Injection molding ROI in 1,500 hours using collaborative robots

Midgard has six UR10e cobots (now marketed as UR12e) mounted on top of the presses. The dexterous UR cobots load and unload parts directly into the IMMs (injection molding machines), as they run in automatic mode, while also handling the secondary operations. “We really put the cobots to work, freeing up our employees from having to do these tasks,” describes Reina.

Never having the cobot idle helped deliver an impressive ROI. According to Reina: "By the time we’ve placed that robot on top of our machine, we’re looking at about 1500 running hours for that robot to get a return. Which is about three months of uninterrupted production."

The financial gains have also extended to approximately 30 percent savings on the final piece price for customers. “By automating, we were able to achieve twice the business with less than half the manpower," elaborates Brown.

Another delightful discovery was Universal Robots’ IMMI module, a unique software/hardware module that both simplifies interfacing between the robot and injection molding machine itself and provides a programming template. Unlike other robot systems that require extensive coding and complex XYZ plane programming, the IMMI offers a pre-designed program tree. Most of Midgard's machines are Euromap 67 compatible, which aligns perfectly with the IMMI's design.

“It really breaks apart the signals, being able to open and close the press and having part ejection in a certain timeframe, - everything down to core pullers, and air blow, it really does make things easy,” says Midgard’s operation manager. “All you have to do is add the waypoints of where you want the cobot to go.”

Midgard purchased their cobots through UR partner Applied Controls, where account manager Conor Carroll emphasizes how the IMMI sets UR apart. “It’s like starting a race already half-completed, removing all the integration headaches we usually see with robots and IMMs.”

At Midgard, there's a growing commitment to integrating UR robots into their manufacturing processes. Previously, Brown explains, a UR robot was mounted on a mobile cart in the assembly department, where it significantly improved secondary post-molding operations like ultrasonic welding and pad printing. Although the robot was temporarily relocated due to production needs, the company plans to reintroduce this approach in the future. “After the first time a customer implements a robot, typically they start buying more because ultimately, that speaks to the success of the installation,” says Carroll. A scenario echoed by Midgard’s president: “Right now, I think we have to retrofit about ten more machines to have robots on them,” says Reina. “We will never purchase another machine without having a UR on that machine.”