2007-11-22 - Almost two years after adding a robotic cell to its production, Characteristix Limited, a UK-based maker of custom moulded plastic novelties, continues to maintain an improved manufacturing performance of 100 per cent since moving to an automated production process.
The GeKu plastic injection moulding cell - comprising an ABB six-axis robot with a 5kg payload integrated with a Krauss Maffei plastic injection moulding machine, GeKu beam robot, conveyors, and pneumatic printing press - is helping Characteristix stay competitive against the Far East 'giants' of the industry.
Characteristix has a prestigious list of license partners including BBC Worldwide, Disney and Warner Bros. It has exploited a niche in the market to supply quick turn-round, small-to-medium batch products to UK and European-based customers; companies that would have previously sourced their requirements from the Far East.
Andy Knight, Managing Director of the company, hails the cell as a resounding success: “Using the robotic cell has kept us competitive. I am not sure we would still be here otherwise.”
Quick turnaround
Traditionally, Characteristix’s main strength has been its ability as a UK-based supplier to respond quickly to customer demands and offer its products in bespoke batch quantities where necessary. This compares favourably with supplies from China, for example, where customers are restricted to ordering extremely large batches often subject to three month lead times, with the added need to closely examine quality and product suitability before proceeding.
This advantage has been maintained with the use of the robot cell. As manufacturer routines are stored in the memory, the cell enables the company to rapidly change over between customer orders, enabling it to react quickly to any spikes in demand. With the cell, they can also perform ‘lights out’, or continuous 24 hour working to respond to urgent orders.
By adopting a fully automated process, Characteristix has achieved savings of over 30 per cent on set-up and operating times. Knight also highlights that the cell is effectively doing work that would otherwise require more time and personnel if performed manually, “(It is) doing work that would need three or maybe even four people.”
Characteristix first viewed the plastic injection moulding cell at the Interplas exhibition. Knight comments: “At the exhibition we saw the cell being used to manufacture a key ring with a printed insert, a product we could readily identify with. GeKu then arranged a visit to the ABB Customer Centre at Milton Keynes for us to witness a demonstration of the IRB 140 robot. This was suitably impressive with its compactness, accuracy and efficiency, for us then to go ahead with a project of our own.”
The new cell, which was designed, installed and commissioned by GeKu, produces 33,000 pieces a day, including birthday card badges, stand-up figures, pendants and fridge magnets; all moulded in the shapes of famous animated characters such as Bob the Builder, Spiderman and Shrek.
The cell operating cycle starts with the GeKu beam robot de-moulding the runner from the Kraus Maffei injection moulder and placing it in the print fixture. A picture transfer is placed on the print fixture, and the transfer image printed under a pneumatic press. The ABB robot takes the moulding out of the print fixture and places it in a holding fixture. It then rotates to expose a cutting tool, which snips the pieces from the runner – removing 30 pieces in about 18-20 seconds. The ABB robot removes the runner, the ‘frame’ that the pieces are contained within, and places it into a granulator. The granulator then crushes the runners into tiny pieces so that it can be re-used. By re-cycling the runners Characteristix ensure that plastic waste is almost non-existent, reducing its material costs by 25%
Staff become robot advocates
Not only has the cell ramped up production for the Cornish badge maker, but it has brought interest and variety to many of the production work force. Knight says: “Many of our staff who were previously employed on manual labouring tasks have risen to the challenge of robot-based manufacturing, readily participating in robot programming and operator tuition to enhance their skills.”
Summing up, Knight comments: “An SME enterprise, based in rural Cornwall with 11 employees may not seem like the most likely of companies to install robots and take on the Far East at its own game. However, the GeKu-designed cell and its ABB robot have helped us to be ultra-competitive, while we have maintained and indeed expanded a client-base made up of some of the most recognised names in the world.”