Automation: the answer to the plasma cutting labor shortage

Transition your manual and labor-intensive processes to automation 

Today, many companies are exploring automation, especially companies in industries being hit hard by the skilled labor shortage. This webinar reviews manual processes that are best suited for automation, the key steps and considerations to take when transitioning manual processes to automated processes, and how to ensure you get the most out of your robotic investment. 

Market overview

The skilled labor force is shrinking, in part because many older workers are choosing early retirement without adding new, younger workers to the labor market. There are over 300,000 skilled labor jobs currently open, and the price of skilled labor is rising. According to Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction industry will need to attract an estimated 546,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2023 to meet the demand for labor in 2024.

Finding skilled workers will continue to be a challenge, and automation can help companies stay competitive despite having fewer workers. Automating manual processes reduces the need for some skilled workers while improving working conditions for remaining workers, making them less likely to quit.

Why automate?

The shortage of labor for dirty and dangerous jobs is even worse than the overall skilled labor shortage. Automation reduces workplace injuries and eliminates some hazardous jobs that workers do not want to do. For example, finding someone to hang on the side of the building and clean windows is becoming more difficult. Companies can automate that process to avoid having workers work in dangerous conditions, reducing workplace injuries and lowering insurance costs.

Automation also delivers better results. In industries like plasma cutting and manufacturing, automation produces higher quality parts with consistent and repeatable results. Humans make mistakes and are not able to exactly repeat manual processes or repetitive tasks. Automated processes are consistent, repeatable, and not subject to human error.

The supply chain shocks of 2020 and beyond forced many manufacturers to move manufacturing closer to customers. Automation helps companies stay competitive by lowering manufacturing costs and increasing manufacturing speed, enabling companies to combat supply shortages and eliminate shipping issues by producing goods closer to customers.

Manual processes ideal for automatio

Material handling

Moving products from manufacturing to end user often requires several steps. Each time a person touches a product, it drives up the costs, whether the product is moved in a factory, distribution center, or into, out of, or within a building.

An automated guided vehicle (AGV) works autonomously, transporting goods and materials through manufacturing facilities, warehouses, and distribution centers without a driver or operator. Shifting from having individuals pick up and move products to using automated machines to move them can significantly reduce costs and increase efficiency, enabling faster delivery of goods.

Material removal and cutting

The shortage of skilled labor is driving companies to automate material removal and cutting. The jobs require skilled labor to ensure quality control, and some of these jobs are challenging and difficult to fill. Once you automate, you have a repeatable process that delivers the same part every time, providing better quality control than with manual processes.

Welding

Many welding processes are perfect for automation. There is shortage of skilled welders and demand for higher production rates. The cost of welding cells has come down a lot, especially for simple welding cells, so it is cost effective to move from manual processes to automated processes, even for small batch jobs.

Using a robot integrator to help you automate

A robot integrator’s job is to design and build an automated system that is a winning investment for your company. A qualified integrator is a good resource for companies that don’t have the in-house engineering bandwidth or experience in automation. The integrator augments the company’s team.

A good integrator will save time and money while decreasing risk. Every company’s process is different, but the best project outcomes derive from good collaboration and communication between the integrator and their customer. The integrator has the robotics experience, but the customer is the expert in their manufacturing processes. 

Key project requirements to automate a manual process

Implementing a robotic system only makes sense if the new system achieves all your goals for improving efficiency, quality, safety, or cost reductions.

 

1. Process requirements – what are we trying to accomplish?

   • Common goals are improved cycle times, production rates, quality, repeatability, or safety improvements.

   • Goals are guided by engineering and production.

   • Most companies are automating an existing manual process that has room for future expansion or improvement.

2. Implementation – do we have what we need to accomplish it?

   • Is there room for the automated system?

   • Is it easy to use, and easy to program, with a good user interface?

   • Can it be easily serviced by maintenance teams?

   • The implementation is guided by supervisors and maintenance teams.

   • The new robotic system typically fits in the current floorspace and is easy for staff to operate with minimal training.

3. Return-on-Investment – how do we pay for it?

   • ROI usually comes from decreased labor costs, increased uptime and output, decreased waste, improved quality, and decreased energy consumption.

   • ROI measurements are guided by management.

   • The typical automation project ROI is 1-3 years in labor savings alone.

