Manufacturing efficiency has taken a leap forward with Ruland Manufacturing Co.’s recent selection of Flexxbotics to enhance their FANUC RoboDrill workcells. The collaboration aims to create a “lights out” operation, enabling machines to run autonomously, even when the factory lights are off. Flexxbotics, a Boston-based company, is reshaping the face of robot-driven manufacturing with their FlexxCORE technology. This innovative platform is instrumental in enabling collaborative robots from Universal Robots to seamlessly communicate with FANUC RoboDrill machinery and Renishaw inspection probes.
Advances in Digitalization and Process Control
The integration brought about by Flexxbotics allows for direct feedback and autonomous adjustments, providing 24/7 production capabilities. The FlexxCORE system is a game-changer, dramatically reducing changeover times from over an hour to merely one minute. This enhancement ensures continuous operation, higher utilization, and dynamic job changes within the workcells.
Flexxbotics’ system also simplifies the complexity of robot-to-machine interfacing, a challenge highlighted by Dustin Vinci, Ruland’s engineering manager. He applauds the system’s complete coordination of robots with CNC machines and inspection equipment. The smart workflows and contextualized instructions offered by Flexxbotics are set to streamline operations further, giving technicians clear guidance on error resolution.
Why Flexxbotics Was the Preferred Choice
Ruland’s decision to partner with Flexxbotics was influenced by several factors, including the ability to perform in-line inspection for precision quality, automatic configuration, and program loading for each job. Moreover, the FlexxCORE technology supports over 100 SKUs with just three in-feed part presentation fixtures, demonstrating its versatility and efficiency.
Technology Fostering Smart Factory Environments
Flexxbotics CEO, Tyler Bouchard, emphasizes their role in enabling sophisticated smart factory environments to embrace robot-driven manufacturing at scale. The partnership with Vention to release a combined machine-tending offering is a testament to their commitment to delivering comprehensive solutions. Their collaboration allows customers to leverage cloud-robotic tools and modular automation hardware from Vention, alongside Flexxbotics’ advanced software systems.
In the realm of robotic machine tending, an article from Engadget titled “Automation in Robotics: The Rise of Machine Tending Solutions” offers insights into the growing trend of utilizing robotics for machine tending. This article underscores the increasing demand for automation in various industries to improve efficiency and productivity. While it does not directly discuss the partnership between Ruland and Flexxbotics, it provides a broader context that emphasizes the importance and relevance of the collaboration. The advancements in robotic machine tending technology, as showcased by Flexxbotics, are part of a larger movement towards automation in manufacturing, which is rapidly transforming the industry landscape.
Ruland’s initiative with Flexxbotics signifies more than just an upgrade in machinery—it marks a significant step towards the future of automated manufacturing. By setting a new standard in machine tending, Ruland Manufacturing emerges as a leader in embracing cutting-edge technology for operational excellence.
