(l-r) Vi-Cas machinists Derrick Cooke and Tyson John hold parts in front of the Hurco VM10i machining center and ProCobots system that produced them.
Vi-Cas' ProCobots ProFeeder system retrieves a finished part from the Hurco machining center.
The ProCobots part flipper turns over a part so that its other side can be machined.
A batch of parts following an automated job at Vi-Cas Mfg.
Tucked away on the east side of Cincinnati, OH, Vi-Cas Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» has been making vacuum cups for over 50 years. While they may fly under the radar to some, vacuum cups are used in nearly every industry. Vi-Cas Mfg. is the number one seller of vacuum cups, with customers all over the world.
"Vacuum cups, as small and innocuous as they may seem, are used in everything from contact lenses to airplane wings," said Johnny Cole, Plant Manager.
Vi-Cas handles the entire manufacturing process, from raw materials to the finished product. That process begins in its machine shop, where four Hurco VM10i VMCs cut parts.
"We onsite machine all of our fittings that go into all of our cups," explained Cole. "After the machining is done, our parts go into production."
With so many companies in need of vacuum cups, Vi-Cas is always exploring ways to shorten lead times and serve more customers. Automation stood out as an intriguing option, but it needed to be easy to implement, simple to operate and reliable. According to Vi-Cas, ProCobots-Hurco's automation solution checked all those boxes.
ProCobots automation is completely integrated with the Hurco control through Hurco's Automation Job Manager software. This allows the user to manage the collaborative robot (cobot) conversationally on the Hurco control, rather than having to learn robot programming. Simply put, if you can use a Hurco, you can use ProCobots automation. This key advantage gave Vi-Cas personnel confidence they could quickly incorporate automation into their process and was a major factor in their decision to purchase the ProCobots ProFeeder system.
"When the ProCobots first showed up on site, it was a Thursday if I am not mistaken. By Friday, they were able to have the machine running, and the following week my employees were already programming the machine," recalled Cole.
ProCobots' integrated control system squashed the learning curve for Vi-Cas' machinists and enabled them to automate jobs effectively within days of the robot's arrival.
The part flipper is an optional accessory that allows for multiple-operation machining without machinist intervention. When it is time for the next operation, the ProCobots' automatic doors open, the robot picks up the part from the vise and places it in the flipper. The flipper then turns the part over, and the robot puts it back in the vise so the Hurco can cut the other side.
The ProCobots system was strongly embraced by the Vi-Cas team, which was excited to hand off the mundane task of loading and unloading parts.
"A person does not need to stand there loading and unloading the machine all day long," said Jeremy Bertsch, Machinist. "They can move on to other tasks."
Additionally, by automating jobs, Vi-Cas was able to further increase productivity through lights-out machining. After employees clock out, jobs run overnight and the team shows up the next morning to a batch of finished parts.
"It is a nonstop process," noted Bertsch.
Vi-Cas is pleased with its decision to take the leap toward automation. Incorporating it into the workflow was simple, and the team noted how ProCobots has increased their efficiency and productivity.
"It has exceeded all my expectations," said Cole. "The gains that I get in time and material is twice what the cost of the machine was. Efficiency is the key to production. I cannot say enough about how much time it has saved me just in production and man hours."
ProCobots has been so helpful that Vi-Cas management intends to purchase more robots to pair with their other Hurco machines.
"It has been such a success," said Bertsch. "I do plan on adding more later because it gives my employees so much time to do the other requirements that cannot be done by a robot. It just does its job, and it does it very well."
Authored by Joe Hopkins, Communications Specialist, Hurco Companies, Inc.
For more information contact:
Vi-Cas Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»
8407 Monroe Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45236
513-791-7741
technical@vi-cas.com
Joe Hopkins
Hurco Companies, Inc.
1 Technology Way
Indianapolis, IN 46248
317-671-3411
hopkinsj@hurco.com