Product category:
Polishing, buffing and surface texturing
News Release from: Surtech Surface Technology Products | Subject: Robotic polishing and buffing
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 14 December 2005
Robots replace manpower to buff, polish
guitars
World famous New York guitar maker has opted for sanding and buffing robots to solve problems associated with employee turnover, lost man hours and long training cycles.
When C F Martin opened his modest guitar making shop on Hudson St in lower Manhattan in 1833 he could not have conceived of today's 190,000ft2 facility and 600 employees to continue the tradition of fine craftsmanship and solid business planning that has been the Trademark of C F Martin and Co for over a century and a half The key to the Company's longevity lies in their emphasis on quality and a dedication to the health of their employees
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 1 Mar 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Equally important has been the ability of management to recognise and implement positive changes to the business model.
This is no more evident than in C F Martin and Co's recent adoption of a robotic buffing system designed by Intec in Italy.
Like many manufacturers involved in high volume, high quality buffing, Martin had begun to experience problems with employee turnover, lost man hours and long training cycles.
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It can take anywhere from six months to a year to properly train an operator in hand held buffing.
Once trained, the work itself can be tedious and the employee is vulnerable to ailments related to repetitive motion.
At Martin it was becoming more and more difficult to hang on to experienced polishers.
Even with the above factors the idea of robotic buffing was, at first, not an easy sell.
Over the course of a century and a half Martin had become widely regarded as the makers of the most finely crafted guitars in the world.
With quality of product and employee satisfaction ranking above raw productivity Intec needed to prove that their system was not simply about volume.
In order to do this Intec first introduced Martin to manual pedestal type buffing lathes.
Pleased with the results and with the service provided, Martin's plant manager began testing the robotic cell.
Martin's polishers were first observed and video taped by Intec's programmers Then while developing the robot process program there was an even flow of communication between the two companies, "Intec was open to our input throughout the whole programming process," and worked with Martin over an 18 month period to develop an acceptable process in their robotic test lab.
After placing the order Intec's robotic cell went through a rigorous testing period before it went on-line in 2004.
Since then the robotic cell has buffed over 20,000 guitars.
"The cell produces very consistent repeatable quality which enabled us to reduce our manual polishing time of full gloss bodies by 50% and totally eliminated any manual polishing of our gloss top bodies," stated Martin's plant manager.
Other benefits to the process abound.
Because of the size of the buffing wheels they are able to operate at a cooler temperature, reducing the chance of damage of the product being buffed and extending the life of the wheel.
Intec's 'Auto-Sense Buffing System' also contributes to the economy and quality of the process.
The robot, part magazine and two buffing units are mounted on a heavy-duty welded steel double walled common base.
All the electrical and pneumatic connections run inside the common base eliminating any exposed wires and air lines.
The 'Auto Sense' electronic system for controlling buff pressure, utilizes a closed loop feed back system.
Up to five different pressures can be programmed and recalled at any point in the robot program.
This allows the buffing units to maintain a constant pressure while following the contour of the guitar.
In addition the system automatically increases the wheel speed to compensate for wheel wear, automatically maintaining a constant surface feet per minute.
The 'Auto Sense' system eliminates the requirement for program maintenance since it will compensate for the slightest part-to- part variation.
There are no second quality Martins, the slightest flaw can mean that the guitar must go back through the production line, or, that it must be rejected completely.
This has made consistency on the production line extremely important.
With the precision of its movement, and its adaptability through an extremely accessible interface that has ethernet capabilities, Intec's robotic cell has excelled at creating a consistent product.
For the employees of C F Martin and Co there have been benefits as well.
Automation allowed some of our workforce to be re-assigned to areas where there were labour shortages.
A further benefit to automation is that there are now fewer lost man-hours.
Two former polishers have been trained as programmers, a part of the Intec service package.
The overall quality of the workplace has improved because the robotic cell is fully enclosed and ventilated, eliminating exposure to the dust generated in the buffing process.
The relationship between Intec and C F Martin and Co has continued beyond the development of the robotic cell.
Intec serves as a one-stop shop for contact wheels, buffs and polishes.
Because of their understanding of the entire buffing and polishing process Intec's team have been able to continue to enhance both the method and materials for C F Martin and Co With the success of the automated polishing system the two companies are looking forward to more projects together.
The futuristic robotic cell is now prominently featured on the Martin factory tour and will be seen by approximately 16,000 people this year.
It is a testament to two companies grounded in quality and tradition, but with their eyes on the future.
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