UR cobots increase productivity and employee job satisfaction

Franke Küchentechnik AG

In short

Swiss kitchen manufacturer Franke wanted to streamline its production of kitchen sinks to reduce costs and boost competitiveness. They chose a UR5 robot to help with repetitive, low-impact production tasks within a confined area. The UR5 solution has performed above all expectations and helps produce 10,000 units per year.

The business transformation

Franke produces kitchen over 10,000 kitchen sinks per year. After the aluminum sink unit is pressed, mounting blocks are glued to each side. The repetitive task could be automated, saving glue and reducing the likelihood of human error when gluing the mounting blocks. The key challenge was identifying a solution that could dispense the glue and attach the mounting blocks on all sides.

Highlights from the case

Industry Furniture and Equipment,Metal and Machining

Country Europe

Number of Employees 1000+

Cobots used UR5

Video — Franke Küchentechnik AG, Switzerland

Safe and flexible operation

The solution was based on a UR5 robotic arm from Universal Robots. It ensured safe, flexible operation without the need for screens and could rotate 360 degrees – perfect for the challenge of mounting the blocks on all sides. The UR5 solution delivers pinpoint precision and uses only the pre-specified amount of glue for each join. This saves Franke on unusable/damaged stock and wasted materials.

By leveraging a UR5 solution from Bachmann Engineering, Franke has freed up valuable company resources. Now, employees can add value to other steps in the production process while boosting their overall job satisfaction by giving them more interesting and varied tasks. The UR5 entered production November 2011 and has operated non-stop ever since. Franke is now studying ways of deploying UR robots elsewhere to work side-by-side with the personnel.