CONTROL & AUTOMATION MACHINING FLEXIBILITY
THE SEMPRE GROUP
The Sempre Group and Hardwicke Enterprise collaborate on machine tending system
When Hardwicke Enterprise , a subcontract CNC machining specialist needed to upscale production after it won a new contract , it needed a flexible , quick and simple solution to increase speed and ensure quality . It turned to metrology specialist The Sempre Group for support , who has been developing a new automated machine tending solution that saved Hardwicke Enterprise 52 hours of time that operators could allocate to other projects .
The Sempre Group provides a range of metrology systems and software to help UK manufacturers improve productivity , reduce human error and demonstrate compliance in quality control . When businesses cannot find an off-the-shelf product that best suits the application , The Sempre Group develops bespoke solutions . Sempre engineers regularly outsource the manufacturing of bespoke parts , such as end-of-arm tooling , to suppliers .
Hardwicke Enterprise specialises in the subcontract CNC machining of high quality turned and milled components . Established in 1967 , the company has grown year on year and now operates with a team of eight to deliver precision machined components for companies in a variety of sectors , such as food manufacturing , aerospace and marine . For over three years , Hardwicke Enterprise has manufactured and supplied complex components to The Sempre Group to help it provide bespoke solutions .
Now , The Sempre Group is adding automation to its portfolio to leverage this even further and help manufacturers adopt a fully digitised approach to quality . Using the latest collaborative robotics , Sempre aims to supply easy-to-use , quick installed , flexible automation solutions with a rapid return on investment ( ROI ). These systems would suit businesses that want to improve productivity in quality processes , but cannot afford to automate their entire production line . So , when developing a new automated machine tending solution for smaller applications ,
Automation can help solve challenges of speed and time — robots can operate faster than humans and can run for longer hours .
The Sempre Group wanted to test the system with a customer to see how the technology could benefit the industry more widely .
UPSCALING PRODUCTION QUICKLY
Hardwicke Enterprise normally produces low volumes of bespoke parts for its clients . So , when it won a contract to manufacture 1,000 castor wheels in a short period of time , the team knew it had to increase productivity .
“ To deliver this contract on time we needed to quickly find a way to increase production speed without compromising on quality ,” explained Andrew Foster , managing director of Hardwicke Enterprise . “ Traditionally , each team member operates a different CNC machine , moving the parts manually so that they can be measured . However , as each castor wheel is made up of around five different components and the client wanted a quick delivery , we needed a system that could operate faster and for longer periods of time .”
Automation can help solve challenges of speed and time — robots can operate faster than humans and can run for longer hours . However , automating an entire production line can take a long time to plan , set up and program before production can begin .
“ We knew that introducing technology would help us deliver the contract , but we needed a system that was quick to set up , flexible and helped the team improve output ,” continued Foster . “ So , when The Sempre Group mentioned that it was developing a new automated system , we offered to help develop and test it .”
DELIVERING A QUICK SOLUTION
The Sempre Group designed the automated machine tending system to work alongside Hardwicke ’ s super mini mill CNC machine that builds the parts . The team designed gripper fingers to handle the components , modifications to the chucks and an easy-to-use pallet system . Once designed , The Sempre Group manufactured all of the parts for use as well as installing and programming a Universal UR5E collaborative robot ( cobot ). The system was built in one week and installed in three hours .
44 PECM Issue 54