Small-Scale Operation Creates New Opportunities through Automation
Swedish manufacturer Tutaryds Mekaniska Verkstad AB is creating new opportunities to achieve effective production even when working at a small-scale production site. The key was combining automation with the DN Solutions DVF 5000 5-axis machining center.
Small-Scale Operation Creates New Opportunities through Automation
Swedish manufacturer Tutaryds Mekaniska Verkstad AB is creating new opportunities to achieve effective production even when working at a small-scale production site. The key was combining automation with the DN DVF 5000 5-axis machining center.
Founded by Bengt Gustafson in 1980, the company has grown steadily ever since. After starting life as a producer of truck parts, the company moved to a larger site in 1992 to meet increasing demand and to expand its business profile to the production of maintenance parts.
“In making a decision on the team that would best meet our demand for 5-axis machining in the future, the best choice was a combination of automation from LANG, the DN DVF 5000 and distributor Duroc Machine Tools,” Bengtsaid.
LANG automation
“When integrated with the LANG Eco-Compact 20 automation system, the DVF 5000 is ideally suited for the production of multiple types of products in small quantities,” Bengt said.
“Despite its compact size of just 2 x 2 meters, the automation system is equipped with 20 pallets. It can quite easily be combined with a LANG Makro-Grip® 5-axis workholding device, which can handle a load of up to 40kg for the Doosanmachining center.”
According to Bengt, “The outstanding edge of LANG’s automation solutions is their simplicity. When the robot moves to dock with the DVF 5000, an air connection is made between the two. A pallet is released, and another takes its place.
“You don’t need programming because you can easily control the robot through M codes when it uses pallets. So, you don’t need either a human-robot interface or pneumatic/hydraulic arrangements from the machine workbench.”
DVF 5000: key to automation
“Although we had long felt the need for automation, the solution we had was too complicated for the scope of our operations. More importantly, it was too costly,” Bengt said. “There was so much demand for the automation of 5-axis machine tools, but the right machine tool to automate wasn’t available. Then DN Solutions introduced the DVF 5000 with the stand installed on the side. That was exactly what we’d been waiting for all along. The operators now have enough space in front of the machine tool to work much more conveniently.
“When I saw the DVF 5000 in Korea in the spring of 2017, I knew it was exactly what we needed. It was a solution that would fit our company perfectly.”
Automation pays off
“Our decision to invest in automation solutions has generated positive outcomes, increasing our demand for other similar solutions. Once you introduce automation, it quickly produces practical results in production, but only if you have adopted the right automation solutions. For us, that’s the combination of LANG, DN and Duroc.”