Robotics can be game-changing for manufacturers.
With labor shortages and demands for quicker turnaround in production, it’s easy to understand why the use of robots has been trending upward in recent decades.
On the surface, the next logical step for scaling your finishing operations would be to swap out manual finishing with robots to begin receiving all the benefits expected from automation.
While it is true finishing automation and robots can lead to increased production, adding robotics cannot happen overnight. In fact, often times adding a robot should be one
of the last steps you take on the path towards automation instead of the first.
The good news is many companies have been through this process and have found a way to make automation work. DeGeest has broken it down into steps you can systematically follow so you can add processes while eliminating variables within your operation. This is called the proven path to automation.
The sooner you Start, the sooner you can Control your future.
Momentum comes from the right first step.
The easiest and least disruptive thing any company can do to prepare for robotics is to eliminate variables in their current manual liquid and powder spray equipment. The two biggest variables are fluctuating temperature and humidity levels in your spraying carrier gas, which can make a consistent finish very challenging for even the most experienced coaters.
One way to get a better handle on these variables is by adding coating technology products such as patented Nitrotherm® for liquid or Polifluid® for powder operations.
Either system works with your existing equipment by replacing conventional compressed air with nitrogen as the spray carrier. Nitrogen is cleaner, dryer, and atomizes more effectively. Ionization is also added to improve transfer efficiency which, in turn, makes it easier for painters to do their job with less stress.
Nitrotherm or Polifluid can also reduce Faraday effect and generate up to 30% savings in paint or powder system costs while greatly improving the quality and consistency of your finishing application.
Be robot ready tomorrow by building better processes today.
Chaos and technology are never a good mix. Without eliminating variables and establishing processes in your current operation, automation cannot succeed.
As a leading integrator, one of the ways DeGeest Corporation sets manufacturers up for success with robotics is with a product called Process Manager. This lets you capture the knowledge of your staff experts and creates digital work instructions that are automatically displayed at each corresponding workstation.
Process Manager let’s you scan a barcode of a work order when loading parts. The corresponding work instructions for every process are presented so the operators know exactly how to process every part.
Once Process Manager has been implemented in a manual finishing system, adding a self-learning robot becomes a very easy and natural next step for the team.
Prepping for robotic finishing takes time.
Standardizing your coating processes and eliminating variables can take many months. The sooner you get started, the sooner you can add automation to your system.
As you begin eliminating variables in your equipment and establish or standardize processes, rejects will go down and your people will be happier about what they’re doing and the outcomes they are seeing. Your retention will improve because your people will be using technology, which is why many of them got into manufacturing in the first place.
Once you begin adding complementary technologies that help your teams increase production and reduce rework, you’ll never go back to the way you did it before.
The time to prepare is now.
Think about it. You have your experienced people for a finite amount of time. As they retire or leave for another position, you’ll lose their tribal knowledge, which kills production and morale as you try to replace and retrain. Automation can help you capture that knowledge now and extend it into the future.
With hiring finishing talent being a challenge for every company, the addition of robotics can alleviate the need to staff up to increase capacity. It also frees up your team from doing monotonous tasks that are physically taxing on the body and puts them in other positions where they can grow by learning new skills.
Robotics and finishing automation also make it easier to attract new people. Younger workers grew up using technology and they expect to continue to use it in their careers. Manufacturing is a perfect opportunity for these people to enter a career that plays directly into their interests. Not to mention makes it easier to retain employees when they see their employer investing in them by providing cutting-edge technology.
Bottom line? You keep your skilled legacy knowledge intact. You keep new employees engaged and feeling productive. And in the end, people grow from jobs to careers, and everyone wins.
AND IN THE END, PEOPLE grow from jobs to careers, and everyone wins.
Adding robotics is smart when it's done the right way.
The biggest obstacle to adding robotics and automation is the fear of the unknown. Technology is good, but it cannot work miracles. In fact, adding automation will expose inefficiencies in your processes.
Taking time now to shore up everything, even the way you hang your parts in your finishing operation, will make things go smoother when you do start to incorporate robotics. If you don’t, you’ll be starting at square one and wondering why it doesn’t work as you hoped it would.
Waiting for technology to overcome unaddressed system variables and lack of processes is a bad plan. If you systematically follow a proven path to automation, you can create a scalable system with reliable production that you can depend on now and into the future.