What does it appear like when a single cobot workcell solves an actual downside, earns full ROI in underneath a 12 months, and quietly grows right into a 27-station automation program? That is precisely what occurred at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) after they deployed Robotiq Cobot Elements and the Screwdriving Workcell on their meeting line.
SEL designs, develops, and manufactures digital merchandise and programs that defend, automate, and management vital infrastructure in over 170 nations. With a mission to make electrical energy safer, extra dependable, and extra economical, high quality and repeatability are non-negotiable at SEL. When a recurring ergonomic downside began placing operators out of motion, they turned to Robotiq to repair it and what began as one workcell turned one thing a lot larger.
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A repetitive job turns into an actual downside
As SEL’s manufacturing volumes elevated, duties that have been as soon as manageable turned actual ergonomic challenges. One product specifically, the 700 sequence, required operators to drive 8 screws on the rear panel, repeatedly reaching as much as seize a instrument and tighten screws all day lengthy.
With tons of of items shifting via the road every day, operators have been manually driving 4,000 screws day by day. The repetition would possibly sound routine on paper, however the bodily toll was something however. Inside two years, three operators suffered rotator cuff accidents, a transparent signal that the cumulative pressure was vital and solely getting worse.
SEL wanted an answer, and it needed to examine a number of packing containers without delay. It needed to eradicate the repetitive ergonomic threat inflicting these accidents. It needed to combine shortly, with out the lengthy deployment cycles typical of conventional automation initiatives. It needed to be straightforward sufficient for SEL’s personal engineers to function with out specialised robotics coaching. And critically, it could not be a one-off repair. SEL wanted one thing that would scale to different merchandise and functions past this single use case.
Beginning small, pondering huge
SEL acquired their first Robotiq Workcell, particularly constructing a Screwdriving Workcell built-in with a UR cobot. The convenience of implementation, notably due to the Robotiq URCap software program, meant a working program was working inside days.
For Tyler Marines, Growth Lead Engineer at SEL, that early expertise caught with him:
“It was very, very cool to have the ability to get a robotic, get a screwdriver, and clear up an issue with out breaking the financial institution.”
That first success on the 700 sequence rear panels did not keep contained to at least one workcell. SEL’s automation program expanded shortly with the addition of extra cobot elements. The Screwdriving Workcell, together with feeders for high-volume screw provide, is now used throughout a number of product traces. The group added Adaptive Grippers (2F-85 and 2F-140) for decide & place of circuit boards and components. A instrument changer from TripleA enabled multi-component cells, letting a single robotic change between duties.
What started as a single pilot cell turned a coordinated, multi-cell automation program, and the outcomes went past ergonomics. Since deploying the answer, SEL has recorded zero buyer suggestions or returns associated to screwdriving.
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The outcomes by the numbers
1.4 million screws automated yearly. What as soon as required operators to hand-drive 4,000 screws throughout tons of of items every day is now totally automated. The only most bodily demanding guide job on the road has been eliminated fully.
3 to 0 rotator cuff accidents. After 3 instances in two years, automating the repetitive guide meeting actions eradicated the ergonomic pressure that had been constructing as manufacturing volumes elevated. This was the issue SEL got down to clear up, and it has been solved.
27 lively stations throughout the ability. From 1 pilot cell to 27 manufacturing stations, what began as a single Screwdriving Workcell has grown right into a multi-cell automation program with Robotiq merchandise starting from grippers to screwdrivers.
Why Robotiq and why it scaled
A number of components clarify why SEL’s relationship with Robotiq grew from a single Workcell right into a facility-wide program.
Speedy time to worth. A working automation Workcell utilizing Robotiq cobot elements was working inside 3 months. The URCap integration with Common Robots made programming quick and accessible for SEL’s inside engineers.
Full ROI inside one 12 months. Factoring in {hardware} prices and the monetary impression of ergonomic accidents, SEL recouped their funding inside twelve months.
Low barrier to entry. The value of a Robotiq Workcell permits groups like SEL’s to amass one and begin experimenting internally, lowering the barrier to proving ROI earlier than committing to a larger-scale deployment.
Straightforward operator coaching. New operators have been capable of be shortly skilled on the usage of Robotiq cobot elements and Workcell. The convenience of use diminished coaching time and reliance on specialised data.
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Might your line profit?
SEL’s story is not actually about screws. It is about what occurs when a producer takes a recurring ergonomic downside critically and finds a instrument that is accessible sufficient to begin small, quick sufficient to point out worth shortly, and versatile sufficient to develop effectively past its authentic use case.
In case your group is doing repetitive meeting, decide & place, or components dealing with, Robotiq cobot elements are constructed to develop with you, from a single pilot cell to a full multi-cell automation resolution.
Past conventional automation: The Screwdriving Workcell and Bodily AI
The Screwdriving Workcell is not restricted to conventional automation functions. As bodily AI continues to reshape manufacturing, structured and repeatable duties like screwdriving are among the many first to learn from AI-driven robotic intelligence, enabling cobots to adapt, study, and carry out with even higher precision and adaptability on the manufacturing facility ground.
For those who’re exploring how bodily AI may be utilized to your meeting operations, the Screwdriving Workcell is a robust place to begin. Discover extra about bodily AI right here.
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