CNC automation technology continues to transform the automotive industry along the entire production chain, from raw materials suppliers all the way to the final assembly line.
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Thanks to automated CNC machining, Tier-1, Tier-2, and other suppliers can deliver higher quality automotive parts to other suppliers or OEMs faster.
Efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of parts machining have continued as engineers at companies like Methods partner with machine shops to integrate new equipment for automated tool-changing, material handling, robotic cell operators, real-time monitoring, and more.
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Automated automobile manufacturing incorporates CNC technology, integrated technology, and flexible automation. This article focuses on how the latest automated CNC solutions are giving precision manufacturers a competitive advantage in the automotive industry.
The automotive industry is arguably the biggest adopter of automation technology. In fact, the automotive sector accounts for nearly half (47%) of all industrial robotics sales in North America.
According to a forecast report by Technavio, the automation market share in the automotive industry is expected to increase by $1.95 billion from 2021 to 2024, and the market’s growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of almost 4%.
CNC automation combines several different machining operations, including turning, milling, and drilling, to produce vehicle components with precision and high repeatability while creating efficiencies by reducing the manufacturer’s reliance on human interactions and multiple setups.
Automation systems increase production efficiency for these and other automotive parts:
Due to the intricate workflows involved with modern automotive assembly, incorporating automation into the production of individual components still often requires some human involvement to oversee and control end-to-end operations.
Robotic arms and chip conveyor systems only scratch the surface of automation possibilities for auto suppliers.
A fully integrated robot quickly and accurately switches between different cutting tools from a magazine during machining.
Integrated robots, conveyors, automatic pallet changers, and automatic storage and retrieval systems move raw materials, semi-finished products, and finished products. Automation systems may be used on a single machine or within a machining cell when multiple operations are necessary.
The automotive manufacturing process is highly diverse. As such, different types of CNC automation solutions will provide more value for certain automotive machining applications. These types of automation include:
Leading automotive OEMs, and Tier 1, 2, and 3 suppliers are rapidly implementing CNC automation for the many production benefits that deliver a competitive advantage. These benefits can’t be overstated, and include:
With CNC automation, vehicle manufacturers and automotive suppliers can solve their common pain points and eliminate production bottlenecks:
Speed ranks among the top benefits when incorporating next-level CNC machine solutions in the automotive industry. Automation of part production eliminates fatigue and the need for lengthy and labor-intensive manual machining that can slow down the manufacturing process. Greater speeds increase CNC automation’s benefits when producing low-mix, high-volume automotive parts.
The automotive industry demands high-level accuracies alongside acceptable tolerances that eliminate the malfunction of critical car parts. Autonomous CNC machining removes the risk of human errors, leaving little for defects. The finest machine settings can provide tolerances of ±0.001.
Beginning with CAD, automation ensures consistent processing parameters by storing and reusing tool paths to ensure each piece is produced congruently.
Automation handles a range of parts and quantities better, providing fast and more effortless programming, real-time adjustments, and increased scalability.
While the initial cost of acquiring and automating CNC equipment might be high, the benefits compensate for that investment. Greater production capacity offers opportunities for new business or diversifying into other industries. Operational efficiencies, increased production capacity, and higher quality also factors into calculating the ROI of automation solutions.
Other than manufacturing components and parts for vehicles, automated CNC machining equipment offers even more possibilities for automotive parts suppliers:
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Methods offers CNC machining solutions capable of supporting even the most complex automation projects for automotive manufacturers and suppliers.
We partner with the world’s leading machine builder brands, including FANUC, Kiwa, Nakamura-Tome, OKK, and Yasda, to bring you automation solutions customized for your automotive production needs.
Contact our engineering experts to see how Methods can help you produce the highest quality automotive parts faster and with unmatched precision.
Automation is more than a buzzword; it's an approach to manufacturing with the potential to radically and irrevocably change the trajectory of a business.
But increasing levels of automation often require increasingly radical changes to manufacturing processes. If done incorrectly, or at the wrong time, those changes have the potential to derail a company's momentum.
