Machine shops seeking a more cost-effective method of CNC-machining should look to automation as a potential solution – and timing is everything.

Professionals in the automated CNC machining field suggest that automation can improve quality of machined parts, decrease setup time, stop fluctuations in production rates and raise the average percentage of functional machine tools in a shop from 65 percent to more than 85 percent.

However, before making the move to automation there are a few things to consider. First, the machining process selected for automation should be a reliable one from the onset in order to ensure the quality of automatically machined parts. Second, in order to ensure that the switch to automation will be cost effective, the price of automating each spindle should be less than $50,000 or about 50 percent of the cost of a spindle.

As the technology becomes more affordable, robotic vision seems to be the next frontier for CNC automation. One day soon, perhaps, machines equipped with vision technology will be able to guide themselves rather than having to rely on a fixture that holds a part to be machined in a specific orientation so that robots know where to pick it up. This will make it possible for operators to place an object on a conveyor within an accuracy of one inch and the robotic arm will seek, acquire and grip the part for loading.

Source: CNC Robotics and Automation: Knowing When to Say “When”
Dan Barbera
MMS Online
http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/mtg0004.html