PT JVC Electronics Indonesia (JEIN), part of the JVCKENWOOD Group, has deployed seven units of Universal Robots’ UR3 collaborative robots (cobots), a move that has increased productivity and achieved consistent output quality.
With the adoption of cobots, JEIN improved production processes and raised workers’ safety, simultaneously reducing yearly operational costs by more than USD 80,000 (S$101, 104).
According to the press release, many manufacturing companies are facing pressures to turn to robotic automation even though they may have to change the way they operate. JEIN is no exception.
While they have set sights on adopting robotic automation, the company also felt overwhelmed as they would need to change manual processes which had been in place for 20 years.
A manufacturer of car audio visual and navigation products with a monthly production volume of about 400,000 pieces, JEIN chose to automate their processes with the Universal Robots’ UR3 collaborative.
In the press release, Agustinus P. Simanullang, General Manager of the Engineering Division at JEIN said: “After comparing various brands in the market, we chose the UR robots as they are easy to operate, require less maintenance on a daily basis and were competitively priced. Furthermore, technical support and service centres for the cobots are readily available in Indonesia.”
JEIN also worked with PT Surya Sarana Dinamika (SSD), a Universal Robots channel partner, to customise the UR3 cobots to perform three tasks at the facility – screwing, soldering and, pick and place.
Using the UR3 robots had also helped to improve workplace safety. It had helped to lessen the burden on workers to repetitive task such as separating cut pieces of a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and attaching a glass display on the car stereo units.
The cobots are able to not only stabilise the cycle time of the process, they were also able to carry out the same process in half the time a worker was able to.
Workers are also able to work in close proximity with the UR cobots without the need for safety fencing (subject to risk assessment). Moreover, the cobots relieved workers from handling high risk tasks such as soldering and separating cut PCB parts, which emit hazardous fumes and dust particles.
Sukijan, Plan Supervisor at JEIN said “One of the key features of the UR3 robot is its force control for adaptive safety; it senses external forces and stops immediately when a collision is detected. Our workers are able to work in close proximity with the cobots with no safety guarding after risk assessment”