Thinking about your automation strategy and implementation in advance is key to success. The following questions can help shape your overall approach to automation, giving you a framework to successfully automate your computer numerical control (CNC) machines.
If we narrow the discussion to metalworking and machining applications, then at first glance, automation can appear to be an entirely good idea with few downsides. Granted, upgrading machine tools to increasingly sophisticated CNC equipment to help with automation can be expensive. But as new techniques become available and technology moves into widespread use, companies can start to see increasing automation as a natural response to the changing market.
In that example, automation becomes a response to outside factors rather than a goal in and of itself. The approach is inherently reactive rather than proactive.
While reaction isn't necessarily a bad thing, it does subtly change the overall approach. Imagining full automation as the end goal requires a far more detailed and comprehensive approach. Most importantly, it requires envisioning a fully automated process ahead of time.
There's far more work involved in outlining a long-term plan for full automation. There's more expense involved as well. Consider incorporating a proactive approach to automation. Because a proactive approach reduces the chance for critical errors, expenses that run overboard, or errors in the manufacturing process.
Being proactive in the automation process and planning out the exact steps needed to fully automate your CNC machines requires also that you carefully plan out your employees’ roles. The most obvious role with CNC machines is to adequately prepare and train your employees in geometric code (g-code) and CNC programming, ensuring that you have enough fully trained programmers to handle your entire production line.
That's not the only role for human involvement in a fully automated manufacturing center; you'll also need quality assurance officers and designers. Laying out those roles clearly and well in advance can prepare your company to grow naturally into a fully automated enterprise™.
Automation accentuates any underlying trends. If your processes are well grounded, then automation will improve them. If they aren't, then you could be plagued with inconsistent results and poor performance long after automation.
CNC processes include product design, testing, g-code programming, quality assurance (QA), and sales, among others. You can ensure that your operations are automation ready by upgrading and preparing equipment, training employees, and even making physical improvements to the facilities to be sure they meet the proper conditions for automated machining.
Automated machining is more than simply letting a CNC machine execute a program overnight. A small CNC machine shop might use overnight operations to extend working hours, but those practices aren't harnessing the full benefits of automation.
Full automation requires CNC machines to perform not just one lengthy operation, but an entire series of operations on one or more parts. Machine shops seeking to attain that level of automation require control of both the production process and the environment.
That means controlling thermal buildup. Operations that last for 40 or 50 hours generate significant heat, enough to throw off the accuracy of machining and change the dimensions of the block of material being machined. With manual tools, machine operators can adjust for those changes during the operation. But in an entirely closed-loop system, it becomes crucial to minimize any changes and thus eliminate the need to compensate.
At this point, the considerations for how to automate your CNC machines transition from general to highly specific. Here are just a few examples of those specific considerations:
Can you measure and account for the condition of the cutting tool before machining at each step in the program?
Can you measure and account for the condition of the cutting tool after machining each step?
Do you have the ability to change out cutting tools for a duplicate if certain tolerances aren't met?
What degree of flexibility is built into the CNC machine? Does the machine have a selection of programs and parts to choose from so that if it is unable to machine one part, perhaps because of a tool break, it can switch to another program without interruption?
Can all of these decisions be made in real time, thereby reducing unused machine time?
Does the mill, lathe, or other machine tool have the ability to control and adjust for thermal expansion?
The above list isn't exhaustive; it's just a small representation of what needs to happen for a CNC production process to be fully automated.
Several machine tool builders offer CNC milling machines, lathes, and other machine tools that are capable of full automation. But the machines themselves are only part of what a manufacturer needs.
Fully automated CNC processes require a combination of software capable of producing highly complex CNC programming. A fully automated CNC program, capable of meeting the parameters mentioned above without manual intervention requires programming that would take far too long to complete manually. The programming stage itself requires software (in addition to the software used in the actual CNC machines).
By looking at the requirements for fully automated CNC machining, you start to see the complexity of fully automated systems. The solution isn't to turn away from advanced machining automation, but rather for operators to carefully consider the best time and manner to increase their current level of automation.
Editor’s note: this is a guest post. Views expressed are the guest author’s own views and not necessarily representative of UiPath.
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