This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Assembly Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Assembly Magazine logo
  • Home
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Digital Edition
    • Archives
    • Specs Book
    • How-To-Guide
    • Buyers Guide
  • Exclusives
    • Plant of the Year
      • About Plant of the Year
      • Nomination Form
    • Capital Spending
    • State of the Profession
  • Industries
    • Aerospace
    • Appliance
    • Automotive
    • Medical Devices
    • DFMA Assembly
    • Green Manufacturing
    • Lean Manufacturing
    • Electronics Assembly
    • Machinery Assembly
  • Technologies
    • Adhesives
    • Assembly Presses
    • Automated Assembly
    • Dispensing
    • Motion Control
    • Screwdriving and Riveting
    • Plastics Assembly
    • Robotics
    • Test and Inspection
    • Welding
    • Wire Processing
    • Workstations
  • Columns
    • Assembly in Action
    • Automation Profiles
    • Medical Device Assembly
    • On Campus
    • Shipulski on Design
    • The Editorial
    • XYZ
    • Moser on Manufacturing
    • 21st Century Assembly
    • Mind Your Ps and Qs
  • New Products
  • More
    • Web Exclusives
    • Classifieds
    • eNewsletter
    • Blog
    • Market Research
    • Store
    • Product Spotlight
    • White Papers
    • Integrated Showcase
    • Custom Content & Marketing Solutions
    • Monthly Quiz
    • Sponsored Insight
  • Multimedia
    • Assembly Radio
    • Assembly TV
    • Image Galleries
    • Webinars
    • Interactive Spotlights
    • eBooks
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • The Assembly Show
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
  • InfoCenters
    • Collaborative Robot Revolution
    • Factory of the Future
Home » Mobilized Robot Brings Hirotec Closer to Lights-out Manufacturing
Assembly in ActionIndustriesAutomotive AssemblyColumnsRobotics Assembly

Mobilized Robot Brings Hirotec Closer to Lights-out Manufacturing

Mobilized Robot Brings Hirotec Closer to Lights-out Manufacturing

A dual-arm robot, mounted on a mobile platform, performs black oxide dipping of spare parts at Hirotec America. Photo courtesy Yaskawa Motoman Inc.

Mobilized Robot Brings Hirotec Closer to Lights-out Manufacturing

This robot-platform combo is helping Hirotec America reach its goal of operating as a 24/7 lights-out manufacturer by 2025. Photo courtesy Clearpath Robotics Inc.

Mobilized Robot Brings Hirotec Closer to Lights-out Manufacturing
Mobilized Robot Brings Hirotec Closer to Lights-out Manufacturing
December 13, 2017
Jim Camillo
KEYWORDS dual-armed robot / factory automation / flexible assembly / mobile robots
Reprints

Being the welding equipment supplier for several of the world’s leading automotive OEMs is a big responsibility, but not an impossible one. Hirotec America (HA) is proof of that. Since 1988, the company has provided this equipment to GM, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Toyota and BMW.

For just as long, HA has relied on its K2 philosophy to meet this ongoing challenge. K2 requires a simultaneous focus on kaizen (continuous improvement) and kaikaku (revolutionary changes in technology and process). This philosophy has also led company management to recently mandate that HA operate as a 24/7 lights-out manufacturer by 2025.

Gary Krus, vice president of business development at HA, says the plan involves several stages, beginning with automating the company’s spare parts production. This change allows spare-parts operators to be shifted to value-added tasks within the organization.

The first process in spare parts production to be automated is black oxide dipping. Parts are sequentially dipped in a series of buckets, with specific time delays between each sequence so parts become oxidized. The final parts receive a thin corrosion-resistant coating so they don’t rust.

Until this past summer, operators transported parts to the process line and performed dipping as fill-in work between their other shop tasks. If operators did not dip them with perfect timing, they would come out inconsistently. Dipping often had to be repeated multiple times on the same parts.

These inefficiencies convinced Krus and his team to automate the process. Today, a dual-arm robot, mounted on the mobile OTTO 1500 platform, transports the parts and performs all oxide dipping.

“It’s providing much more consistent parts than our manual process,” notes Peter Mourelatos, R&D project engineer at HA. “We don’t have to run the parts through multiple times anymore, which improves our productivity.”

According to Krus, the robot-platform combo unit was up and running within a day. In less than a week, it was maneuvering easily between several oxide-dipping stations.

Mourelatos likes that HA didn’t have to change any of the infrastructure in its buildings for OTTO, which is made by Clearpath Robotics Inc. Unlike a traditional AGV, the mobile platform doesn’t need to follow a preset path. It works in human-dense environments and safely travels around forklifts and operators.

“We wanted to replace a human and do the job just the way a human does it manually,” explains Kus. “OTTO gives us the flexibility we needed.”

The robot, an SDA20D from Yaskawa Motoman Inc., is a dual-arm, 15-axis robot designed for complex assembly and material handling applications, including part transfer, machine tending, and pressing or forming. Each arm has a 20-kilogram payload capacity, and a horizontal and vertical reach of 910 millimeters.

The arms can either work together or perform simultaneous independent operations. Internally routed cables and hoses (six for air and 12 for electric) reduce interference and maintenance, and ease programming. The robot’s DX100 controller supports all major fieldbus networks, including EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet and Profibus-DP.

For more information on dual-arm robots, call 937-847-6200 or visit www.motoman.com. For more information on mobile robot platforms, call 844-733-6886 or visit www.ottomotors.com.

subscribe to assembly

Recent Articles by Jim Camillo

CAD Platform Quickens Development of Blood-Collection Device

Fastening systems help Rhenus reboot an axle assembly line

What’s New With Robot End-Effectors

Epoxy Joins Implantable Devices—and Protects Patients

Vision System Automatically Inspects Aerospace Connector Pins

Camillo200

Jim is a senior editor of ASSEMBLY and has more than 30 years of editorial experience. Before joining ASSEMBLY, Camillo was the editor of PM Engineer, Association for Facilities Engineering Journal and Milling Journal. Jim has an English degree from DePaul University.

Related Articles

Custom Fastener Brings Lasting Comfort to Chair Manufacturer

Rockwell Automation Brings More Control to Machine Builders

3D Modeling Brings Concurrent Benefits to Machinery Builder

Solar Investment Brings Energy Savings to Sigma Thermal

Subscribe For Free!
  • Print & Digital Edition Subscriptions
  • Assembly eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Mobile App

More Videos

Popular Stories

lordstown motors

Electric Truck Manufacturer Buys GM’s Lordstown Assembly Plant

Bobcat manufacturing

Bobcat Announces Manufacturing and Assembly Facility Upgrades

Wearable Device 11-27

Wearable Lets Users Control IoT-Enabled Devices With Brain Waves

Rayovac 11-20

Energizer Moving VT Battery Manufacturing Facility to Former Rayovac Plant

Breaking and Industry News

Airstream Manufacturing Expands With $50 Million Factory

Upcoming Assembly Events and Webinars

Events

January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Cloud Computing

Are you using cloud computing at your assembly plant?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

Welding: Principles & Practices

Welding: Principles & Practices

This text introduces students to a solid background in the basic principles and practices of welding.

See More Products
assembly buyers guide

Assembly Magazine

assembly dec 2019

2019 December

The 2019 December Assembly features our Capital Spending Report, plus much more. Check it out today!
View More Create Account
  • More
    • Assembly Plant of the Year
    • Manufacturing Group
    • List Rental
    • Organizations
    • Connect
    • Want More?
    • Polls
    • Privacy Policy
    • Subscribe
    • Survey And Sample

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing