The Team at Navus: Forerunners of Technology Advancement

April 7, 2021

The Team at Navus: Forerunners of Technology Advancement

career, custom automation, custom fabrication, custom programming, robotic solutions, robotic welding, technology advancement

Navus

Navus has a reputation of delivering systems that work for our clients. We talk about solving client challenges regularly because it’s what we do every day! But how do we do it? We constantly look for ways to use, and even develop, the latest advanced technologies to ensure that our solutions work.

From robotics programming to bridging the gap between academic and hands-on engineering, our team takes their wealth of experience and knowledge to work with them every day of the week. They collaborate to make our solutions the best choice on the market, and think about challenges from every possible angle.

Meet Matt: Automation Technician

Matt N. recently joined the Navus team at the end of 2020, but he’s jumped right into his role creating solutions for our clients’ challenges. He’s been an impressive addition to our team, and we can’t wait to see how he continues to grow in knowledge and expertise at Navus.

Creating Something New Every Day

Navus: Describe what you do in your role at Navus.

Matt: I assemble and install electrical components as an aspect of our automation systems.

Navus: How did you end up in this career, and ultimately at Navus?

Matt: I was in the right place at the right time! In Fall of 2020, I was in my last semester of Electrical Engineering at Pellissippi State Community College. Navus came to visit our class to let us know about them and the work they do, but also to get to know us a little bit. I talked to them, and they thought I’d be a good fit at Navus, and I thought it would be a good opportunity for my career..

Navus: What’s your favorite part about your job and working at Navus?

Matt: I just like that it’s not always the same thing. Every day is a little different. Sometimes it’s similar to something I’ve done before, but oftentimes it’s something completely new. Especially for me, since I’m coming from the academic side of engineering rather than the experience side of it like some of my co-workers. It’s good for me to learn the practical side of some of the academic things that I learned about electrical engineering.

It’s also nice that Navus is a smaller company. We’re able to have input into the projects we’re working on, and to associate with everyone who’s involved with the project. I get to talk to the engineers, the project managers, the other fabricators, and the other technicians. We tend to work closely together that way to find the best multi-disciplinary solutions to the challenges that we face. I like that a lot about our company.

A Team That’s Not Afraid of Challenges

Navus: Describe some of the ways you’ve seen the team at Navus work together to overcome challenges.

Matt: Everyone brings their own expertise to any challenge we face. When we look for solutions, everybody brings a different perspective based on what they know about that type of issue, what the end goal is, and how best to attain it for our client.

We can collaborate and work together, and you end up getting input from other sides that you may not have thought about. Our team is familiar with all types of materials and the processes for fabricating them. They always bring their knowledge into play, and being a smaller operation allows us to share in those ways and come up with solutions for challenges.

Navus: What have been your favorite projects to work on?

Matt: Right now we’re working on a line that’s going to be a huge part of the future of the automobiles. It feels good to play a small part in the next generation of the automotive industry.

Navus: What do you hope for your future at Navus?

Matt: Honestly, I just like to see the robots dance. As advanced as robot technology is, and the constant advancement of the different tools we have to use with robots, we’re able to bring more and more of them into play and have greater precision with less waste and more efficiency. We create a better product for the end consumer—not only the client we’re working with, but also their ultimate client. It’s nice to be on the forefront of technology advancing.

Forging the Future & Clarifying the Complex of Custom Automation

Navus’ team is made up of hand-picked individuals who bring a variety of backgrounds and experiences to our work. One of our values as a team is the ability to collaborate and overcome any challenges our clients face. Team members like Matt are part of the reason that our high standards for the solutions and products we deliver are possible!

If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help overcome your challenges through custom automation solutions, or if you’re interested in joining the Navus family, reach out to us today. You can contact us by emailing info@navusinc.com.

Custom Automation

February 17, 2021

Solving Production Delays & Programming Issues

custom automation, custom programming, manufacturing floor space, programming issues

Navus

No matter what’s being produced, the manufacturing process can get complicated quickly. Every one of our manufacturing clients come to us with unique challenges somewhere in their process—including programming issues. Recently, a client approached us with recurring challenges they were facing in their manufacturing process due to the architecture of their control systems and its inability to do what they needed to without manual input. They needed a reliable system that could improve overall production and make it easier to operate.

