Increasing Demand Calls for Automation
This company explored automated processes with a robot they previously purchased but had yet to use.
The robot indexes the parts through the nests, loading a blank and unloading a finished part after each machine cycle, and depositing the finished parts onto a conveyor belt.
Glacier Tool and Die in Stevensville, Montana, recently won a defense contract to make the trigger/hammer assembly for the M16. The contract was for 65,000 pieces, with the possibility that the order could increase in volume. Within the first year, the order increased to 485,000 pieces. The additional volume placed a heavy demand on the equipment and the employees. The company quickly realized it needed to find a way to meet production demands, make it easier on the operators and reduce the overall cost per part.
To find out how Glacier explored automated processes with a robot they previously purchased but had yet to use, and you missed this article in the September issue of PM, read “Fast ROI Convinces Shop to Add Robotic Automation” online here.
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