Eliminate Labor Factor = Increase Quality, Consistency and Profitability –

Today Manufacturers have to be competitive with respect to both product quality and costs.  Customers require not only high quality, also consistency. The only way to achieve it is through automation and robotics.

ROI and Strategic Goals
Like any other capital investment, investing in a robot should be considered not only for short-term problem-solving, but also as a possible engine for growth -- by making the company more cost-and-quality competitive. (Ask yourself: What new work would a robot enable you to bring into the shop?)

Your payback calculation will depend on what the robot is being compared to, and the completeness of that comparison. If you are comparing the robot against manual labor, you should consider not just the hourly rate but the total cost of that labor --  including: workers' compensation insurance, costs of vacations and other benefit packages, turnover, and the associated costs of recruiting and training replacement workers. You will also want to consider intangible benefits such as the ability to transfer workers out of dangerous and/or drudge work into more pleasant/meaningful assignments. This translates into (a) reduced injuries and/or sickness and, thus, fewer workman's comp claims and (b) making the workplace more attractive for hard-to-recruit-and-retain skilled workers.

Don't shortchange yourself by looking only at potential labor savings. In many cases, the most significant payback has come from process cost-avoidance: Eliminating waste and rework and the space necessary for that rework -- plus possible additional downstream corrective actions. Doing everything right -- the first time and always thereafter-- translates into greater output plus less material-and-time wasted. (Remember: Any scrap going out the back was paid for; it wasn't free.) It will pay for you to recognize opportunities for cost avoidance . For example: With finishing robots, you don't have the same ventilation requirements as for  human operators. Also, less paint wasted translates into less material going to an expensive secure waste disposal site.

You will also want to consider the robot as an engine for revenue-enhancement by virtue of its more consistent production: Modern managers recognize they have to look at not only revenue dollars per ft2 but also revenue per operation-hours. While a robot may not be able to do a specific task (e.g., welding) faster than an operator, it's consistent production - without breaks - translates into greater total production over a shift. Even small shops have run their robot(s) around-the-clock. Consider how a robot can boost your shop's revenue.

Experience indicates payback expectations of 18-to-24 months are reasonable.

Selection Criteria
In selecting a robot, you will want to look at: the ''arm'' itself,  the control, the vendor, and the end-of-arm tooling.  Experience has shown that the best way to avoid ''surprises'' later on is to bring as many perspectives as feasible (including those of future operators) into the selection process.  

For the arm itself, you'll want to look at it's work envelope; payload capacity; the number of axes-of-motion, and it's adaptability for future planned work. Present-day arms are robust. Heavy-duty robots in production applications frequently go 65,000 MTBF (16 man-years for a 2-shift operation; 10 man-years for a 3-shift operation). Some newer models built since 2000 are actually seeing 80,000+ hours MTBF. Given the longevity of the arms, upgrading a low-hour used ''arm'' with a new control can be a frugal and sensible ''first buy'' for your operation. 

The controls are the robot's ''brains'', and you'll want to consider control capabilities as thoroughly as you'd consider any human worker's capabilities. Your operators will be very concerned with their 'look-and-feel'.  Also, just as with people, below-the-surface characteristics will impact costs -- particularly down the road. Taking the long view, you'll want to evaluate capabilities for ease of up-grading, any programming tools for communication with other shop devices, any statistical/reporting programs for shop control and/or ISO-certification, and capabilities for the addition of vision-sensing.

As with any other capital investment, you'll want to check out warranty, training and support services.

Finally, there's the end-of-arm tooling - the tooling that adapts your multi-functional robot arm to your specific task(s). The most common forms are grippers of various sizes and shapes for grasping hard objects.  These can operate, variously, by electric motors, or by hydraulic or pneumatic power - depending on specifics. Besides grippers, there are vacuum handlers for large flat objects, deburring tools with/without floating heads, and even collets /mandrel types for dowel/hole pick-ups. End-of-arm tooling is available from both robot vendors and ONEX automation. There is a vast array of standard tools to choose from. If you require something special, consider ordering spares at the same time.     

The Installation      
A production robot doesn't stand by itself like a statue in a park. At minimum, you have to feed it component parts, fixture the work pieces; remove the completed work piece, and provide for the operator's safety – all in a coordinated work cell. In time, you may also want to include vision-sensing and/or have the work cell automatically generate statistical data for production control.

Every task has a ''learning curve''. If your company has experience in engineering automation projects - and you can commit the necessary resources - you may want to engineer your work cell in-house. Otherwise, you can save yourself lots of aggravation, time, and money by selecting a pre-engineered work cell. Pre-engineered work cells by ONEX offer you the additional benefit of single-source responsibility are offered by robot vendors specializing in set applications in various industries.