Expert automation advice

Mike Wilson (pictured), with over 30 years' experience and who has been president of the British Automation and Robot Association for the past 15 years, claims both user and supplier side understanding of automation, having worked for British Leyland, installing robots before moving on to robot technology suppliers: Motoman, then Fanuc Robotics (where he became managing director) and then on to head up robot welding vision specialist Meta Vision, before finally going independent in 2003. He has subsequently worked with Dutch systems integrator Ferdar Automation and was also president of the International Federation of Robotics from 2000 to 2003. His business partner is David Bradford, who has been involved with robots and automation since 1983, first with ESAB, Stevenage, then ASEA, from 1985, before moving to RTS to form an industrial robot division and subsequently becoming managing director. The pair set up the Automation Advisory Service towards the end of last year. "The name of our company was chosen carefully. We wanted it to be recognised as an authoritative, impartial organisation, because there are very few sources of impartial expert advice. Most sources are equipment suppliers and so are focused on their own solutions," explains Mr Wilson. Both individuals had previously worked with the government-backed Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) to promote the take-up of automation, but found that while MAS was good at delivering lean and Six Sigma help to SMEs, the organisation does not have automation experience, while the application of automation within SMEs was not a specific driver in MAS' own success measures, either. As Mr Wilson explains: "I spent three years with BARA talking to MAS organisations around the country and some individuals did take the message on board, but the government announcement (see linked feature) has helped that and will affect how MAS addresses the need to automate in the future." But in defending MAS' focus on lean and Six Sigma he agrees that automation without proper organisation first may not be best. "Automation is a logical extension of what MAS does. Once they have done everything they can do, automation is the next step. But without organisation, you'll struggle to make automation work." And the pair continues to work with MAS, mostly in the West Midlands but also more widely, with the organisation helping to identify companies that may have a requirement for automation. Automation technology providers are also working with the company. "They do not see us a threat, quite the contrary," says Mr Wilson. Automation Advisory Services is also making contacts through the Engineering and Machinery Alliance (EAMA), which has a number of member organisations, including manufacturing technology representative organisation the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA). (EAMA was involved in the Automation Study that lead to the government funding – see linked feature; also full report link below). But Mr Bradford identifies what he sees as the key issue for SMEs. "What I found while at RTS and before is that the automotive industry, for example, is very good at coming up with detailed specifications of what they want and good at assessing what is required. A lot of food companies and small SMEs really need help in defining what their specification is and so that they give their supplier a chance to bid fairly against their needs. I am very keen on getting a decent user requirement specification (URS) produced so that potential bidders can come up with the right solution. Even in the short time we've operating, we have identified a number of sensible opportunities that companies didn't know how to specify." So, what are the targets for automation? Well, value adding tasks such as fettling, grinding, deburring and welding are all cited, but machine tending, load/unload, is also a large area and one where we are well behind others in Europe, offers Mr Wilson. And while machine tending is essentially non-value-adding, it can have health and efficiency benefits and can support extended unmanned running. Indeed, he cites Renishaw's RAMTEC system (automated loading of VMCs to support both turning and milling), which has been in operation for many years, while subcontractor Wines Medical of Sevenoaks, Kent is another heavy user of machine tending automation highlighted, using the manned shifts for short batch runs and the night for longer ones (see also box item). "The EAMA Automation Study [see linked article here and PDF download below] looks at the engineered products sector in Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK four countries. In the eight years to 2008, German productivity grew more than double that of the UK. German industry grew output and kept more people employed. Automation was a major factor," says BARA's president. "We have to compete with these countries, otherwise our industries will continue to decline. There ought to be more people taking the kind of route that Renishaw and Wines Medical take." So there is definitely an opportunity within UK SMEs, the automation experts believe, but there are problems. "Lack of awareness is one, with people just not understanding what can be done; believing that robots are expensive is another; furthermore, they don't necessarily understand how easy it might be to automate; while they have no real idea of how to get from where they are now to a working solution, because they don't know how to produce the specification - it's outside their experience, while they are also too busy making stuff to make profit today. That is where we come in, to give temporary support to implement the steps," the pair says. Indeed, in many circumstances, it is the automation supplier that writes the specification, which clearly means the design will be bias towards their particular offering, while ownership of the solution and related knowledge typically remains with that supplier. Mr Bradford also highlights a supply side issue. "Lots of SMEs look at automation and have small batch runs. When the supply base is confronted with those opportunities, it considers it small beer and goes where there is a greater chance of a sale. But if you put a bit of effort into combining product types and come up with flexible solutions, you can justify automation. It takes a little more work and a bit more real world experience to decide what to group, but it might reveal some opportunities and applications that are being ignored. The combination of robots with vision, for example, could provide a solution and this technology combination is no longer an expensive development project but more or less a standard tool." So how does the Automation Advisory Service work? "Some companies have a specific target, but for those that don't, we