AddisonMckee's Fully Automated Workcell Solutions Reduce Labor Costs for Global Exhaust Manufacture
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In today's fast-paced global economy, automotive component manufacturers face greater challenges than ever before. Shorter product life cycles, enhanced product quality expectations, and pressures to decrease production costs, are causing companies to seek out greater efficiencies, higher standards and lower expenditure along the supply chain.
Indeed, as the car and truck exhaust manufacturing sector increasingly searches for greater precision and efficiency in production, world-leading tube bending and end-forming technology specialists, AddisonMckee, have seen a considerable upsurge in interest around their fully automated complete workcell solutions.
Due to this rising demand for automated solutions, early in 2007 AddisonMckee launched a dedicated workcell automation team - a unit which has already delivered five fully automated cells and over $1.0 million in segregated automation revenue in its first year of existence.
Highest levels of automation
A typical example of the high levels of automation that AddisonMckee is able to achieve is aptly illustrated by the recent design, development and delivery of a complete automated solution for a global truck exhaust manufacturer.
Developed for the bending of large diameter, thin-wall tubing for truck exhaust components, the workcell solution provided by AddisonMckee is capable of 1D bending of various grades of mild and aluminized stainless steel tubing up to 150mm (six inches) in diameter, with wall thickness as thin as 1.65mm (65 thousands of an inch).
A typical AddisonMckee automated manufacturing cell may consist of:
o AddisonMckee 'DataBend' all-electric tube bending machine(s)
o A tube roll-down rack (for tube delivery) with seam detector (for correct tube orientation)
o A patented AddisonMckee bend-tool change solution
o AddisonMckee 'FormMaster' tube parting endforming machine(s)
o Fanuc R-2000iB 165kg capacity robot(s)
o A 'pin stamp' tube marking station
o An exit conveyor and cell master control unit
Unique patented bend-tool change process
AddisonMckee's automated manufacturing process starts with the company's unique patented bend-tool change solution, which utilizes a four-station tool change turntable. This capability was specially developed for truck exhaust manufacturers requiring frequent tool change due to relatively short production runs.
Whenever a tool change is required, the program triggers the robot to automatically complete the tool change operation. Embedded within each tool set is a read/write chip enabling the tool change turntable to recognize which tool is in each location.
Automatic seam detection
With the correct tools in place in the bend die, the robot moves to the automated roll-down rack. Tubes roll into place, the seam detection device orients each weld seam into the same position; the robot picks up the next tube from the detector and loads it into the bender.
Once loaded, the bender bends the specific component, utilizing the accuracy and control AddisonMckee machinery is renowned for. By utilizing a 'stick or serpentine' bending process, multiple parts can be bent from one tube with minimal scrap and labor.
Pin stamp marking, trimming and end-forming
Once the bending process is complete, the robot transfers the bent tube to the 'pin stamp' marking system for identification marking with both part number and serial number.
The robot then positions and holds the bent/marked component while tube trimming and parting end-forming operations are completed. All finished components are then exited via conveyor ready for any other forming requirements.
Comments AddisonMckee Director of Global Marketing, Christian Rogiers, "The AddisonMckee name has always been renowned for the highest levels of tube forming controllability, repeatability, reliability, efficiency and accuracy. Through our fully automated workcell solutions, we are now taking efficiency to new heights, with fully integrated solutions that are not only fast and reliable, but offer the flexibility necessary to produce multiple component types with minimum tool change times and an absolute minimum of valuable tube waste."
About AddisonMckee
2007 winners of The Manufacturer magazine's World-Class Manufacturing Award - a prestigious award based on an organization's ability to benchmark, examine and make continuous improvements in all aspects of its operations - AddisonMckee is globally renowned for the design, manufacture and supply of some of the world's finest tube bending and end forming technologies - for increasingly complex automotive, aviation, truck and shipbuilding requirements.
In addition, AddisonMckee also offers highly innovative tube measuring solutions, tube perforation, piercing and louvring technologies, hydraulic press machinery, muffler assembly solutions, plant automation and complete workcell integration.
In addition to these capabilities, a whole range of tooling and accessory options are also provided, as are comprehensive maintenance and service contracts, training and education programs and financial services. Where applicable, AddisonMckee is also able to offer customers the opportunity of machine rebuilds, refurbishment, upgrades and trade-ins.
From its state-of-the-art manufacturing centers in the USA, United Kingdom, Canada and China, AddisonMckee is committed to providing rapid solutions to market and also regularly assists clients in product prototyping, parts development, small production runs and pre-production sample development.
AddisonMckee is principally owned by WHI Capital Partners (WHICP), a Chicago-based private equity group that invests in middle market, industry-leading companies with solid financial fundamentals and proven management teams. WHICP is an affiliate of William Harris Investors, Inc., a family-based asset management firm founded by Irving B. Harris in 1987.
For further information please contact:
Rachel Jones - BHL Marketing
E-mail: rachel@bhlmarketing.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1244 851850
Fax: +44 (0) 1244 851888
Christian Rogiers - AddisonMckee
E-mail: crogiers@addisonmckee.com
Tel: +1 513 228 7076
Fax: +1 513 228 7226
