How We Leverage Automation
How We Leverage Automation to Improve Efficiency and Quality in Our Precision Machine Shop
Due in large part to the ongoing manufacturing labor shortage, precision machine shops are increasingly turning to automated solutions to sustain and grow their production capacity.
Here at Arbiser Machine, we’ve strategically implemented automation throughout our shop to boost efficiency and ensure consistency in everything we do. These optimizations translate to more affordable, higher-quality parts for our valued customers.
There are three key ways we leverage automation in our shop.
1. Pallet Systems and Specialized Tooling
Pallet systems allow us to move precision parts seamlessly from one machine to another without having to reconfigure the parts for each separate operation.
This process is not fully automated, as a team member is still required to transfer the pallet from machine to machine. Automation comes into play when the part enters the next machine in the sequence, aligns itself, and runs through the machine without further human intervention.
By facilitating a workflow that enables us to machine parts at high volumes with minimal employee monitoring, pallet systems take our manufacturing services to the next level.
For example, when performing wire EDM services, we use System 3R tooling to complete operations with a high degree of automation, leveraging lights out manufacturing for the majority of the wire EDM process.
2. Automated CMM Inspection
Our pallet systems yield further efficiencies when used in combination with our automated coordinate measuring machines (CMM) and fixturing we 3D print in-house.
If we need to inspect 100 parts that have just come off one of our wire EDM machines, for instance, we can quickly load the parts in the pallet using our fixtures, load the pallet into the CMM, press go, and walk away.
When the process is complete, voilà: we have all the data we need一including an individual quality report for each part!
3. Auto-Generated Quality Control Documents
Automation doesn’t just optimize our machining and inspection processes; it also optimizes our rigorous document control processes.
When we begin an order, our first step is to auto-generate a traveler (also known as a router) that contains all the necessary information about a part (e.g., materials, revisions, drawings, tooling requirements, order of operations) and accompanies that part throughout the manufacturing process.
We also include a quality control checklist in every traveler. This checklist ensures that we’ve dotted every i and crossed every t during production so that no detail falls through the cracks.
While this level of reporting may seem like overkill, we’d rather err on the side of caution when it comes to manufacturing critical parts. The last thing we want to do is miss an important detail and manufacture your part incorrectly, which is easy to do in the early stages of a project without adequate documentation.
Improving Efficiency and Quality with Automation
Embracing automation in all areas of our business empowers us to get parts to our customers more quickly and cost-effectively while ensuring the highest level of quality.
Request a quote to begin your project with Georgia’s best precision machine shop today.