Rising output by 50% with out including flooring area sounds unrealistic for many producers.
That was the precise goal contained in the manufacturing facility of Beyerdynamic, a German producer {of professional} audio gear and headphones. Management set a four-year plan: increase manufacturing unit productiveness by 50% whereas sustaining the identical footprint and defending strict high quality requirements.
No new constructing.
No compromise on acoustic precision.
No workforce discount.
Right here’s how collaborative robotic automation made it doable.
The manufacturing problem: Enhance productiveness in the identical area
The bottleneck was a glue spraying software used to refine headphone loudspeakers acoustically.
Beforehand, expert operators manually utilized a medium instantly onto the speaker membrane utilizing a brush. Whereas exact, the method launched:
- Variability in software thickness
- Inconsistent high quality outcomes
- Restricted cycle time enhancements
- Ergonomic and security considerations
Handbook processes usually develop into the limiting issue when producers purpose to scale manufacturing in constrained environments.
The staff recognized two automation alternatives:
- Dealing with the welded loudspeaker
- Spraying the acoustic medium
Collaborative robots shortly turned the popular resolution because of their flexibility, compact footprint, and ease of integration.
The automation resolution: collaborative robots with built-in imaginative and prescient
The corporate chosen two UR5 collaborative robots from Common Robots to construct a synchronized robotic cell.
To unravel half dealing with challenges, they built-in:
Why imaginative and prescient techniques matter in manufacturing automation
One common problem in manufacturing is an element place variance. Elements hardly ever arrive in precisely the identical orientation.
On this case:
- Welded loudspeakers had been positioned throughout the digital camera’s area of view.
- The imaginative and prescient system acknowledged the speaker geometry.
- The gripper picked and positioned it exactly.
Engineers didn’t have to manually calculate coordinates. As an alternative, they bodily guided the robotic to show positions. The plug-and-play integration decreased programming time and simplified deployment.
This mixture of collaborative robots, robotic grippers, and built-in imaginative and prescient enabled dependable selecting of non-uniformly positioned elements — a standard barrier to automation adoption.
Coordinated robotic cell for dealing with and spraying
As soon as the primary robotic positioned the loudspeaker onto a fixture, the second UR5 started the spraying course of.
The automated sequence included:
- Even software of the acoustic medium
- Alternating spraying between two fixtures
- Automated placement of accomplished audio system into trays
- Steady coordination between each robots
The consequence was a totally synchronized robotic cell performing dealing with, spraying, and staging operations.
Preliminary integration required refinement, notably round spray precision and multi-robot timing. Nonetheless, steady optimization considerably improved cycle instances.
Measurable outcomes: 50% manufacturing enhance and 50% high quality enchancment
Manufacturing formally started in July.
With the identical three staff assigned to the station, the corporate achieved:
- 50% enhance in manufacturing quantity
- 50% enchancment in high quality index
- Extra secure and repeatable course of efficiency
- Lowered variability in acoustic medium software
Constant robotic spraying eradicated fluctuations inherent in handbook brushing. Output supply instances improved whereas sustaining strict high quality requirements.
Importantly, the manufacturing unit footprint remained unchanged.
For producers trying to find methods to extend manufacturing with out increasing services, this case demonstrates how collaborative robotic automation can unlock hidden capability.
Human-robot collaboration in manufacturing
Profitable automation just isn’t solely technical; it’s cultural.
Management prioritized communication early within the venture. Workers had been invited to take part within the pilot program to cut back worry and encourage collaboration.
Operators had been educated to:
- Begin and monitor the robots
- Troubleshoot points
- Restart techniques independently
As an alternative of performing repetitive glue software, expert staff shifted towards higher-value duties the place human experience provides higher affect.
This method displays a broader manufacturing development: automation reallocates human expertise slightly than changing it.
Key takeaways
This case highlights a number of essential classes for producers evaluating manufacturing unit automation:
- Collaborative robots allow manufacturing will increase with out increasing flooring area
- Built-in imaginative and prescient techniques clear up half place variability
- Plug-and-play grippers simplify deployment
- Human-robot collaboration improves workforce utilization
- Measurable ROI may be achieved by way of course of stability
For producers going through area constraints, high quality calls for, and stress to extend throughput, collaborative robotic cells present a sensible, scalable path ahead.
The transformation inside Beyerdynamic reveals that important productiveness features are doable — even throughout the identical partitions.
