Inertia Switch, a manufacturer of all kinds of switches for high-tech industries and a full-service manufacturing provider in aerospace, mechanical and electrical products, used the full benefits of automation for a machine tending application involving the Robotiq Adaptive Gripper and Universal Robots.

At the time they started to automate the process, they decided to go ahead with a conventional workcell, fully guarded, that cannot easily be reprogrammed for their needs. The current pneumatic grippers are limited to a few parts, and since Inertia Switch makes over 1,000 parts, they needed a more flexible solution to optimize their machine tending production process. 

This is when they turned to the Robotiq Package for UR, which provides specific mechanical and software components to make things easier for the installation and use of the Robotiq Gripper with Universal Robots.

The Challenge - Optimizing Machine Tending Production Processes

• Inertia Switch needs to do more with less   
• Any machinist should be able to easily manage the robot system and the gripper 
• A minimum setup time and fast turnarounds are essential 
• 1 year payback 

The Solution - Making Robotic Flexibility Accessible To Everybody

• 2-Finger Adaptive Gripper - 85 and UR package for quick and easy programming 
• No additional cost or special expertise necessary to install the Robot Gripper 
• Easy production setup for CNC machinists
• Ability to manage short runs of 100 parts with a fast turnaround
• Only solution that fits with almost all of their parts

To view the machine tending application in progress check out the following video. The Gripper and UR combination is even used to open and close the door on the CNC machine.

The Results - Production Improvement and a New Tool for R&D!

• A single robot and gripper system to handle almost all their parts 
• Time saved on changeovers and robot setup 
• Less than 1 year payback 
• New robot application opportunities using the 2-Finger Adaptive Gripper – 85 and UR Robot
• Only 1 day of training for a machinist to operate the robot and Gripper

For further information on this machine tending application read the complete case study.