Based in Dorset, Electro Mechanical Systems (EMS) is a supplier of small DC motors and linear actuators. Equipped with the latest CNC machine tools and a dedicated gear cutting suite, EMS manufactures bespoke actuation systems for a range of industries. In order to boost output and keep production running after working hours, EMS has deployed a Universal Robots collaborative robot (cobot) from UK-based automation distributor RARUK Automation.
The Challenge
Following a large investment in a gear hobbing machine, the EMS production team were looking for a way to maximise the machine’s output and therefore achieve the best possible value from the investment. Pete Daly, Production Engineer at EMS, explains:
“The Affolter gear hobbing machine was a substantial capital investment for us; to maximise our return on the investment, we considered various ways of increasing production outside of the normal working hours. A cobot was the best solution.”
Automating the process of feeding blank parts into the Affolter machine would optimise the productivity and efficiency of the cell.
The Solution
Having made the decision to automate with a collaborative robot, EMS looked into a range of solutions on the market and ultimately chose a UR5e from Universal Robots, supplied by UR+ Platinum Partner RARUK Automation.
“After obtaining quotes from several cobot suppliers, the decision to go with UR was based on ease of use and programming, the support offered and price.” Daly says.
Universal Robots 6 axis robot arms are designed to work safely alongside human operators, with a range of reach and payload capacities available depending on the cobot model. These robots are popular due to their ease-of-use and flexibility to be re-deployed to suit production needs.
In order to ensure that the automation process went as smoothly as possible, EMS conducted in-house testing and 3D modelling before the cobot was installed.
“From receipt of cobot to shop floor implementation was around 2 months.” Explains Daly. “The reason for this was, we built a replica of the machine loading system in our R&D lab to test different methods and smooth out any potential issues. The whole setup was then installed on the machine.”
