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News Release from: GTMA
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 09 September 2003
Fastool visit gives UK toolmakers vision
As part of the Fastool initiative representatives from GTMA membership took the opportunity to see how their Dutch counterparts were tackling the issues of automation.
As part of the three-year EU-funded Fastool initiative, led by the GTMA, to reduce mould toolmaking times by half, representatives from GTMA member participants Acorn Plastech, and Omega Plastics UK attended the Steering Group meeting in Holland and took the opportunity to see how their Dutch counterparts were tackling the issues of automation Dave Crone, Omega Plastics' Tooling Manager, found the visit to Gameren-based toolmaker, van Wijnen, particularly interesting
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 2 Sep 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The company has recently installed Holland's first System 3R robot system, resulting in a three-fold increase in output, while maintaining its original workforce of just nine employees.
Dave comments, "They were very forward-looking, particularly on the automation side, where they demonstrated the benefits of taking the incremental approach." Working integrally with the company's die-sinking EDM process, the automated production cell, comprising robot and carousel magazine, has boosted production time to 1800 hours over a three month period.
This compares with just 500 hours over a similar period a year ago, when manual operation was still very much a part of the work-handling routine.
The robot feeds the EDM machine from the carousel's magazine, which has space for 8 work-pieces on 3R Dynafix pallets and 66 electrodes on Macro holders.
This arrangement provides sufficient capacity for the production cell to work unmanned, even over long weekends.
The pallet system also provides the means to confidently interrupt a time-consuming EDM run in order to process a small, express order, without incurring further set-up delays.
David Gibbs, MD System 3R UK, explains, "The reason we were so keen to become involved in the Fastool project is because our experience around the world proves that automation is the key to mouldmaking productivity gains.
The visit to van Wijnen demonstrated how even a small company can gain significant business advantage by applying the appropriate level of automation.
The objective of the Fastool project is to bring this message home to UK companies and to help develop a range of solutions to suit a wide variety of situations.".
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