Beyond Automation: Building the Future Smart Factory for Metal Processing

In traditional discrete mode, at least 3-4 skilled workers are required per shift for loading/ unloading, sorting, bending, and other processes. After introducing automation, these positions can be significantly  reduced. Reference case: A single system can replace 3-5 workers; in an automotive parts industry case, annual labor cost savings reached 4.8 million yuan.

Under 24-hour production conditions, a single production  line can directly save labor costs equivalent to 6-10 workers per year (including  salary, social security, and management expenses). The specific amount needs to be calculated based on local salary levels.

 Comprehensive Operating

Costs

Automation can significantly reduce efficiency fluctuations, material waste, and defective product costs caused by manual operations. Industry data shows that intelligent production lines can reduce operating costs by 32%.

Another case mentions that production costs can be

reduced by over 75%.

In addition to direct labor,overall operating costs (including waste, energy

consumption, management, etc.) are expected to decrease by 25%-40%.

 Production Efficiency and Capacity

Robots have stable cycle times and can operate continuously for 24 hours. In a case from a car manufacturer, the production cycle of a single line increased by 35%; in another case, production efficiency improved by over 300%.

 When orders are saturated,production capacity is expected to increase by

30%-60%, and delivery cycles will be significantly shortened.

 Investment Payback Period

The payback period depends  on the investment amount and savings. Industry-wide data generally ranges from 12-24 months; efficient solutions can shorten it to 8-18 months.

With a reasonable plan and high capacity utilization, the  expected investment payback period is 1.5-2.5 years.

Upgrade the existing loading rack to a

three-dimensional material warehouse and integrate WMS

Supports automatic weighing,sheet separation,and thickness measurement of plates;customizable storage locations, occupying only 1/5 of the space of traditional warehouses

 Achieve refined

management of raw materials and lay the foundation for 24-hour continuous production

 Add a high-precision 3D vision system and integrate it with

existing robotic arms

Uses deep learning algorithms with recognition accuracy of±0.05mm and recognition speed of 0.3 seconds per piece.Can automatically classify cut  workpieces according to orders

 Replace manual sorting,solve the problem of sorting small workpieces and complex contours, and is the key to flexible production.

Add a dedicated bending robot with vision guidance for existing bending machines and equip it with an automatic tool change system

The robot dynamically scans workpieces hrough vision and automatically retrieves bending programs;the automatic tool change system enables continuous processing of multi-variety workpieces

Break through the limitations of traditional manual teaching and realize rapid changeover of multi-variety,small-batch orders

Add a production line central control and scheduling system.

Integrates MES/WMS,automatically schedules production plans,and monitors equipment status, production capacity,pass rate,and other data

Achieve full-process digital management and serve as the command center for"unmanned" operations

Add automated waste(metal shavings)and coolant treatment systems

Such as PRAB's metal shavings treatment system,which can automatically recover coolant(with a maximum recovery rate of 98%)and process dry slag

Further reduce manual intervention points,improve workshop environment,and create additional revenue by selling dry waste materials