In recent years, the growth of automated machine tending solutions has been driven by labor shortages and rising costs. With an estimated 20 million CNC machines installed worldwide, fewer than 10% manufacturers use robotic automation according to MIT.
The common barriers to adoption include:
- High costs
- Long payback periods
- Limited expertise
- Inflexible solutions for high-mix environments
Traditionally, two approaches have been offered to overcome these challenges: fully custom solutions or pre-engineered turnkey systems. Read on to explore both approaches—and discover a new way to automate CNC operations.
Custom Robotic Tending: Greater Flexibility & Costs
One of the most common approaches is engineering a custom solution from scratch. This traditional method involves working with a third-party who sources the right components from a vast array of OEM providers. The performance optimization and flexibility make it well-suited for high-precision industries like automotive, aerospace, and food and beverage.
However, this flexibility comes at a cost—higher CapEX, longer lead times, and increased technology risks.
Pros & Cons of Custom Robotic Tending
Pre-engineered Tending Solutions: Lower Costs, Limited Flexibility
As automation adoption grows across industries, turnkey or “pre-engineered” solutions have emerged to standardize design and functionality. Standardizing common features offers several benefits, including faster deployment and lower costs. For example, out-of-the-box palletizing applications can be implemented in a few weeks, delivering immediate results.
However, the most significant limitation of pre-engineered solutions is their lack of granular control compared to custom systems.
Pros & Cons of Pre-engineered Tending Solution
The New Way: Customizable Pre-Engineered Solutions
Vention now offers a hybrid approach, combining the flexibility of customization with the speed of pre-engineered solutions. This innovative method provides a custom, ready-to-work solution in less than two weeks. Manufacturers get access to a tailor solution quickly, leveraging Vention’s One Factory Ecosystem with over 2,200 plug-and-play parts.
Four Easy Steps to Configure Your Machine Tending Solution
1. Choose a base design
- Drawer system
- Angled parts presenter
2. Choose your collaborative robot
- Universal Robots: UR10e or UR30
- FANUC: CRX-10iA/L or CRX-20iA/L
- ABB: GoFa10 or GoFa12
3. Choose your gripper
- Electric two and three-finger grippers
- Pneumatic two-finger grippers
- Single or dual gripper configurations
- Vacuum grippers
4. Add optional features
- Tower lights
- Area scanners
- Tool changers
- CNC door actuators
- Force torque sensors
Start Automating Your CNC Operations with Confidence
Choosing the right automation partner is key to achieving ROI, whether opting for a custom or pre-engineered solution. Vention’s dedicated team of experts handles everything from scoping to deployment, making it both fast and easy to automate CNC machining.
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Reach out to scope your application and get a design proposal within a few days.