There’s a reason we claim to solve complex challenges — our team is known for solving the challenges that our clients face. We’ve proven it time and time again. No matter the scale of the challenge you’re facing, our team works until they find a unique solution that works better for than you could have ever imagined.

Programming Issues Can Cause a Host of Production Problems

It seems simple enough, but if a system in your manufacturing facility isn’t programmed correctly, it’s almost impossible for the entire production system to do what it’s supposed to do. This understandably causes more than one problem in your facility. Production rates plummet, processes are stalled, it feels like something’s always in need of fixing, and it leaves you and your entire team with a major headache and no clear fix.

That’s the moment our engineers come to your rescue.

The featured client was dealing with all of the above frustrations when they approached us for a solution. Our engineers know the ins and out of a control system’s architecture, which allowed us to recreate the system they already had, but in a way that actually worked for them.

How did we do it?

The Navus Solution: Getting Back to the Architecture of it All

By going back to the root of what our clients needed their system to accomplish, our team was able to build a better, more efficient system. All aspects of the production line needed to understand and communicate with each other. Our client didn’t just need automation for automation’s sake— they needed a smart solution that actually did everything their production process required without constant input from operators.

Our client was continuously faced with the challenge to produce a consistent fit up, within a tight tolerance, on a multi-part assembly at a critical place within their manufacturing process. One missing piece in their previous system keeping them from accomplishing this was the ability to automatically recognize and compensate for part features and variables. This is a feature we’ve delivered to other clients before, including the project detailed in our white paper: MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE WITH SENSOR-GUIDED ROBOTICS. Because of our experience and reputation for delivering our clients systems that can identify their different parts, and intuitively know what to do with the parts, we knew we could deliver this particular solution.

Navus’ system was able to automatically overcome the variable tolerance stack ups in materials and assembly without the need for operator intervention or input. Due to Navus’ depth of knowledge in control system’s architecture, we were able to recreate a production cell that our client was familiar with. We weren’t trying to make their new system fit in their existing floorspace. We simply took the concept of what was already there, made it infinitely better, and integrated it into their facility seamlessly.

The ultimate result? Dramatically improved production rates and reliable part consistency to the downstream process. It was an easier system for operators to manage because it didn’t produce inconsistencies, slow production down with stalled time, or require constant tweaks and manual operation. Now all the operators have to do is oversee that the system is doing what it’s supposed to.

Automation Integration is Considering the Big Picture

When Navus goes to solve a challenge for a client through automation integration, we look at the big picture. We ask ourselves how the process we’re creating for you is going to work with the rest of your facility. Our solutions are built to communicate with the rest of your manufacturing process, and fit into the space you already have.

We promise to deliver solutions that work, and we don’t end the relationship once the process has been delivered. We pride ourselves on our client relationships and love to find other ways we can solve the challenges our clients face.

Navus’ ability to solve your challenges ultimately comes down to our team and history of excellence. Every one of our engineers is passionate about solving specific challenges for our clients who partner with us. We’re dedicated to thinking outside of the box to ensure our turn-key system solutions accomplish what you need and solve the challenges you face. From electrical and controls system engineering to automation integration, and everything in between, we promise to partner with you in all aspects possible. When you choose to partner with us for your integration needs, you become a part of the Navus family.

Navus Automation, Inc., is a leading full-service automation integrator. Our world-class team has a reputation for applying ingenuity to solve complex challenges and deliver customized turn-key systems solutions. From concept to completion, Navus provides robotic welding and automation systems built upon our unwavering commitment to excellence, precision, and reliability.

For more information on how our team can help you solve complex challenges in your manufacturing facility, reach out to us today!

Heavy Industry Medium Industry

January 28, 2021

Not All Integrators Are The Same: How Navus’ Programming Makes Us Stand Out Above Others

additive manufacturing, custom automation, custom programming, custom software, heavy industry, medium industry

Navus

We don’t have to tell you about the challenges and complexity of making the different systems in your facility communicate and work together. If you find managing line production day-to-day feels more like a nightmare than the smooth process it should be, you may be partnered with the wrong automation integrator. Choosing the right automation integration partner makes all the difference in how well your systems run, their impact on your day, and the future growth of your company.

