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bEatmstrJ posted:That's essentially what we are doing now, but its time consuming and not very efficient. I'm sure there's very expensive machinery to do this for you, so probably I just need to find someone who has that machinery and have them do it cheaper/better/faster. I just don't really know where to look for that. Comedy option: sell the defects as "factory seconds" for 25% off, or put them up on Etsy as "hand made" and charge twice as much. So real answer, you might want to look at custom automation suppliers: https://www.thomasnet.com/southern-california/custom-automation-equipment-2251502-1.html Here's one that looks somewhat promising: http://www.automationanswersinc.com/ I'm in automation, but not clothing, so I don't know anything about what machines are typical... but just about any custom automation shop can engineer and build something for you. These custom automation shops are usually small 15-20 person outfits, and their bread and butter is small companies who need custom solutions for whatever unique widget they make. Another place to look is your local electrical distributors...anyone who distributes Allen-Bradley, Schneider, Mitsubishi, Siemens, etc. electrical equipment will probably know all the custom machine manufacturers in your area, and might even know the industry-specific machine builders that make exactly what you want. Something to note, if you haven't done this already then make sure the machine will eventually pay for itself. You REALLY need to know how much the rework is actually costing you before you even look at a new machine. Doesn't matter if it's custom or off-the-shelf, you need to be able to justify the purchase. DaveSauce fucked around with this message at 15:14 on Oct 19, 2018 |
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Oct 19, 2018 14:48
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Hotbod Handsomeface posted:
System integrators just do programming usually, and also they build control panels (boxes that have the controller and wiring terminations). They don't usually design or build machines, but they know how to make the machines sing and dance. On top of that they do plant-wide automation to "integrate" everything together. So they will help get a bunch of different machines talking to each other so they can work together more seamlessly.
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Oct 26, 2018 03:56
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shame on an IGA posted:How are the gems physically attached to the sock? If you're using adhesives then a Pick & Place machine for assembling components to printed circuit boards can probably be adapted to your process with minimal modification. Sounds expensive. Pick and place is great for doing a variety of patterns, or custom patterns, but I would think it's overkill for this application. Plus programming new patterns would be a pain. This would also assume the gems come on a reel or some other sort of controlled feed, rather than loose product. I'm assuming the patterns are pretty repetitive, or do you have a ton of different patterns? I'm imagining the current process involves a template/jig that has holes for all the gems. So you put the sock down, then you lay the template over it. The operator manually places the gems in the holes of the template, and then you apply a plate/press that puts pressure on it. Once everything is secure, then activate a heater for a certain amount of time to activate and set the adhesive. I'd expect your rework is when an operator puts the wrong gem, or misses a gem... or if a gem is place upside-down. Have you considered just duplicating your existing setup and hiring a second operator? Automation could, in the long run, both increase your throughput and lower your cost, but it's a much higher initial investment and therefore a longer break-even. So if cost isn't currently an issue, it may be worth just doubling up on what you have to increase throughput. Maybe start someone part-time for a while?
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Jan 17, 2019 22:23
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