What is Automation?
Want to wet blast, but don’t have enough time or people to do so? Well, you should look into getting an automated machine. Automated wet blasting is where we use a robot to complete your blasting needs. Automation comes in two forms: semi and fully automated. We offer both here. Regardless of which type you use, there are many benefits to automation.
Repeatability
Automation makes the wet blasting process repeatable. If you’re blasting hundreds or thousands of identical parts each day, this repetition comes in handy. Once you program your robot for a particular part, it will know how to blast it without having to think about all the angles it must hit to fully clean and polish your parts. Thus, repetition enables you to blast a plethora of identical parts quickly, while also giving them a consistent finish.
While repetition is great, it’s not necessary for all blasting purposes. Here is a video comparing manual and automated blasting to give you a better idea of when you should use each method. The robot’s repeatability gives you a consistent finish for all your parts quickly.
Consistency
Automation leaves a consistent finish on your parts. Since automation entails a robot blasting your parts, you eliminate human error. When you manually blast, you are more likely to miss a spot, making your finish inconsistent. Whereas, the robot knows where it is supposed to blast, so the finish is consistent. An inconsistent finish also occurs when you have two people using the cabinet, because they each have their own blasting style. Automation utilizes the same motion for a particular part every time, providing you with a consistent finish across all your parts.
It is worth noting that you can also program the robot to avoid areas of your parts. This is useful if you want a specific area to have a different finish than the rest. For example, you’re blasting with aluminum oxide trying to smooth down a part, however, you want one section to stay rough for paint adhesion. You can program the robot to avoid this area. While you can manually avoid this area, the robot does it more efficiently. Automation provides a consistent finish because it hits all the areas you want, and none you don’t.
Reliability
Automation is very reliable. You don’t have to worry about whether the machine will be there to blast your parts. It’s always there. This is crucial, in a time when people aren’t consistently showing up to work like they should. The only thing you need a person for is setting the controls, putting the part in, and then taking it out. With automation, you eliminate the issue of people not showing up for work, because it’s always there, ready to go.
Time Saving
Automation is a huge timesaver. As mentioned above, the robot saves time for companies by blasting hundreds of identical parts without having to think about it with the repetition factor. Without this factor, companies would spend all day blasting parts, giving them no time for other projects. Besides its repeatability, it’s just faster in general. This is because the robot doesn’t have to think about where to blast like a human does, because it’s programmed to know where to go. While thinking might only take a couple of seconds, in the overall scheme of things, it slows down the process, taking up your time that could be spent doing other things. To save even more time, you don’t have to prep your parts. This is a huge benefit, since most cleaning systems require some prep prior to cleaning your parts. Automation saves you time with its repetition, faster nature, and lack of prep work.
Increases Productivity
Automation increases your productivity. Your company’s output increases with the robot, due to faster blasting times. Since automation’s faster, you complete more projects in a shorter time frame. The robot’s repeatability also influences productivity. The repetition factor allows you to go through an assembly line of identical parts quickly, without the robot having to think about how to blast the part, because it’s programmed to know how to. This is great if you work in an assembly line because your parts will be ready quicker and you will be able to put them on your machine sooner, leading to rapid project completion. If you’re completing projects quickly, you can produce more, and ultimately make more money. Thus, allowing your company to output more products. You also complete projects sooner because no one’s having to man the machine. Thus, you have more people working on building machines, making for a faster build time. Automation makes the process quicker and repeatable, while also freeing you up for other projects increasing productivity.
Makes and Saves You Money
Automation makes and saves you money. While our automated machines are more expensive than our manual ones, over time, utilizing one increases your company’s earnings. For one, you save precious time using a robot, allowing you to work and complete other projects, making your business more money. You also save money, because the robot doesn’t have a salary and benefits like an employee would. Automation, though expensive, will increase your product’s output, making your company more money. Automation also saves money because you don’t have to pay for someone to blast your parts.
Easy to Program and Use
Automation is easy to program and use. A lot of people stay clear of automated machines, because they think they’re hard to program. While this is true of high-grade industrial automation, our collaborative robots are not. For our Gladiator, all you have to do is input certain features and movement variables, such as height and rotations, into your machine’s control panel and let it run. With the robot you have to physically move the robot through all blasting angles for that part, for it to know how to blast it. To further help the programming process, we will program the first part for you. We also walk you through the programming process until you are comfortable with it. This typically takes two to four hours. It is equally as easy to reprogram, since all you have to do is click a few buttons to change the settings within a few minutes. Higher grade automated machines, on the other hand, are less programmable for the average man, so it takes weeks before you’re able to get someone there to fix your robot so you will be able to work with it again.
Speaking of working with the robot, this is also super easy. All you have to do is place and take out the parts, and press the correct part, and the automation should work for you. To see just how easy it is to program and use, check out part one and two of this video on the Gladiator. Automation is easy to program and use, because all it requires is you selecting the correct settings or walking through the motion with the arm and then letting it work for you.
Safety
Our automated wet blasters are extremely safe. The reason they are so safe is that we use collaborative robotics, meaning that our robots work alongside you. In doing so, you both get your projects done without disturbing the other. Therefore, you should never get hit by the robot. If the robot arm hits you, it’s either malfunctioning or its movement was programmed incorrectly. When this or any other issue occurs, press the e-stop mechanism. In doing so, you halt the process and the arm goes back to its home position, much like a roomba does when you stop it. Keep in mind that once you stop it you will not be able to resume the process from where you were. Some machines also stop if you open the machine door. Our automated machines are safe because they use collaborative robotics that work with you and stop with the press of a button.
Conclusion
Automation is a quick, reliable process that allows you to work on other projects, making your company more money. Best of all, you get a consistent finish because the process is the same for all identical parts. Lastly, automation is easy to program and use, while also being safe to work around. For more information on our automated machines, please contact us at 828-202-5563.