would go in and walk around the factory with engineers or manufacturing staff to try to identify places where automation could be applied," says Mr Wilson. Following this, the automation experts will write a report identifying opportunities and proposing how these might be developed. In addition, they'll identify the initial concept, generate a budget price, look at the justification, and then write detailed specification and identify potential suppliers. In addition, support during the tender process, including helping to select a supplier, and then project managing the entire thing are also possible. "But we would work in partnership, helping companies to do it themselves, so they develop their expertise at the same time," offers Mr Wilson. And Mr Bradford adds: "Not every company we have visited so far offers an opportunity, while in other cases they have existing automation, perhaps home-grown, which they could get more out of." The new company already has projects underway, the first about to come to completion. But the word is spreading and calls are increasing, it is reported. And with the government's £600,000 funding expected to support independent technical advice rather than cash hand-outs for investment, the phone is likely to start ringing more. Financing automation Automation in action Box item 1 Financing automation Automation can be part of a machine tool installation that might collectively attract lease financing, as is a common approach for SMEs, but what about stand-alone automation? Can lease finance be obtained for this? Mr Wilson says yes. It wouldn't have been available a few years ago, he says, but there are some companies that will do so and he is able to put companies in touch with them. "And with a five-year lease, companies can make savings from day one, as they are only paying for the automation in instalments." Box item 2 Automation in action [] Burnley subcontractor BCW Engineering has opted for 'standard' automation and retrofitted an Iemca gantry robot loading system from 1st MTA to a twin-spindle Biglia CNC chucking lathe supplied in 2008 by Whitehouse Machine Tools. As a result, productivity has increased by up to 50% compared with when billets were loaded and unloaded manually; and labour costs have been reduced significantly. Image: Automating this Biglia lathe has paid dividends for BCW Engineering Based on these factors, BCW's operations director, Trevor Cassie, calculates that the Iemca billet loader paid for itself within 10 months. Indeed, it was just this rapid payback that prompted the subcontractor to invest in a second, identical automated production cell, which was installed in 2009. This time, the Biglia B565YS mill-turn centre and Iemca Automata 2.5 robot loader were supplied by Whitehouse as a turnkey facility. A third cell is planned for 2011, which will mimic the original in that 1st MTA will supply the billet loader and retrofit it to a Biglia chucker already in use at BCW. A dozen variants of steel (EN32) bodies and sleeves for diesel and gas engine valve rotator assemblies are produced in the automated turning cells at BCW. Body and sleeve diameters vary from 25 mm up to 150 mm and at the larger end of the range, billets for the bodies weigh over 1.5 kg. Repetitive manual lifting of these heavier components and clamping them in a lathe chuck, while not contravening HSE guidelines, is nevertheless arduous and worthwhile eliminating through the introduction of robotic handling. "Capital investment in bar automatics is reasonable for lathes capable of turning up to 50 mm diameter stock, but machines of larger bar capacity tend to be very expensive," explains Mr Cassie. "Automating chuckers, using robotic gantry loading, is the most economical way of achieving similar levels of productivity for larger turned parts and we have been delighted with how well it has worked for us." Availability of the cells is high, with 120 hours running per week routinely achieved – over 70% of available time. Cycles times are between 2.5 and 6 minutes floor-to-floor, depending on component size and process capability is high – Cpk of 1.67 is achieved, equating to three faulty parts per million and dictating that ±0.017 mm be held where the drawing tolerance states ±0.05 mm. Optical laser-based sensors from Micro-Epsilon are playing a vital role in inspecting the quality of manufactured pulleys. The high speed and high resolution of the sensor enables the tip diameter of the pulleys to be measured accurately and rapidly in two planes. [] A system to automatically measure pulleys has been developed by measurement technology service provider QS-Grimm. Pulleys often need to operate in applications where high torques and rotational speeds are present, and any deviations in the geometrical dimensions of the pulley during manufacture can very quickly lead to defects in the shaft bearings during operation. Dimensional stability and centricity are therefore critical quality factors. This is why pulleys need to be tested thoroughly after they are manufactured. QS-Grimm has developed a special-purpose measuring system for inspecting the quality of manufactured pulleys, with several testing stations installed to inspect the quality criteria of manufactured pulleys. These measuring stations each comprise four optoCONTROL 2500 optical micrometers supplied by Micro-Epsilon. These sensors measure the geometrical dimensions and verify the diameter of the pulleys in two locations. Two sensors each record the tip diameter on a plane to the left and right of the pulley. Due to their ability to rapidly evaluate the measurement data in one plane, the diameter of the tip can be determined accurately to a resolution of 0.1 micron. [] Ecotile, a manufacturer and distributor of interlocking floor tiles, has fully automated its manufacturing process using a single Fanuc Robotics robot working between two Sumitomo (SHI) DEMAG injection moulding presses. Using advanced gripper design from systems integrator Hi-Tech Automation has allowed Ecotile to overcome handling issues associated with flexible PVC. Two years ago, Ecotile made the decision to begin manufacturing tiles which it had previously imported since 1995. High Euro exchange rates, lack of flexibility in design and colour options together with a desire to have greater control over quality and margins were all drivers to begin manufacturing in the UK. Overall the manufacturing cell has provided many benefits for Ecotile and its customers, explains operations manager Michael Ollivere: "We can now run batches of any size, colour or design and the robot provides a consistently high quality product. The system has an 60 second mould cycle and operates 24/5. If required we have the ability to run the system for a full lights out shift – for example unmanned and lights out over a weekend.