The Challenge
A U.S.-based manufacturer of electrical parts faced a production bottleneck in its assembly process. The existing method of stamping mating parts presented a difficult assembly challenge. The progressive die press simultaneously stamped 2 parts that later had to be assembled. After the parts were stamped, the press dropped the parts into a bin. An operator then had to identify and pick mating parts from the bin, assemble them by hand and put them into a dunnage bin. A very tedious and slow process. Significant improvements could not be made with a piecemeal solution. Big improvements required big thinking and an integrated solution.
Adding to the challenge, the press itself was a flywheel type. Axis had to acquire the parts from the press while the press was continuously stamping. The proposed solution needed to reach inside the moving press and securely pick each of the mating parts two at a time. Axis would do this by moving into the press cavity as the press was opening, pick the two parts using a specially designed walking beam and exit the press cavity as the press was on its down stroke. Speed and timing were critical. Any movements that became unsynchronized would cause a crash and damage to the 300 ton press and the new automation.
The manufacturer needed a partner with the ability to not just automate, but to engineer a reliable, safe, and scalable system. They chose our team for our expertise in controls retrofits, robotics integration, and proven track record of solving complex automation problems.
What Wasn’t Working
While the machine was still producing parts, several issues held it back:
- Manual and outdated processes slowed throughput and increased operator burden.
- Obsolete controls and sensors made spares difficult to source, raising downtime risk.
- Lack of standardization across components complicated training and maintenance.
- Guarding and access points no longer met modern safety standards.
Each downtime incident highlighted the need for a comprehensive re-engineering of the system — not another patch
The Solution
Our engineers designed and delivered a fully automated assembly and packaging system, combining off-the-shelf components with in-house design, machining, fabrication, and programming.
Key Engineering Actions
- The Walking Beam
A custom-designed walking beam synchronized with the 300-ton press enters on each upstroke, securely picks the stamped parts, and clears before the downstroke. The mating parts then progress along the beam into the assembly stations with precise timing. - Assembly Stations
Four synchronized stations match male and female parts, assembling two units at a time. This parallel approach delivers high throughput at a consistent production rate. - Robotic Packaging
A Fanuc robot picks two completed assemblies at a time and places them into one of two dunnage totes. The robot tracks placement to ensure parts are stacked uniformly, maintaining tote consistency and maximizing capacity. - Conveyor Load/Unload Areas
Dual load/unload areas allow operators to change totes while the automation cell continues running, ensuring maximum uptime and uninterrupted production flow. - The Automation System Backbone
To unify the entire cell, we selected Rockwell Automation’s CompactLogix platform. Its reliability and communication capabilities made it the ideal backbone to integrate the press, SMC servo slide, Fanuc robot, and all supporting devices into one cohesive system.