The Era of Automation

Combining multitasking machining techniques with automation systems is one way to reduce cost per part

November 1, 2010

The 1990s was the decade of high-speed machining, the 2000s were about multitasking...this decade will be about automation.

Multitasking machining is suitable both for low-volume, high-variety work (seen here) as well as high-volume, low-variety work, if implemented correctly.

Multitasking equipment has been part of mainstream machining for many years. However, simply having this equipment on your shop floor may not be enough to compete in the global marketplace.

Equipment, material, and consumable costs are virtually the same in every country and cannot be controlled. How parts are produced is something that can be controlled, however.

“Controlling what you spend on labor is how you reduce cost per part,” explained Elliott Matsuura Canada Executive Vice President Vince D’Alessio. “Multitasking is no longer just an option or a perk; if you are not employing advanced technology today, you will be out of business.”

Combining processes and operations in a single machining envelope reduces labor content in a part. This, in addition to the other benefits of multitasking such as improved part quality and reduced work-in-process (WIP), can make this type of machining suitable both for low-volume, high-variety work as well as high-volume, low-variety work, if implemented correctly.

Both situations integrate automation successfully, if the correct type of system is chosen.

“Moving parts around a shop can cause errors and delay deliveries,” added D’Alessio. “Improving quality and reducing WIP are other, well-known benefits of multitasking machining, but reducing the final cost of parts is the true goal.”

When parts are handled as little as possible, labor costs are reduced, bringing down the cost per part. Automation systems need to be added to the machining process to accomplish this in the most productive manner. Stand-alone multitasking equipment can go only so far. When a lights-out environment is created with pallets, gantry-style automation, or robotics, very little interaction between the operator and the machine is necessary, and when the human element is removed, part quality improves.

“We do have customers that change to multitasking machines because they have a scrap production problem. Every time you move a job, either around the shop for storage or between machines, there is a chance that you will scrap the workpiece,” said D’Alessio. “This should not be the only reason to make the move to multitasking, though.”

Implementing New Technology

Combining processes and operations in a single machining envelope reduces labor content in a part.

Today’s shops need to take advantage of the features of the machine, software, tooling, and automation to reduce labor costs in a part. Especially in low-volume, high-variety production environments, setup becomes very important. The amount of time spent setting up a part to be run directly takes away from machining time, unless it is done while the machine is running another part.

“You do not want the multitasking machine to become the bottleneck of your operation,” said D’Alessio. “The automation system, tools, and programs must all be ready to go at a moment’s notice when the job is ready to be run. Because this equipment can be very expensive, machine tool optimization is very important.”

Being able to set up a job once and then have the ability to call it up again when it’s needed -- without interference or waste -- is important in multitasking machining. An ideal situation is for a day shift to run normally staffed the afternoon and night shifts to run totally unmanned.

“We have customers that are doing this, and they are taking work back from China,” said D’Alessio.

Part Flow

A good first step when considering the addition of a multitasking machine is to analyze all of the parts currently in production. While this could mean an examination of hundreds, or even thousands, of parts, identifying how and when a part should be made to keep the machine running as much as possible removes production bottlenecks.

“By identifying parts that may cause the largest amount of grief in the shop, you can save time and anxiety later on, during production,” said D’Alessio.

Selecting the correct equipment with the right accessories and the right automation is important in the creation of any part; however, it is unlikely that a single part will be able to justify an investment in multitasking equipment. Other work should be identified that can defray these costs by spreading the investment over more work.

Smart Machining

To take full advantage of the features available in today’s equipment, the controls need to be intuitive and powerful. In fact, it is quite often the human-machine interface (HMI) in the control that can make the systems easier to use. In addition, completing the programming and simulating of a part before it gets to the machine is important.

According to D’Alessio, a part should be programmed, simulated, optimized, resimulated, and postprocessed before the work moves to the shop floor.

“Our software supplier CAMplete, for example, takes into consideration the actual machine kinematics, which are given to the developer by the machine tool OEMs,” said D’Alessio. “Third-party software companies really have come a long way recently to make these machines easier to use and less complicated to program.”

As Canadian companies strive to compete, not just with shops in the same jurisdiction but with other countries, automation will become increasingly important.

“The 1990s was the decade of high-speed machining, the 2000s were about multitasking … this decade will be about automation,” said D’Alessio.

For more information, visit www.elliottmachinery.com.