By CASEY NEILL
Keysborough’s Robotic Automation is making its mark on manufacturing.
The business was a finalist in the professional services category at the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards on Thursday 9 June.
This followed a Technology Application Award win at the Endeavour Awards on Thursday 12 May with Dandenong South’s CMTP Packaging for its multi-product robotic carpentry system.
The Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame recognises exemplary companies and individuals in the manufacturing industry.
Marketing officer Peter Davis said the nomination was the company’s first, and was based on its history rather than a specific project.
He said Robotic Automation (RA) was Australian-owned and since 1988 had been working in Victoria to support the state’s manufacturing.
See the box making robot in action.
“Being selected as a finalist is great to boost our profile and reminds our local manufacturing community that leading technology-solutions are available on-shore to help keep their own manufacturing on-shore,” Mr Davis said.
RA is Australia’s leading supplier of robotic systems, and also provides service and maintenance, consulting and other services.
It automates repetitive tasks and processes to maximise productivity, quality, safety and efficiency while reducing damages and costs.
RA can audit a site’s automation potential and develop a 3D model to show a potential equipment solution.
The Endeavour Awards celebrate and recognise Australian manufacturers’ achievements to inspire further innovation and success.
RA’s Endeavour Award-winning multi-product robotic carpentry system tripled productivity and improved accuracy.
CMTP manufactures livestock crates, pallets and other custom packaging and approached RA for automated solutions for two different timber products – vegetable storage and display crates and shipping frames to protect insulation panels.
The business was looking for a way to maintain its manufacturing competitiveness with overseas producers with lower labour costs.
Working manually with rough timber and nail guns creates workplace health and safety problems, particularly when production is high-volume, and inattention during manual work also causes product inconsistency, damage and material wastage.
RA developed, built and commissioned a single robotic solution for both products that does the work of 13 staff.
It handles 15 different parts and performs more than 10 different automation applications in one.
“The solution is based around a robot that uses automatically interchanging gripping-tools to manufacture two very different timber products at great speed and accuracy, while interfacing with drilling, nailing and stapling machines and part-feeding machines,” RA’s award nomination said.
Robotic Automation created this high-speed, multi-function, robotic assembly for a leading custom pallet and packaging manufacturer.
