Cobot arm solution automates production in a confined space

Multi-wing

In short

Growth required Multi-Wing CZ to find a way to increase production on the existing set-up with only limited space. A UR5, requiring no safety guarding, solved the problem by freeing an additional 336 hours of capacity per year. As an added bonus the production cost of each units has gone down 10-20% and resulted in annual savings of nearly 7,000 euros.

The business transformation

The small company Multi-Wing CZ manufactures axial fan solutions for ventilation applications. Having evolved into a global organisation, Multi-Wing CZ needed to automate production processes to keep up with the increasing demand. The confined workspace however needed a solution that required no safety barrier.

“We knew clearly from the start what we wanted: A small, inexpensive robot that would be fast and versatile enough – and one that could work without safety guarding to save workspace”, says David Hosek, Junior Manager for Production Development at Multi-Wing CZ.

Multi-Wing
Industry Metal and Machining
Country Europe
Number of Employees 25-50
Cobots used UR5

The solution

Multi-Wing CZ decided on a UR5 robot for their automated lathe, which machines aluminium castings into hubs. The robotic arm takes unfinished castings from a bin onto the lathe, removes them after machining and then hands them over to an automatic broaching machine where the groove is cut. And it does so without safety guarding. Removing the safety barrier allowed Multi-Wing CZ to change the layout of the robotic centre and gain more space in the machine shop.

The installation of the UR5 has made the production cost of each unit 10-20% cheaper and increased capacity by an additional 336 hours per year. This has been achieved by a 70% feed acceleration and a 10 second acceleration in the replacement of machine parts.

Compared to robots of competing manufacturers, acquisition of the UR5 provided us with faster return on investment. We haven’t had any problems with this flexible, quick and affordable solution that has brought us numerous savings and new possibilities. We couldn’t be happier with Universal Robots technology

David Hosek, Junior Manager for Production Development