Automating High Mix/Low Volume

BS CNC is a small family-run business that produces metal precision components in unique and small/medium series.

The Challenge

With the company steadily growing, they became a major supplier to several large multinational companies.

However, tending the machines was a time-consuming task for their employees, who had to stand in front of the machines all day long to ensure the machines would not stand idle for too long at a time. In addition, the repetitive and monotonous nature of the task made it difficult for the company to find and keep skilled operators.

How BS CNC increased their production hours by 4

BS CNC turned to Wamatec, a system integrator that works closely with OnRobot to help them automate their CNC machine tending process.

“We knew that robotic automation could solve our challenges, however we were unsure if it was feasible to invest in automation due to the nature of our production.” said Barabás Sándor, Managing Director and owner of BS CNC.

Based on discussions with Wamatec and OnRobot, BS CNC found out that there was a solution to their challenges. With such a broad portfolio of flexible, intelligent and electric grippers, many different parts could easily be handled.

“After a proof of concept, we realized automating our high mix low volume production was not a problem and that it would make financial sense.” said Barabás Sándor.

BS CNC selected OnRobot’s 2FG7 electric gripper paired with a collaborative robot from Doosan. The 2FG7 was easy to set up and get running to handle their variety of parts, requiring no custom engineering or maintenance that would otherwise drive up costs. The gripper is well-suited for machine tending tasks due to its compact design and reliability in tough manufacturing conditions.

Seamless integration with the robot was also a big plus, saving BS CNC and Wamatec for many technical headaches. Based on OnRobot’s unique standardized interfaces, they were able to get the entire system up and running quickly. Wamatec has built a complete solution for them and guided them through the entire process.

“Before they were producing 128 pieces per shift, now with the new solution BS CNC is able to produce 155 pieces per shift.” says Laszlo Papp, Saless Engineer at Wamatec Kft.

After automating their CNC machine tending process, BS CNC made sure that the machines were always running at full capacity for increased productivity. They were finally able to free up their employees to do more valuable and interesting tasks.

“With the new solution, we have assured our CNC machine are always operational, enabling us to enhance our production hours by 4.” says Barabás Sándor.

This also made it easier for them to keep good employees in the company. Thanks to their flexible automation solution, they were now able to quickly respond to production changes without compromising on quality.

The perfect fit to stay competitive

CNC machine tending is a really good fit for robotic automation, and more and more smaller companies are starting to realize that it can help them to stay competitive and avoid falling behind.

However, general automation adoption is still low as complexity and cost barriers can still be present. Together with OnRobot and system integrators like Wamatec, family-run companies like BS CNC can reap the benefits of automation.

“Automating our CNC machine resulted in a 50% decrease of downtime.” mentioned Barabás Sándor.

With the OnRobot gripper and Doosan collaborative robot, BS CNC was able to automate their CNC machine tending process and streamline their operations, increasing productivity and freeing up their employees to do more valuable tasks.

About BS CNC

BS CNC was founded in 2013. Its facilities are situated in the central industrial area of Kecskemét, where it presently operates 3 CNC lathes, 4 CNC milling machines, and 1 conventional slab grinding machine in a hall spanning almost 900 square meters. In 2020, the company upgraded its quality assurance department by installing a measuring room that adheres to current standards. The temperature-controlled environment houses a coordinate measuring machine, a linear height gauge, a surface roughness gauge, and an optical measuring machine that is presently being acquired.

The company employs highly experienced personnel who specialize in CNC machining, CNC lathe operations, locksmithing, programming, and quality assurance.

BS CNC’s business policy is to ensure maximum customer satisfaction by adhering to the highest standards of quality and meeting delivery deadlines.

About Wamatec

Wamatec is a Hungarian company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of industrial machinery. The company was founded in 1995, and since then it has grown to become a key player in the field of automation and custom machinery production.

Wamatec started as a small workshop, providing maintenance and repair services for industrial machinery. However, due to the growing demand for custom-made machines, the company expanded its operations to include design and manufacturing of industrial machinery. In the early years of the company, the focus was on the Hungarian market, but in the following years, it expanded its operations to other European countries. Currently, the company exports its machinery to several countries worldwide. Over the years, the company has made significant investments in research and development, allowing it to keep up with the latest technological advancements. The company’s R&D team is continuously working to develop new and innovative solutions to meet the needs of its customers.

Today, the company operates from a modern facility in Hungary, which houses state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and a team of highly skilled professionals. The company’s core values include quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction, and it strives to maintain these values in all its operations.

*This case study was kindly provided to us by OnRobot.