No matter what challenge you’re facing in your facility, different automation integrators will always come up with different ways to resolve your challenges. When choosing a partner, it comes down to choosing the smartest solution possible for your company. Integration isn’t just about solving your current challenge, it’s also about looking to the future and seeing possibilities for the success of your business that your current integration partner may not have considered.

Our team at Navus has proven we stand out above other integrators with our knack for seeing what others didn’t, and applying ingenuity to not only solve immediate complex challenges for our clients, but also to think towards the future and how our turn-key systems can provide intelligent solutions that consider future challenges your company may face. In this blog series we explore how the work that we’ve done sets Navus apart from other integrators.

Additive Manufacturing With Metal Alloy

Additive manufacturing has taken the world by storm in the last several years. While it’s been around since the 1980s, it’s become more of a practical choice for manufacturers as the concept has gotten more advanced, and demand for a manufacturer’s products has increased past the traditional modes of manufacturing.

A client recently approached us with the need for a robotic gantry that could handle additive manufacturing of 3D metal alloy objects in medium and heavy industry settings. The objects themselves needed to be made with multiple different metal alloys. They essentially needed an industrial 3D printer that could switch between materials seamlessly.

Our client needed a new robotic gantry that could work with one they currently owned. In addition, they needed new, custom software that could anticipate all of their needs and keep both gantries calibrated and working correctly.

Custom Software for a Robotic Gantry

A robotic gantry without the right software is similar to buying a computer without an operating system. It’s a machine that can accomplish marvelous things, but without the right programming, it’s nothing but an elaborate shell. It was crucial that our client have new custom software to keep both gantries, their current gantry and the one we were building, coordinated.

Building custom software that integrates existing processes and equipment, which may have been built by a different integrator, and new processes and equipment is a daunting task. The new process merged both gantries together across 13 different axes and kept everything working together within a tolerance of 1mm of welding wire. The intricacy and complexity of what was required of this software was a daunting task. But it wasn’t too daunting for our engineers.

The end result of this project was a brand new process that combined the old with the new and unique. Our newly built robotic gantry was put on the same track as the one already in place. Our custom software ensured the entire system was calibrated so all 13 axes worked together seamlessly within 1mm of welding wire, and that the robot knew where everything was within a 3D space at all times.

The additive manufacturing process we created could use multiple metal alloys within the same part, allowing our client to create objects with one kind of metal on the inside, and a different one on the outside, or a combination of different metals in different parts of the object. This is something made completely possible through additive manufacturing that could never be achieved through a traditional casting process.

How Did We Do It?

Our client wanted an addition to their gantry so they could do consistent additive manufacturing with metal alloy in their facility, but they also needed a custom software that kept the robotic gantry our team created working properly.

The biggest challenges we faced were ensuring that axes were coordinated to work together, and blending the real world with the 3D printing world. Both required an enormous amount of calibration and testing.

The system we designed:

Gave our client the capability to print 3D parts with metal alloys
Kept all of the axes calibrated so they could use the system without fear of it failing
Programmed the robot so it knows where everything is within the 3D space of the gantry
Allowed our client to create 3D objects made from multiple types of metal materials

The result? With this new process, our client is able to print objects using metal alloys. If you’re curious how we could help you and your company in a similar way, contact a member of our team today!

Why Are Navus’ Solutions Smarter Than Other Automation Integrators’ Solutions?

It all comes down to our team at Navus. Every one of our engineers is passionate about solving specific challenges for every single one of our clients who partners with us. Our experience, ability to think outside of the box, and passion make all of the difference in ensuring our turn-key system solutions accomplish what other automation integrators can’t. Partnering with Navus isn’t just about figuring out a solution for your current challenges. With every client we partner with, we promise to bring new ideas and solutions to the table that create future possibilities for your manufacturing space, and the future growth of your company.

Navus Automation, Inc., is a leading full-service automation integrator. Our world-class team has a reputation for applying ingenuity to solve complex challenges and deliver customized turn-key systems solutions. From concept to completion, Navus provides robotic welding and automation systems built upon our unwavering commitment to excellence, precision, and reliability.

For more information on how our team can help you solve complex challenges in your manufacturing facility, reach out to us today!

Tag : custom programming