 

You should not implement a robotic system if the ROI can’t be quantified. The best outcomes come from good collaboration with all these stakeholders.

Robot selection

Selecting the right robot that fits all the company’s requirements is the integrator’s job. The integrator can do a simulation study to determine if the reach of the robot works and a cycle time study to determine if it fits the production cycle required.

When looking at more difficult applications like milling, grinding, and polishing, you are looking at process forces, so the integrator needs to be sure the process won’t overload the robot. When you have part tolerances to deal with, they need to be sure the robot system or the application itself is suitable for the tolerance. The integrator has to consider environmental conditions as well. You may need to protect the robot itself from the spray of chemicals, water, or even the equipment within the cell.

Mitigating risk

When you are trying to reduce your project risk, it is crucial to understand your process and the part requirements for the product you are trying to make. Sometimes you can change the part tolerance to keep your costs down. Often, the manual process is not held to a tight tolerance but you get a part drawing that has a super tight tolerance. While it may be necessary, you can save some money by opening up the tolerance.

When you migrate from a manual process, you need to look at how the product is delivered to the automation. In the manual process, an operator can grab a part and he really doesn’t care where it is located. When you start automating, you need to have the parts in a place that the robot can access easily and consistently.

For some processes, you can create 100% automation, but the reality is that sometimes it is very difficult to get the last 10% and the last 10% can be the most expensive. In some applications, it is okay to get to 80% or 90% automation. You will still gain efficiency, improve quality, and reduce costs; and partial automation will still save you money.

Efficient robot programming

The programming method used can seriously impact your return on investment, so finding the most efficient programming method is critical to achieve maximum ROI. If the programming is too difficult to learn, companies are going to be reluctant to automate. The programming solution needs to be easy enough for both current and future employees to grasp and understand.

Complex part profiles can be hard to replicate, so the programmer needs to have the confidence that they can reproduce the results consistently while maintaining accuracy. Programming delays can impact delivery times and margins, so the programming method needs to have the ability to quickly adapt to changing parts, customer requests, and customer demands. 

Benefits of offline programming with Robotmaster

The key benefits of offline programming software are its ease of use, accuracy, and the time savings it provides.

Ease of use

Robotmaster offline programming software provides a simple programing workflow in four easy steps: import your CAD model, apply your path, simulate and verify, and generate your robotic code. Little programming or robotics expertise is required and new operators can easily program complex parts. Features and functionality allow users to resolve complex robotics issues like singularities, joint limitations, reach limitations, and collisions. These are issues that can be very frustrating to a new robotic programmer.

Accuracy

Robotmaster programming delivers a high level of accuracy. The CAD-to-CAD approach lets you program complex parts all based on features of the CAD model. There are specific modules for a variety of applications like trimming, deburring, and dispensing. There are other modules for spraying and polishing, as well as welding applications. You can save proven methods and recipes they have created in a library to draw from again.

Time savings

The easier the software is to use, the faster it will be to program. You can program the robot while it is in production, so while it is running one job, you can program the next job or jobs. Improving accuracy improves part quality, so there is less post operation work (e.g., less grinding before welding in plasma cutting). Robot downtime is decreased, and production is increased.

Applications manufacturers are looking to automate

Any process that requires a high level of accuracy or is labor intensive should be considered for automation. Successful automation projects have increased production in additive manufacturing, spraying, milling, waterjet cutting, surfacing, scanning, plasma/laser cutting, trimming, dispensing, and welding.

Creating the right automated system

Choosing the robot is sometimes the easiest part of automating systems. A successful, reliable system is all in the details. You need a clear plan for every aspect of the automated system, from how to get parts into and out of the system, to system maintenance, safety, and measuring ROI.

You need to first assess if an automated system makes sense for your process. Evaluate the layout options, major components, estimated production rates, and budget range. If it appears to make good business sense to proceed, then the integrator will provide a firm proposal with finalized layout and components, a simulated video of operation, production rates and constraints, pricing and delivery, and estimated ROI. If you don’t have a good business case with clear ROI, it likely does not make sense to proceed.

Finding skilled workers will continue to be a challenge in today’s tight labor markets, but automation can help companies increase productivity despite these labor challenges. Talking to a robot integrator can help you determine if automation can help increase productivity, product quality, and profitability.