In the midst of worker shortages and social distancing guidelines, many industrial processing facilities have struggled to meet their customer’s demands for quality parts.
In response, they are turning to an obvious opportunity–automating their lines with robotics.
Unlike human workers, robots never call in sick and they never have to social distance, ensuring they’re on the job whenever needed. Plus, technological advancements have helped robots gain a reputation across a number of industries for being consistent and reliable.
If you’re suffering from a lack of workers, maybe it’s time you consider automating your own processes.
Robotics
Robots have gotten a bad rap because many believe they put good people out of work.
This is simply untrue. Robots aren’t taking people’s jobs. They’re helping companies accomplish menial, repetitive and dangerous tasks while putting qualified, hardworking humans into better opportunities elsewhere in the organization.
This allows the company to enjoy a better return on investment (ROI) across the entire company. The robot does a repetitive job no one really wants, and human workers become valuable assets elsewhere.
In the industrial processing industry, robots can accomplish a wide variety of tasks.
For example, many industrial processors buy their materials as metal sheets cut to size, rather than coils. At the facility, workers either handload or use lifters to feed the sheets into the press, and then move them to the next phase of the process. With today’s technology, a robot could do that without any human assistance. As mentioned before, you can then move that worker into a better position elsewhere in the company.
In regard to capabilities, the possibilities are growing. With advancements in programming, robotic functionality and end of arm tooling (EOAT), robots can accomplish more tasks than ever before. Robots can pick up, move and manipulate metal sheets and parts to position them for the next stage in the process. They can “learn” which way to hold the sheets and when to set them down and adjust their hold. They can cut and weld pieces apart or together. They can also package parts and finished product and palletize the product.
And because they never call in sick or have an off day, your organization will experience a very quick ROI with less downtime.
Other Industrial Processing Automations
When it comes to automating processes, you have more options than just robotics.
For example, if you use metal coil instead of sheets, you can automate the entire process all the way to the press without using robots.
It starts with the coil payout reel, which regulates how fast the coil unspools. The coil goes into the straightener. If the straightener is powered, its motors regulate the speed at which the rollers pull the metal through. From there, the coil goes into the loop and then into the feeder. If the straightener is unpowered, the feeder pulls the metal through the straightener. The feeder runs the metal into either the press or the cut-to-length machine, depending on your product needs.
And that entire process can be tied together and performed effortlessly with little-to-no human assistance.
At Press Room Equipment, we tailor solutions that can automate your process from the coil to the press. On top of that, we have team members who specialize in designing automated solutions, and we partner with industry-leading robotics manufacturers to integrate robotics into your line.
From combating labor shortages to keeping your workers safe to increasing production and reducing downtime, automation offers a number of opportunities.
All automation projects start with asking questions about what can be done to improve your process. Which process has multiple people doing repetitive tasks? Where is the congestion?
This is where we can help.
Contact our sales specialists now to start the conversation. We take a consulting approach focused on your goals, processes and pain points. We’ll work with you to determine what solutions would help you best and design the machines and processes you need. We’ll give you an estimated ROI and develop a 3D simulation to show you the “new” line, along with proposed cycle times. We can even perform live testing to help ensure robotics a good fit for your line, if that’s the path you’re interested in pursuing.
Start the process now by contacting our sales specialists at 417.864.3636.