34 CNC MACHINERY www.ipesearch.com
FEATURE
A leading precision subcontractor has invested in its first collaborative robot
(cobot) from Mills CNC Automation as a route to helping improve its
productivity, efficiency and machine-tool use
MILLS CNC Automation
has recently supplied
a new Doosan cobot
to NPI Solutions, a
leading precision
subcontractor based in Irvine, Ayrshire.
The M1013 cobot, with its 1.3m reach
radius and 10 kg payload, was
delivered to the company in
September 2020 and was integrated
with a Doosan DNM 350 5AX (5-axis
machine) previously acquired by NPI
from Mills CNC, in 2016. Since being
installed, the cobot has proved its
worth by helping NPI optimise the
DNM 350 5AX’s spindle up-time,
minimising operator interventions and
dramatically improving the machine’s
output.
Background
NPI is a company committed to
continuous improvement and best
practice. As such, it regularly monitors,
collects and analyses machine-tool
performance data, calculating the
effectiveness and efficiency (OEE) of
the equipment it uses. Its objectives are
to accurately identify production ‘pinch
points’, remove and/or reduce the
issues that cause machine downtime
and make manufacturing processes as
productive as possible.
Says NPI’s managing director, Kevin
Priestley: “We invested in a Doosan 5-
axis machine tool in 2016 to help make
us more productive, efficient and
competitive. The ability to machine
precision parts in one set-up, via 3 + 2
and 4 + 1 machining was the appeal,
and the goal.”
However, analysis of the machine’s
performance over a period of time
revealed that it was failing to deliver
the expected results. “It wasn’t the
machine’s fault,” explains Priestley. “It
was directly related to the type of
production work we do, which is
characterised by low volumes and
small batches, and by short part cycle
times.”
As a High Mix - Low Volume (HMLV)
component manufacturer, the DNM
350 5AX could be idle for long periods
each day, to allow for frequent job set-ups
and changeovers to occur.
Priestley comments: “Machines don’t
make money if they are not making
chips. To improve our profitability, we
needed to increase the DNM 350 5AX’s
spindle up-time.”
As a consequence, the company
began to explore automation as a
route to improving the machine’s use
and output.
The automation decision
NPI is no stranger to automation or to
unmanned operations, having
previously invested in high-performance
bar feeders to increase
the productivity and performance of its
CNC turning operations. To increase
the productivity of its DNM 350 5AX
machine, the company explored a
number of automation options before
deciding on the cobot investment.
“There were a number of potential
automation solutions available. We
looked at automatic workpiece pallet-change
systems and industrial robots,
but their cost, floorspace requirements
and complexity ruled them out,” says
Priestley.
NPI required a more economically-viable
and ‘simpler’ solution: one that
could be quickly installed to transform
the DNM 350 5AX into a flexible,
automated manufacturing cell.
“We had investigated collaborative
robot technology,” continues Kevin
Priestley. “The versatility of cobots, in
addition to their safety, their relatively
The company
explored a
number of
automation
options before
deciding on
the cobot
investment
Cobot machine-tending
to improve
productivity
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