32 MACHINING www.ipesearch.com
FEATURE
Improving machining
flexibility with automation
When Hardwicke Enterprise needed to upscale production, it turned to The Sempre Group
for a new automated machine-tending solution
THE SEMPRE Group
provides a range of
metrology systems and
software to help UK
manufacturers improve
productivity, reduce human error and
demonstrate compliance in quality
control. When businesses cannot find
an off-the-shelf product that best suits
the application, The Sempre Group
develops bespoke solutions. Sempre
engineers regularly outsource the
manufacturing of bespoke parts, such
as end-of-arm tooling, to suppliers.
Hardwicke Enterprise specialises in the
subcontract CNC machining of high-quality
turned and milled components.
Established in 1967, the company has
grown year on year and now operates
with a team of eight to deliver
precision-machined components for
companies in a variety of sectors, such
as food manufacturing, aerospace and
marine. For more than three years,
Hardwicke Enterprise has
manufactured and supplied complex
components to The Sempre Group to
help it provide bespoke solutions.
Now, The Sempre Group is adding
automation to its portfolio to
leverage this even further
and help manufacturers adopt a fully
digitised approach to quality. Using the
latest collaborative robotics, Sempre
aims to supply easy-to-use, quick-to-
install, flexible automation solutions
with a rapid return on investment (ROI).
These systems would suit businesses
that want to improve productivity in
quality processes, but cannot afford to
automate their entire production line.
So, when developing a new automated
machine-tending solution for smaller
applications, The Sempre Group
wanted to test the system with a
customer to see how the technology
could benefit the industry more widely.
Upscaling quickly
Hardwicke Enterprise normally
produces low volumes of bespoke
parts for its clients. So, when it won a
contract to manufacture 1,000 caster
wheels in a short period of time, the
team knew it had to increase
productivity.
“To deliver this contract on time, we
needed to quickly find a way to
increase production speed without
compromising on quality,” explained
Andrew Foster, managing director of
Hardwicke Enterprise. “Traditionally,
each team member operates a different
CNC machine, moving the parts
manually so that they can be
measured. However, as each caster
wheel is made up of around five
different components, and the client
wanted a quick delivery, we needed a
system that could operate faster and
for longer periods of time.”
Automation can help solve challenges
of speed and time — robots can
operate faster than humans and can
run for longer hours. However,
automating an entire production line
can take a long time to plan, set up and
program before production can begin.
“We knew that introducing technology
would help us deliver the contract, but
we needed a system that was quick to
set up, flexible and helped the team
improve output,” continued Foster. “So,
when The Sempre Group mentioned
that it was developing a new
automated system, we offered to help
develop and test it.”
The Sempre Group designed the
automated machine-tending system to
work alongside Hardwicke’s super mini
mill CNC machine that builds the parts.
The team designed gripper fingers to
handle the components, modifications
to the chucks and an easy-to-use
Automating an
entire
production
line can take a
long time to
plan, set up
and program
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