As a result, Advanced Plastics now mould
more than 1,000 products on-site. Each
product has its own robot programme,
which are all easy to understand and
maintain, with one employee operating up
to six moulding machines at a time. mould a vast range of different products of
varying technical difficulty. Currently using
FANUC robots that range from 6kg to 165kg
all of which are IFT approved, Advanced
Plastics are able to fulfil orders for many
different components at the same time.
Edwin continues: “We have found that
FANUC has the most user-friendly
robots we’ve ever used and having the
opportunity to go down to its headquarters
for comprehensive training ensures we are
well-placed to manage our operations. The
speed in which we are able to complete
orders means we can continue to grow and
invest in further technology.” When it moved into its current home in
2012, Advanced Plastics had 16 injection
moulding machines. Today, this number
has increased to 37, effectively more than
doubling its capacity in the last seven years.
As it continues to grow, the company is now
looking to expand its capabilities with a
new car park and warehouse facility, freeing
up an additional 40% of manufacturing
space.
Time savings and future growth plans
One of the robots that has proven to
increase the capacity the manufacturing
site is able to produce is the M-10iA.
Through working with FANUC, Advanced
Plastics has moved from a 3-axis robot to
FANUC’s 6-axis M-10iA robot. Processes
which were complicated and difficult to
handle are now automated, including
picking up inserts and putting them into
the moulds, some of which can reach
between 80-90°C making them unsafe to
handle, as well as trimming tab gates from
cavities once the plastic has been
injected. Additionally, the adoption
of the M-10iA robots has seen
Advanced Plastics’ effectively
double its payload, compared to
its previous system, from 6kg
to 12kg.
The compact system has also helped
the manufacturer improve its cycle
time, providing significant time savings
over a year, as Edwin explains: “The
machines are fast and because they have
a constant cycle time, they can provide
time savings of two seconds or more each
time. While this doesn’t sound like a lot,
by reducing the time by one to seconds
each cycle, we can save around four to five
weeks of time per year. Given the increase
in orders that we have received, this
time helps us to keep growing as a
business.”
As FANUC’s robots come in a variety of
different sizes, Advanced Plastics is able to
It is clear that the future is bright for
Advanced Plastics. Producing a high volume
of components for a growing client roster
has shown the benefits of introducing
technology and industrial robots over a
steady time period. Combining technical
expertise with advanced technology has
allowed the company to continue its
impressive growth in East Yorkshire.
FANUC UK
At its state-of-the-art headquarters
in Ansty Park, Coventry, FANUC
UK brings together world-leading
capabilities in industrial robots,
machine tools and plastic injection
moulding machines to facilitate
the complete integration of
factory automation systems for UK
manufacturers.
FANUC UK works in partnership with
FANUC Europe Corporation to provide
a range of customer support services,
including sales, product support,
parts, repairs, and training, as well as
development of bespoke engineering
systems. FANUC UK is a subsidiary
of FANUC Europe Corporation and
employs approximately 107 staff.
For more information, please visit
www.fanuc.eu/uk and
www.advanced-plastics.co.uk.
Issue 38 PECM
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