Impact at product level
By work process, we primarily mean the loading and unloading of machines, such as CNC lathes, milling machines, wire cutters, etc. These are all valuable machines that have to produce as much as possible. Cellro’s automation solutions are therefore aimed at achieving as many ‘spindle hours’ as possible with your machine park. It is our challenge to configure the most suitable automation application for you. Is Xcelarate, for example, a good solution for you, or is Elevate, Modulerate or Ultimate better suited to the work process in your company? These four products have one thing in common. The hardware offers many flexible possibilities in terms of fixtures, grippers and storage. When making the right choices from the various options, your production process and your products always take centre stage.
Impact in terms of robot cell configuration
The better the automation fits in with your machinery and the work process within your company, the greater and more positive the impact will be. We advise you in compiling the most suitable robot cell configuration, taking into account the CNC machine functionalities. As well as the product mix and desired storage capacity. The modular structure of the robot cells makes Cellro’s automation solutions distinctive. Simplicity is our starting point and an optimal return for your company is our goal.
Impact of good hardware
Which automation for product handling is most suitable for your company depends on various factors. Which machines do you use, what kind of products do you make and in what numbers (series) do you produce certain products? These questions determine the fixture, the type of gripper or grippers to be used and the layout and storage space for the products. Can the product be clamped with the same jaws as those used to clamp the rough part, or do you have multiple zero clamping systems in your machine with clamps for each machining step? Can the same gripper be used for the rough part and the semi-machined part? Or do you need several grippers with different fingers? Is the geometry of the product suitable for automatic turning on the takeover station? The more concrete our hardware is geared to this, the greater the efficiency gains you can make with Cellro’s smart automation.
Impact through smart product storage
Cellro uses a horizontal product carrier in all of its robotic cells. This can be either a drawer or a tray. By storing products on top of each other, a high storage capacity can be achieved in a compact floor space. After all, width costs money, height does not. The inlays ensure that products are stored by the robot in an orderly fashion in the trays. You can use our standard inlays, but you can also create your own inlays to suit products with unique shapes. As long as these have a repetitive character to work from. It is important to determine which inlays and how many drawers or trays you will be able to use to keep your production running unmanned for as long as possible.
Impact on returns
An important question for entrepreneurs is what the impact of automation is in financial terms. What does it cost and what does it give you? We have a calculation module available for this purpose. With it, we can show to what extent the spindle hours increase and the labour costs decrease. In companies that run 24/7, the impact will obviously be the greatest. However, customers who usually work with variabele products in smaller series also indicate that Cellro’s automation solutions significantly increase (sometimes double) their spindle hours. As mentioned earlier, finding the optimal robot cell configuration for automating product handling in your company is the biggest challenge. It is a combination of the right machine, the best fixture, the most suitable gripper(s) and enough well-arranged storage space for your products.
Watch the video here in which product manager Bram de Koning elaborates on all the flexible possibilities with which the hardware of our automation system can be completely attuned to your work process. Or contact us to discuss the possibilities and to calculate the costs and benefits for you.