9 Tips To Help Reduce Labor

Contract manufacturing is a challenging game.?Finding the right people to complete the daily work load is one of the many challenges companies face in this turbulent economy.?Getting more done with less people seems to be mantra, but most find this concept easier said than done.

We have compiled a list of some ideas implemented into our manufacturing practices that have helped us to reduce the daily labor burden and bring more efficiency into our production milling environment.

Here the quick list of ideas, with more explanation to follow:

1. Multiple part workholding fixtures
2. Automated clamping systems
3. Spindle probing & mis-load detection
4. 4th axis Rotary Tables
5. Pallet switching
6. Part Seating
7. Tool detection
8. Right-Angle Head Technology
9. Automation, Robotic part tending

1 - Multiple part workholding fixtures

Using automated, multiple part fixtures in your CNC milling center can reduce operator attendance by as much as 50%.?In a nutshell, more parts under the spindle reduces the overall number of load/un-load sequences.?It also significantly decreases tool changes by sharing the same tool over multiple parts, thus reducing per part cycle time. ??Overall run time increases while simultaneously reducing per-part cycle time.?This gives the operator the ability to do other tasks while the machine is running.??Production increases on average by 25% and labor required goes down on average by 50%.?For production milling environments, the payback on investment comes pretty quickly.

2 - Automated clamping systems

There are many significant labor saving advantages to automating your clamping.?Load sequence times can be reduced by as much as 75% with the use of hydraulic or pneumatic clamping systems.?Another big benefit is decreased operator fatigue.??Your CNC Operators will not be worn down by the physical demands of hand clamping fixtures all day, allowing them to run multiple CNC’s.?Additionally, it gives operators more time for their important quality checks.??Automated clamping reduces the cases of carpel tunnel syndrome in your shop and decreases operator turnover due to production burn-out.?It becomes much easier to train new people.?Process stability increases because of consistent load to load clamping force.?Everyone becomes a good CNC operator.?There are no more “good” operators and “bad” operators.?Cross training becomes easy, so the one operator that could only run that one job can now run most any job in the shop.

3 - Spindle probing – misload detection

How could spindle probing reduce labor? Here’s how.?No more misloaded parts in the fixture.?No more misloaded parts mean less CNC down time. ??More process stability leads to less machine crashes, tool breakage, quality issues, less part sorting, and part re-working.?The odds of a spindle crash due to?operator mis-load get reduced to almost zero.?No spindle crashes mean more spindle up-time.??Your maintenance people and managers won’t be called over to the CNC every time there is a mis-load leading to potential spindle damage and tooling destruction.?Jobs get done quicker, requiring less labor to complete the production run.?A bonus benefit from probing is it protects the reputation of the operator by preventing them from sending a mis-loaded part into the milling center.?You can quickly determine who your problem people are that need more training by the number of probe alarms during their shift.?The benefits of using a spindle probe to perform fixture mis-load detection are significant.

4 - 4th axis Rotary Tables

The use of rotary tables on a VMC creates the ability to machine three sides of a part in one operation.?Less part flipping means less labor.??The less handling it takes to make a part, the less likely it is to have a quality issue related to locating the part multiple times on your fixture.?This also has downstream effects with the amount of quality team labor needed, as there are less instances of non-conforming product (NCP), containment, sorting, and re-work.??Reducing machining operations leads to more efficiency and less load/unload time spent.?The machine is running more because people are handling parts less.

5 - Pallet switching

We have found that pallet switching CNC equipment gives efficiency gains of 17-20% in part production totals per shift.?More production per shift means less labor allocated to that specific job.?This also allows for the machine to be loaded/unloaded while the spindle is turning.?Spindle up-time increases.??More parts per shift leads to more on-time delivery, which leads to less overtime needed because you have fallen behind on that job and all corresponding jobs in line.?

6 - Part Seating

Traditionally, dead blow hammers have been used to make sure parts are properly seated flush in the fixture pocket to insure part parallelism.?By utilizing the CNC and related tooling (PAWS Dead Blow Eliminator), the operator no longer needs to do this physically demanding task.?Using this tool decreases operator fatigue significantly, which correspondingly decreases employee turnover.?It is one less task the operator needs to perform, making load sequences quicker, and giving them more available time for other tasks such as quality checks and loading other machines.

7 - Tool detection

Tool detection saves labor by saving on CNC downtime due to tool breakage, which can lead to catastrophic machine crashes depending on the process.?Tool breakage leads to quality issues and sorting, leading to downstream labor costs that are unnecessary.?If the machine alarms out when a tool breaks, containment is limited to the parts in the machine.??Catching a tool break may save downstream tools in the process from breaking.?If you have a significant crash because of a broken tool, now you are involving management and maintenance labor to fix and repair the problem.?The cost for this technology pays for itself very quickly.

8 – Right Angle Head Technology

The use of Right-Angle Heads on VMC’s equipped with Rotary Tables allows the machining of five(5) sides of a part.?This can take a two or three operation part and transform it into a one operation part.??Reducing the number of operations to make a part reduces part handling, which leads to many benefits and reduced labor as discussed in point 4 (Rotary Tables).

9 - Automation, Robot part tending

Automation and CNC part tending robots can reduce labor by approximately 80%.?When a robot can load and unload the CNC, operators are now managing the flow of materials and parts in and out of the cell.?Some automation part tending cells can be configured to run lights out.?The benefits to getting a robot loading and unloading a CNC are numerous and significant.?Spindle utilization increases.?There are no concerns about the machine not running on any given day due to employee call-ins.