Beyerdynamic doubles manufacturing with out increasing its manufacturing unit

Rising output by 50% with out including flooring house sounds unrealistic for many producers.

That was the precise goal contained in the manufacturing facility of Beyerdynamic, a German producer {of professional} audio tools and headphones. Management set a four-year plan: elevate manufacturing unit productiveness by 50% whereas sustaining the identical footprint and defending strict high quality requirements.

No new constructing.
No compromise on acoustic precision.
No workforce discount.

Right here’s how collaborative robotic automation made it attainable.

The manufacturing problem: Enhance productiveness in the identical house

The bottleneck was a glue spraying software used to refine headphone loudspeakers acoustically.

Beforehand, expert operators manually utilized a medium immediately onto the speaker membrane utilizing a brush. Whereas exact, the method launched:

• Variability in software thickness
• Inconsistent high quality outcomes
• Restricted cycle time enhancements
• Ergonomic and security issues

Handbook processes usually turn into the limiting issue when producers goal to scale manufacturing in constrained environments.

The crew recognized two automation alternatives:

1. Dealing with the welded loudspeaker
2. Spraying the acoustic medium

Collaborative robots shortly turned the popular resolution attributable to their flexibility, compact footprint, and ease of integration.

The automation resolution: collaborative robots with built-in imaginative and prescient 

The corporate chosen two UR5 collaborative robots from Common Robots to construct a synchronized robotic cell.

To resolve half dealing with challenges, they built-in:

Why imaginative and prescient techniques matter in manufacturing automation

One common problem in manufacturing is a component place variance. Parts not often arrive in precisely the identical orientation.

On this case:

• Welded loudspeakers had been positioned throughout the digicam’s area of view.
• The imaginative and prescient system acknowledged the speaker geometry.
• The gripper picked and positioned it exactly.

Engineers didn’t have to manually calculate coordinates. As a substitute, they bodily guided the robotic to show positions. The plug-and-play integration diminished programming time and simplified deployment.

This mixture of collaborative robots, robotic grippers, and built-in imaginative and prescient enabled dependable choosing of non-uniformly positioned elements — a typical barrier to automation adoption.

Coordinated robotic cell for dealing with and spraying 

As soon as the primary robotic positioned the loudspeaker onto a fixture, the second UR5 started the spraying course of.

The automated sequence included:

• Even software of the acoustic medium
• Alternating spraying between two fixtures
• Automated placement of accomplished audio system into trays
• Steady coordination between each robots

The consequence was a completely synchronized robotic cell performing dealing with, spraying, and staging operations.

Preliminary integration required refinement, significantly round spray precision and multi-robot timing. Nevertheless, steady optimization considerably improved cycle occasions.

Measurable outcomes: 50% manufacturing enhance and 50% high quality enchancment 

Manufacturing formally started in July.

With the identical three workers assigned to the station, the corporate achieved:

• 50% enhance in manufacturing quantity
• 50% enchancment in high quality index
• Extra steady and repeatable course of efficiency
• Diminished variability in acoustic medium software

Constant robotic spraying eradicated fluctuations inherent in handbook brushing. Output supply occasions improved whereas sustaining strict high quality requirements.

Importantly, the manufacturing unit footprint remained unchanged.

For producers trying to find methods to extend manufacturing with out increasing services, this case demonstrates how collaborative robotic automation can unlock hidden capability.

Human-robot collaboration in manufacturing

Profitable automation will not be solely technical; it’s cultural.

Management prioritized communication early within the mission. Staff had been invited to take part within the pilot program to scale back concern and encourage collaboration.

Operators had been skilled to:

• Begin and monitor the robots
• Troubleshoot points
• Restart techniques independently

As a substitute of performing repetitive glue software, expert staff shifted towards higher-value duties the place human experience provides higher impression.

This method displays a broader manufacturing pattern: automation reallocates human expertise fairly than changing it.

Key takeaways

This case highlights a number of essential classes for producers evaluating manufacturing unit automation:

• Collaborative robots allow manufacturing will increase with out increasing flooring house
• Built-in imaginative and prescient techniques clear up half place variability
• Plug-and-play grippers simplify deployment
• Human-robot collaboration improves workforce utilization
• Measurable ROI could be achieved via course of stability

For producers dealing with house constraints, high quality calls for, and stress to extend throughput, collaborative robotic cells present a sensible, scalable path ahead.

The transformation inside Beyerdynamic exhibits that vital productiveness positive aspects are attainable — even throughout the identical partitions.