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CNC machining has long been a cornerstone of manufacturing, and the integration of collaborative robots is significantly improving productivity and quality, shortening lead times, and decreasing costs.  

For many manufacturers, the allure of automating CNC machine tending is strong. It promises increased efficiency, reduced labor costs, and the ability to redeploy human workers to more complex tasks. 

However, diving headfirst into machine tending automation without careful consideration can lead to frustration and a less-than-optimal return on investment. Utilising cobots to their full advantage to control your CNC machines can be key for remaining competitive and growing in challenging markets.

What is Automated CNC Machine Tending?

Simply put, automated CNC machine tending involves a cobot like CoboTend handling the repetitive tasks of feeding raw materials into a CNC machine, removing the finished products, and activating various parts of the cycle. This process eliminates the need for continuous human intervention in the loading and unloading cycle. 

Manually tending a CNC machine is a dull and repetitive job, often leading to injury and quality issues. Finding individuals willing to perform this task consistently is notoriously difficult, resulting in high turnover rates. As many machine shop owners have experienced, this isn't the best use of skilled personnel.

At Cobots Online, we often see that machine tending is one of the first areas machine shops look to automate. If you're considering automation, you likely recognise that dedicating your valuable operators to simply loading and unloading machines isn't the most efficient use of their expertise. However, automated CNC machine tending isn't about replacing a human with a robot, it's about unlocking significant benefits for your manufacturing operation. It’s about improving productivity, reliability, and accuracy by ensuring consistent and tireless operation. Most importantly, it frees up your skilled operators for more fulfilling tasks that require their expertise and decision-making abilities.

Things to Consider Before Investing in Automation for CNC Machine Tending

If you’re thinking of integrating cobots for the first time, particularly for CNC machine tending, you most likely want to invest if: 

• You can’t keep up with current production demands 
• You are struggling to hire enough qualified and dedicated machine operators 
• Your CNC machines are not running at full capacity 
• You are investing in new CNC machines 
• You need to save on labour costs to stay competitive
• You want to allow a single operator to run multiple machines at once
• You want to get the most of out of your investment through “lights out” production

When looking at collaborative robots, it is important that you invest in automation solutions that can easily be adapted to the manufacturing needs of tomorrow. 

Benefits of Machine Tending with Cobots 

There are a magnitude of benefits when automating a CNC machine with cobot, most obviously is increased productivity. Aside from cobots being able to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without breaks or downtime, they also have a much larger effect on production, allowing manufacturers to:

Decrease downtime: automation helps to improve the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) of a CNC machine, with the machine spending significantly less time standing idle when constantly being fed materials by the cobot.

Enhanced quality and consistency: by reducing human error and benefiting from heightened levels of accuracy and consistency, manufacturers gain better overall control of product quality with cobots.

Increased flexibility and efficiency: along with increasing productivity without expanding the existing workforce, cobots can be quickly and easily reprogrammed to handle new product variants and changes. Perfect for high-mix, low-volume (HMLV) manufacturing, they can improve the flexibility for your CNC machine and contribute to production efficiency.

Improved safety: cobots automating machining tasks can help to create a safer working environment, eliminating the need for humans to repetitively load machines for hours at a time or be close to machinery. 

Reduced labour costs: by making better use of your workforce, you can remove non-value-adding tasks from the hands of human workers, allowing them to provide greater contributions elsewhere in the company. Also with one operator being able to handle multiple cobots across several machines at once, this reduces the need for hiring, especially in the face of labour shortages. 

Choosing the Correct CNC Machine Tending Automation Solution 

When choosing the right cobot for your application, there are some key parameters to consider such as speed, payload, reach. It is also important to think about the size, shape and weight of the workpieces before and after they are loaded into the CNC machine as this will determine the type of end of arm tooling you will require.

With a strong track record of deploying cobots and automation solutions for manufacturers across the UK, at Cobots Online we take a customised approach to our customers needs. We carefully access your production line, existing equipment, and operational goals to integrate a solution that enhances workflows. We understand that proper integration is key to efficiency, which is why we provide full integration support, including programming, commissioning, operator training, and ongoing technical assistance to ensure your systems run effectively and provide maximum ROI. We’re proud to say that when our customers choose Cobots Online, they’re choosing a long-term automation partner, not just a one-time supplier.

Automate with Cobots Online

There is no faster way to grow and increase profits than CNC machine tending automation in the manufacturing industry.

By carefully considering the specific application, choosing the right cobot, and understanding the benefits, you can achieve effective, safe, and value-driven automation solutions that transform manufacturing processes. With an unrivalled knowledge of machine tending and CNC machine application, contact Cobots Online for a live demo and in-depth consultation about your requirements.