Case Study: Automation Systems Design

Automation Systems Design for Complex Part

Company Overview

  • Industry leader manufacturing complex, high production turned parts
  • $40+ million business

Client Need

  • Company is manufacturing a low margin, legacy part with complex feature to maintain relationship with good standing customer
  • Part is high-volume and due to complex feature required manual station
  • To meet demand manual station required four full-time, skilled operators working across two shifts
  • Company considered several options internally, but options failed to meet required cycle time without significant investment

G90 Engineering Solutions

  • Company had limited CapEx budget for project and wanted to repurpose unused hardware for cost saving opportunity
  • G90 designed automation system using existing hardware coupled with robotics that met cycle time and was well within project budget
  • Automation system included following features:
    • Modularity to allow for use anywhere in plant
    • Allowance for additional stations as needed in future
    • Visual inspection to allow for 100% automated inspection and rejection

Project Results

  • Automation system reduced labor time and labor costs by 85%, which allowed highly skilled operators to be redeployed to higher margin parts with greater complexity
  • Labors saving resulted in ROI of 375% over 5 year period
  • System designed to anticipate any future business or customer changes