Background
In this work cell, operators load motor adapter castings ranging from 35 to 70 lbs. into a twin spindle milling machine. The adapters are lifted out of a bin and transferred to the milling machine, where they are lined up and then carefully placed on the softjaw chuck. The adapters must be placed with care to prevent damage to the chuck. The milled piece is then moved to a table for deburring and loaded into the second spindle of the milling machine.
The Problem
The manufacturer was concerned that the position operators had to maintain while trying to carefully place the castings on the chuck put them at a higher than acceptable risk for injury. It was suspected that repeated maneuvers were attributed to injuries reported at this cell.
The costly soft-jaw chucks in the milling machines were repeatedly damaged when castings were put down with too much force. Air balancers took so long to bleed pressure before placing the load that valuable cycle time was lost.
The Solution
As a result of the new production machine plus the G-Force™, the manufacturer has increased their productivity 100%, enabling them to decrease their on-floor inventory by 50%. They are no longer losing valuable cycle time waiting for an air balancer to bleed pressure. Operators can work at their natural pace The operators can move at their natural pace without worrying about possibly damaging the adapter or the milling machine. They can count on G-Force’s™ virtual limits and speed reduction points to protect their products.