The robotic cell has already been operating at the Sabetha Kansas production facility. However, before ABAGY, it was used for a limited number of parts, as the programming was tedious.
ABAGY has installed machine vision and other hardware and made it compatible with its proprietary software. As a result, the setup time has been reduced dramatically - only 10-15 minutes for a new product - and the robot can be used for much more products. That’s a big win for Schenck Process with its high-mix production.
To give a couple of examples:
- The cell has been historically used for welding various types of rotors. With ABAGY, setting up the system for a new design only takes 10-15 minutes
- A relief valve with its pipe-in-pipe design was previously welded manually. The robot could not weld such a product as it required complex programming. With ABAGY, robotic welding became possible, as programming and running the job is almost 100% automatic.