JAKA Cobots for Sandblasting Machine Tending
About the Company
A leading worldwide technology manufacturer providing critical components for IoT intelligence, with a special focus on Telecommunication Equipment and Metal Precision, LED technologies and Interconnect solutions.
Company Challenges
Part of the company’s production line involves using rotary indexing turntables for sandblasting metal components. Components are first loaded from an external input conveyor onto an indexing turntable, which is integrated with several others on a larger turntable.
The turntable rotates into a sandblasting cabinet, then rotates out once sandblasting is complete. The component is picked up, shaken clean of dust, then unloaded onto an output conveyor, making space for the next component. It is a repetitive and high-intensity task that results in a dusty, noisy environment.
Previously, it required six workers per shift, for whom the job was physically demanding, presented health risks, and was conducive to errors. The company decided to seek out robotics solutions, looking to find an affordable automated system that could work 24 hours a day.
Because of a limited budget, and the need to have as little downtime as possible, the solution had to be a robot that could be configured and reconfigured adaptively, during the working process.
Solution
Due to limited working space around the workstations, traditional industrial robots were not sought out. Instead, flexible, compact robotics arms were sought. They needed to be able to work both independently and integrated with other manufacturing equipment when needed.
To meet their requirements, in terms of flexibility and payload, in order to service four machines, JAKA suggested implementing eight JAKA Zu 12 units.
With the help of a professional cobot integrator, two units were assigned per machine. One was programmed to completed the task of loading from the input conveyor, while the other was set to the post-processing tasks of shaking the component clean of dust, then unloading to the output conveyor.
Results
- Once the cobot integration was complete, the sandblasting production line was fully modernized to the company’s satisfaction.
- Not only did it mean that employees were kept safe, but it increased efficiency, as the machine tending – loading and unloading – could be carried out 24 hours a day.
- To the company’s surprise, the electricity bill was lower than before, as there was no longer the need to regulate the temperature of the working area in line with what is comfortable for people.
- Another cost reduction after the cobot installation was the elimination of insurance payments for those employees who had to work long day and night shifts.
- All this contributed to an ROI that was higher than the company had predicted, resulting in a payback period of less than two years.
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Info
Address
Building 33-35, 610,
Jianchuan Road, Minhang District,
Shanghai, China.