Daishin Co.,Ltd. (Kanagawa Prefecture) has enhanced the automation of its manufacturing of rolling flat dies by adding two 5-axis machining centers and establishing unmanned operation in combination with robot arms. Operations began in May of this year.
In the newly introduced automation system, one robot arm grabs the workpiece before machining and feeds it to the two machining centers. The existing 5-axis machining center introduced in 2011 is equipped with a pallet changer. The existing 5-axis machining center installed in 2011 was equipped with a pallet changer, but the work of attaching and removing pallets was burdensome for the operator.
Two new units with a workpiece change system and a robot will automate machining operations, which require long machining times, by operating unmanned at night.
The enhancement of the automation system is intended to cover the high-mix, low-volume production that has been the company's forte, as well as the high-mix, high-volume production. Rolling dies vary according to the specifications required by users, and the variety of products is increasing. The company has been taking measures such as making separate deliveries for orders with large quantities, but the new facility will greatly expand the amount of orders that can be received. The company has established a production system that allows it to know the delivery date immediately after receiving an order, but a high level of process control is required to achieve this. By incorporating this new system into its production system, the company will be able to further strengthen its services.
Automation does not sacrifice high-precision quality: Before the introduction of the 5-axis machining center, the company relied on skilled techniques using dedicated NC processing machines. The company has digitized this expertise, which is close to the human touch. By controlling the machine tool at the tenth of a micron level, the company is able to produce products at the micron level. Furthermore, the new system incorporates the latest technology, such as on-machine measurement of the workpiece shape before machining and automatic correction by CNC if the shape is not within the tolerance. The company has established an unprecedented proprietary system, including the development of jigs and other tools in-house.
