Custom Automation that Solves Programming and Production issues in Manufacturing

Solving Production Delays & 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!

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

Not All Automation Integrators Are The Same: How Navus Engineered What Didn’t Exist

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 integrators 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 manufacturing 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 our ability to 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.

Seamless Integration & No Line Layout Changes

One of the most unique client challenges we’ve helped resolve to date was a modular machine for the assembly of small parts. The machine needed to handle a 26-step manufacturing process contained in the single, modular machine. Our client had pre-existing systems that built these particular parts in their manufacturing facility, but the legacy systems were not able to produce fast enough to meet the demanded volume of manufactured products. They needed additional systems to decrease production time for orders that followed the same general manufacturing steps, but that could be contained within a small footprint of the manufacturing floor. 

The system that Navus proposed did more than just solve our client’s initial challenge. It opened up a new world of possibilities for the future of their manufacturing facility and production times that translates directly to the growth of their business.

The end result of this project was a machine that assembled parts faster than our client could have imagined, without taking up extra space on the manufacturing floor. The design and programming of the machine itself created a platform for which all of their future line layout can be accomplished without the need to change manufacturing floor space requirements—and in fact, free up more manufacturing floor space to include new lines as their business grows.

How Did We Do It?

One of our client’s main goals was to utilize automation to achieve a faster production time. The goal for each part of the automation process was to be completed under 2.5 seconds. But the automation system had to be flexible in order to account for multiple variations in the product. On top of this, our client wanted to affordably automate the assembly process inline with existing equipment without changing their facility’s floor plan.

For this system’s automation application, we needed to create a machine cased within a custom safety enclosure that also featured an in-feed conveyor system with part escapements, a label application system, a height inspection sensor, nail feeding and insertion systems, a part nest tooling system, an operator control panel, and an out-feed conveyor system.  

We did it all with the use of a flexible robotic automation process contained within one modular machine. 

Instead of the traditional approach of using multiple robots programmed for different steps of the assembly process down a long assembly line, our engineers’ solution used a robot’s ability to do multiple functions in the assembly process to make our client’s desires a reality.

The turn-key systems solution we designed:

  • Automated the label application process
  • Inspects and verifies the height of certain parts
  • Feeds nails into the correct spot
  • Nests boxes together
  • Provides a robotic quality check (and disposes of faulty parts)
  • All contained in one modular machine that took up minimal floor space in our client’s facility

The result? With this new process, our client was able to produce 24 individual, finished parts within one minute, increasing their capacity for production without the need to change manufacturing floor space requirements. For more details about this particular project, check out our recent visual case study!

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!