Better built automation for the subcontracting shopfloor

As smaller subcontractors and SMEs explore options for automation, they may well find an ideal system to be the US made VersaBuilt, now available from Thame Workholding. Ed Hill hears more.

Thame Workholding (TEC) has a well-earned reputation for its products and services when it comes to its core offerings of workholding solutions such as chucks, vices, soft and hard jaws, t-nuts, height pins and other accessories.

Indeed, a high proportion of its products are designed and manufactured at its factory in Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire. It also has an in-house design team able to manufacture special workholding solutions in conjunction with its engineering customers.

Added to this the company – with origins dating back more than 75 years – also acts as an agency for a range of innovative workholding providers such as HWR, Witte, Samchully, Rotor Tool, Rapid and AirVise.

Its products can be found working across a broad range of industry sectors including aerospace, automotive, motorsport, oil and gas, medical and standard subcontract engineering.

More recently the company has also branched out into offering automation solutions – indeed its latest sales partnership is with US-based VersaBuilt, a company that specialises in providing robotic CNC machine tending systems, ideal for what it describes as ‘high-mix CNC production’.

In fact, VersaBuilt is an offshoot of Rekluse Motor Sports, a manufacturer of aftermarket clutches for motorsport, particularly the dirt bike or offroad market. This market involves the production of many different components in relatively small volumes making automation in the workshop a challenge. Added to this, constraints on finding skilled labour, drove the company to devise an automation system that met its needs. The result was a robotic loading system integrated with its patented MultiGrip jaw end effector.

The company soon realised that this system had great potential to be used in most CNC machine tool manufacturing applications and so VersaBuilt was created to offer it to a wider precision engineering market.

“There is a growing need in the UK for simple and cost-effective automation solutions and VersaBuilt’s systems really lend themselves to those applications, loading into relatively standard CNC machines,” Thame Workholding sales director Marcus Hamlyn begins. “We would describe it as an entry-level system that is ideally suited for small to medium sized engineering companies that want to automate the production of comparatively simple components.”

Gripping on the move

The innovation that really makes the VersaBuilt system distinct from its competitors is the MultiGrip vice and jaw system and this is conceivably what makes its association with Thame Workholding so appropriate. A simple concept, MultiGrip effectively combines the role of the robot gripper with the workholding jaw and then integrates it with a cobot from Universal Robots (UR).  

“The fundamental difference with MultiGrip is that the vice jaws are removed by the robot arm and then used as the robot gripper so there is no need to make special grip fingers or have first and second operation grippers,” Mr Hamlyn explains.

MultiGrip picks up the component with the jaws from the vice and places it on top of the Op 1 vice and holds it in position. When it comes to Op 2, the robot removes the jaws from the second vice and uses them to pick up the component from vice 1 and places it back onto the second vice again, all in one movement.

“This not only saves time and cost because you only have to have one set of jaws, but it also provides improved accuracy as the part isn’t put down separately between the two operations,” Mr Hamlyn says. “There is also a pallet type system which enables you to load multiple components in one operation effectively creating a zero-point clamping pallet for smaller components.”

VersaBuilt systems are described as ‘plug and play’ widening their appeal to companies who may be making their first steps in automating their manufacturing processes. There are two options, one specifically designed for milling machines and the other lathes.

“VersaBuilt try to make setting the system up as simple as possible,” Mr Hamlyn says. “One of the big concerns with engineering companies taking their first step into robotic automation is the ongoing issues with programming new components. VersaBuilt uses a grid marked table on which the billets are laid out. You only need to programme in the weight and dimensions of the part and then the VersaBuilt Control System (VCS) does the rest and fully integrates with the UR cobot, taking control of the loading and unloading and also starting and stopping the chosen machine tool.”

He adds: “In fact the VersaBuilt grid table can be used with or without the MultiGrip end effector, using normal grippers adding to the flexibility.”

CNC integration

Thame says that one of the biggest attractions about the VersaBuilt system is the flexibility of CNC machines with which it can be paired.

“This system isn’t just for new machines,” Mr Hamlyn advises: VersaBuilt has more than ten years’ experience implementing robotic solutions for engineers. Their systems are especially suited to companies who need more capacity but may not have the space, or funds to buy additional CNC machines or employ additional staff. The modular components and software make the first steps to automation as easy as possible, while remaining cost-effective. The list of machine tools the unit can be integrated with is vast.”

Thame Workholding has a demonstration example of the VersaBuilt system at its factory and also a specialist team of engineers who can visit customers to advise on the best solutions on offer.  

Automation escalation  

With the seemingly unstoppable decline in skilled precision engineers and predicted increases in component demand, there’s no doubt it is getting harder for UK companies to ignore the benefits that automation brings.

“Companies are considering automation because firstly it makes them more competitive and secondly it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit skilled engineers. We see and hear this every time we visit our customers,” Mr Hamlyn asserts.

“Skilled engineers can utilise their time on more important challenging tasks rather than just loading parts. VersaBuilt offers a cost-effective solution. The typical installation cost is much lower than companies may think and the return on investment is excellent if lights out operation is maximised.”

He concludes: “Also adopting these technologies demonstrates to customers and staff that you are a progressive company looking to improve your processes. With VersaBuilt I’m sure we can help.”

Thame Workholding
https://thameworkholding.com