Donnelly Custom Manufacturing is a leader in short-run injection molding of thermoplastics for industrial OEMs. To quickly switch between tasks and handle different objects, the company sought a cost-effective automated solution. A new collaborative robot can shift to a new task in a matter of minutes as the production line changes. At its facility in Alexandria, Minn., Donnelly has deployed two robots (Rethink Robotics) on the manufacturing floor to perform duties that are often time-consuming and repetitive, but must be performed without error. The facility is equipped to handle more than 13,000 mold changeovers per year, including multiple changes per…
The system integration landscape has completely transformed in the last decade, and the pace of innovation will only increase. Heightened demands from consumers and business partners alike have driven rapid adoption of automation and software in the materials handling and logistics space as companies strive to overcome the limitations of legacy systems and methods. The complexity of the modern fulfillment system and broader supply chain pose significant challenges to end-users and solution providers, both of which can no longer afford to remain complacent in their processes and performance. Aside from constant change, it’s uncertain what the future holds. As a…
A large North American paperboard converting plant wanted to enhance its ability to produce mixed loads to send directly to retail locations. Amid SKU growth and increased demand, the company refurbished, relocated and expanded its existing robotic unitizing system to meet present and future needs. Installed seven years prior, the original five-aisle, robotic unitizing system used five Fanuc robots for centralized unitizing of caseloads. When the system was powered down before relocation, data reported that the robots had traveled up and down the rails the equivalent of 121,000 miles, averaging about 10 miles a day as they scanned, organized, separated…
Products from Intelligrated, Fetch Robotics and RAM Mounts received Innovation Awards during the Industry Night celebration at Modex on Wednesday. The recipients of the 4th annual MHI Innovation Awards were among 95 total applicants narrowed to 12 finalists in three categories: Best New Innovation, Best Innovation of an Existing Product and – new this year – Best IT Innovation. Intelligrated won Best Innovation of an Existing Product for its Intellisort cross-belt sorter with dynamic discharge compensation, which uses an algorithm and vision system to determine the most accurate discharge trajectory based upon the product’s location on the belt, its dimensions,…
Clearpath Robotics (Booth 3771) unveiled the OTTO 100 autonomous self-driving vehicle in a press conference on Tuesday. Ideal for light-load material transport in congested factories and warehouses, the vehicle is a scaled-down version of the company’s OTTO 1500 for heavy-load, pallet-based material transport, said Matt Rendall, CEO. “As we worked with more customers, we saw an opportunity to support depalletized, case-load transports within a facility,” he said. “Having the smaller, lighter payload vehicle option gives facilities and end-to-end solution.” What’s unique about the self-driving unit—which handles up to 220-pound loads at speeds up to 4.5 mph—is that it navigates without…
Located outside Nashville in Fairview, Tenn., Scott Fetzer Electrical Group (SFEG) is a manufacturer of a range of electrical motors and components. As a high-mix, low-volume producer, the company was challenged to automate lines that are not always running. As an alternative to more costly, fixed industrial robots, the company deployed a fleet of collaborative mobile robots to automate monotonous and repetitive tasks. “We wanted to build a mobile, flexible robot workforce,” says Matthew Bush, director of operations at SFEG. “The only way we would accomplish this was with a collaborative robot. It’s got the speed and precision of a…
Market research and consulting firm IDC has released its annual list of manufacturing supply chain predictions, which highlight the growing urgency to innovate. The IDC FutureScape provides IDC Manufacturing Insights’ top 10 predictions for global supply chains for 2016. The document reflects ongoing conversations between IDC analysts and technology vendors, consultants, and IT buyers about what the coming years will hold for companies in the manufacturing industry. Among them is a prediction that by the end of 2016 one-third of all manufacturers will be actively integrating their “traditional” supply chain processes with product and network design, manufacturing, and service. “The…
A leader in custom manufacturing for outdoor power equipment, Standby Screw Machine Products is a third-generation company founded in 1939. To reduce the costs of repetitive tasks, the company deployed collaborative robots that are still flexible enough to quickly adapt to new parts and products. In Standby Screw’s Berea, Ohio, factory, a robotic cell produces more than one million parts per year, cleaning and packaging cylindrical gears used in lawnmowers. One collaborative, two-armed robot is fed parts from a traditional caged industrial robot, and, using both arms, moves the parts into a slot to clean the machine oil before placing…
Amid rapid advances and adoption of robotic technology in materials handling, it can be hard to keep up with all the tipping points. Grippers, vision systems, navigation solutions and software are combining to make once fantastical robotic applications all but inevitable. But, even as they offer solutions to age-old challenges, concepts like robotic piece picking are also bound to present sizable tests. When it comes to piece picking, humans have the advantage of highly dexterous manipulation, versatile product identification and intuitive decision-making. Robots offer consistency and predictability, but they will need greater speed and flexibility to keep up with the…
