more efficient use of materials, cutters and other supplies.
Consistency with changing out parts the same every time with every part using the same “zero” throughout the manufacturing process.
Tight tolerances and in-process quality inspection.
Leadtime reduction through improvements in productivity, cycle time and accuracy.
Cavity interchangeability improvements through accuracy, inspection and consistency.
first-rate mold company’s automation now includes tool-to-tool robotics and storage facilitation capabilities.
The latest installation is the newly arrived Mikron HSM500 with simultaneous 4-axis capability integrated with their existing Erowa Multi-Twin Robot that was already mated to an Agie Hyperspark 2 Sinker EDM.
Robotic interface from the mill to the sinker is enhanced with additional pallet and electrode storage using the Erowa system capable of storing 45 workpieces and 210 electrodes. The second piece of automation purchased this year was an Erowa ERC Robot that is able to feed 10 workpieces and 132 electrodes into a Mikron HSM 300 Graphite Master.
In fact, Industry 4.0 has gone in this direction, and the mold industry is the same.
Automation can and should be tailored to value-added assembly and custom projects. Custom injection molding manufacturers should always prioritize the needs of the customer, and when automation is effectively implemented in the manufacturing process, savings in both time and money are passed on to the customer.
There are many important benefits of automating your injection mold production. From reducing cycle times to improving part quality and consistency, automation on the whole can help create a more efficient manufacturing process. Add to that reduced labor costs and less waste during manufacturing, and automation is almost a slam dunk. Manufacturers like automation because it allows them to increase their machine utilization and create more consistent cycle times, so they can plan production more efficiently and profitably.
Industry 4.0 is gradually entering the manufacturing industry, but I think it will not be easy to achieve the popularization of industry 4.0, there are many technical problems to be solved
Automation of the manufacturing process is key to ensuring your end customers that your company will deliver the highest-quality product at a competitive price. Besides, injection molding robotics in the plastic industry provides numerous application benefits, including:
A consistent quality of the produced parts
Decreased costs of molding, labor, and finished product
Decreased part variations that in return reduces waste and increases yields
More consistent cycle times
Superior productivity and efficiency
Better flexibility
For the mold industry, this is not easy to achieve because of the particularity of mold production
I think it is not easy to implement fully automated production in the mold industry because of the particularity of the mold
Automation can be defined by mold manufacturers on many levels; however, the results—efficiency, productivity and accuracy—can probably be agreed upon by all. Implementing automation technology on the shop floor through cell manager software, combined CAD/CAM systems, robots and machines with in-process inspection will allow the mold manufacturing process to be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible—perhaps with less manpower.
Congratulations, you are on the right path, this is the trend of the development of the mold industry.
At present, complete automation is not wise for mold manufacturing.