Full Automation Using ROBOTS - Sheet Metal Factory

The Sheet Metal Factory located in the headquarters area began operation in the year 2000 to produce cabinets for robot controllers in-house. In Building No. 1, the processes of cutting, bending, welding, and painting of sheet metal are fully automated using FANUC ROBOTs. Also, the addition of Buildings No. 2 and No. 3 has expanded production capacity and improved efficiency.
Currently, improvements in productivity are still being pursued through the renewal of Building No. 1, as FANUC continues to evolve.

Milestones

Phase 1: Operation of Building No. 1 (2000- )

Automating cabinet production was FANUC’s first attempt at full automation. In general, cabinet manufacturing is mostly semi-automated, with operators working with equipment. To achieve full automation, FANUC’s technical expertise was leveraged to the maximum. At that time, parts handling, which is heavily dependent on equipment layout, was not sufficiently efficient, and there was room for improvement, such as reducing minor stoppages.

Phase 2: Operation of Building No. 2 (2011– )

Based on the lessons learned from the issues encountered in Building No. 1, the equipment layout was redesigned and stockers and buffers were used appropriately to reduce the “wasted time for waiting.”
The introduction of robots’ built-in vision system significantly improved reliability. In addition, the adoption of servo guns enhanced welding quality, and solution arm dramatically reduced robot harness issues.

Phase 3: Operation of Building No. 3 (2016– )

With a scale comparable to Building No. 2, production capacity in Building No. 3 was also increased by 25%, and automated equipment was made compact. To reduce defects occurring within the facilities, traceability was strengthened by adding bending-angle inspection, stud-welding monitoring, stud-welding position inspection, and welding confirmation for cable clamps—leading to more stability in quality.

Phase 4 (Current): Operation of Renewed Building No. 1 (2022– )

In Building No. 1, with the goal of “operating compact equipment for long hours with minimal staff,” bottleneck processes were analyzed in the existing factory and equipment configuration was optimized.
Cutting machines were increased and welding processes were consolidated. With this, the cycle time for the bending system was shortened by more than 10% without adding extra equipment, resulting in a 40% increase in production capacity compared to Building No. 3.
Furthermore, wireless peripheral devices were used to avoid cable-related issues, and die-cleaning devices automated maintenance work.

Going forward, the latest technologies will continue to be adopted to achieve simplicity, space saving, and higher productivity.

Full View of Sheet Metal Factory Building No. 1