www.ipesearch.com MACHINING 33
FEATURE
pallet system. Once designed, The
Sempre Group manufactured all of the
parts for use, as well as installing and
programming a Universal UR5E
collaborative robot (cobot). The system
was built in one week and installed in
three hours.
The cobot picks and places parts using
Sempre’s own low-cost pneumatic dual-gripping
end effector and 3D-printed
gripping fingers to hold the part. The
team also modified Hardwicke’s existing
Rohm vices for automated actuation.
The robot picks the parts from a pallet,
opens the door of the CNC machine,
unloads complete parts from the
machine, cleans the vice, loads the next
part and then closes the door. Parts are
then measured using a coordinate
measuring machine (CMM).
“The system was quick to set up,
flexible and viable — it went from van to
operation in three hours,” said Foster.
“The Sempre Group also ensured that
the system could operate safely around
the team — the robot is able to detect
humans in its path and execute a safe
stop, removing the need to cage the
system, which would take up a lot of
space in the facility. The robot ran 24
hours a day, seven days a week, and
delivered the output we needed,
meaning the team could work on our
other CNC machines to produce other
components.”
Mike G John, head of engineering at
The Sempre Group, explained: “We
installed Sempre Connect software to
the system, to very easily and quickly
connect and control other systems
within the process. In this case, we
integrated a Vertex 251 Optical CMM to
inspect the components and ensure
compliance. Any dimensional issues
could then be flagged immediately and
the machine-tool program assessed for
changes. This instant quality feedback
allows a proactive approach to superior
productivity and quality control.”
Sempre Connect is simple software that
eliminates the need for programmable
logic controllers (PLCs) and integrates
the inspection system with the
automated process. After measuring,
the software verifies the part, checking
that it meets specifications, and feeds
this information to the automation
solution to place the part in the correct
place. This PC-based control software is
simpler, cheaper and easier to use than
an industrial PLC, which is often a costly
investment for SMEs, because it can
take months to learn how to use and
program the technology effectively.
Saving time
The automated machine-tending
system had a 20-component capacity
on each plate, a cycle time of three
minutes 45 seconds and a takt time of
four minutes 45 seconds. The
Hardwicke team reported that the
system saved around 52 hours of
operator time, which it could reallocate
to other projects.
“While some businesses view robots
negatively, as they think they will
replace staff, this project showed the
real value in technology,” continued
Foster. “Robots take people away from
laborious tasks and create roles that
require highly skilled people. So now,
we have an expert team that can work
on different tasks, while robots run all
day, to meet demand for higher
volumes.”
Mike G John added: “Our collaboration
with Hardwicke proved the importance
of investing in automation to unlock
value — businesses can now use both
staff and technology to their full
potential to improve productivity. Now
that we understand the value the
system can add to the production floor,
we can look to leverage the investment
and ROI by developing and offering
bolt-on applications. Manufacturers
could use the system for applications
such as post processing, including
deburring or polishing, for packaging,
including boxing or palletising, for
assembly or for sorting. Manufacturers
can simply reprogram the system in
minutes, without the costs of
introducing more equipment.”
Foster concluded: “This project was a
one-off for us — the small batches that
we traditionally produce will not benefit
from automation. However, as we start
to see businesses look for more local
suppliers, demand for higher volumes
of parts will increase. As a result, we
expect to see more high-volume
contracts, which we can now
confidently accept without concerns
about overhauling our production line.
We’re confident that The Sempre Group
can quickly and efficiently install the
system, upscale our production and
increase our flexibility to continue
delivering high-quality parts, no matter
the batch size.”
For more information:
www.thesempregroup.com
Tel: 01452 632 712
Businesses
can now use
both staff and
technology to
their full
potential to
improve
productivity
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/www.thesempregroup.com
