Combatting the welder shortage with robotics and automation

For AMI Attachments, adding another robotic welding workcell to their production floor optimized takt time, enhanced part quality, and maximized skilled worker availability for greater productivity gains.

With two decades in business, AMI Attachments (AMI) applies proven expertise and provides long-lasting products that get the job done. A supplier of high-quality construction, mining, forestry, and agriculture attachments, the company unites innovative design and modern manufacturing with dedicated support to help customers thrive and be more competitive.

AMI’s state-of-the-art, 100,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility in Hawkesville, Ont., implements next-level standards and high-performance materials, including Strenx structural steel and Hardox wear plate to produce reliable, efficient, and durable attachments for excavators, backhoes, wheel loaders, and other heavy construction equipment.

Addressing Persistent Pressures

AMI strives to offer the highest level of product quality and customer service to the industries it serves. As a result, weld quality and cycle time are key focus areas on the production floor. To improve product throughput and address evolving demands for the heavy equipment attachment market across Canada and the U.S., AMI leadership sought to improve takt time for the manufacturing of excavator attachments. To reach the necessary cycle time to achieve this goal – while maintaining the same high-quality standards that customers expect– it was determined that a new robotic workcell capable of welding a range of large, heavy parts for weldments up to 2 tons would be an ideal fit.

Standardizing Robotic Operations

With other Yaskawa robots and workcells already installed on the factory floor, it made sense for AMI to standardize operations with another robotic workcell from Yaskawa Motoman. “Yaskawa provides us with the full package of what we require in our robot cells,” said Darren Bauman, vice-president of operations for AMI. “This is something few companies offer, and it allows us to procure our equipment and have setup completed by one supplier, instead of many.”

Working directly through Yaskawa Canada, the chosen robotic system features a single extended-reach AR3120 arc welding robot with integrated weld package that uses a Miller Auto-Continuum 500 EIP digital power source and an Abicor Binzel ROBO WH 652 water-cooled torch with spare Binzel WHI 650. The ComArc LV “through-the-arc” seam tracking package with high-speed touch sensing function tracks the weld position and compensates for weld joint variation in real time for high-precision welds.

To facilitate fast, accurate, and reliable rotation of heavy-payload parts, the workcell also includes a 3,000-kg payload capacity MT1-3000 skyhook tilt/rotate positioner that is calibrated to the robot for optimal robot travel speeds and weld quality. A functional safety unit (FSU) provides safe operating zones for the robot and can limit operating range for improved safety.

Due to the sheer size of equipment being welded, parts require the assistance of an overhead crane for loading and unloading. To accommodate this, a linear pass-through is configured into the workcell. This pass-through uses cascading light curtains for extra operator protection during the loading and unloading process, which takes approximately 20 minutes per load/unload. Fixture changeover, when needed, is not difficult, but it requires extreme caution and can take approximately 30 minutes, depending on the style of the attachment.

Realizing Substantial Impact

“Since the workcell’s implementation in the fall of 2022, takt time initiatives have been met and production capacity has increased, improving the ability to ship higher product quantities and accept more customer requests,” said Bauman. “Likewise, the workcell’s extended-reach robot, powerful skyhook positioner, robust welding package, and seam tracking capabilities work together to produce consistent, high-quality attachments with less waste. The pressure of finding skilled welders to help meet ongoing demands has also been alleviated.”

Currently averaging 10 hours a day, five days a week, AMI is on track to reach the 36-month targeted payback period and plans to transition to two shifts in the near future, accelerating return on investment. Manpower investment is the same as before – with workers being retrained as robot operators or reassigned to other essential functions for optimal productivity gains. Only one operator is needed for the workcell, to clean and prep workpieces before and after the weld task to maintain fluid workflow, and fewer workers are required to flip large attachments to achieve the ideal welding position, maximizing AMI’s workforce while enhancing safety.

For optimal uptime, the company uses Delfoi’s PC-based off-line programming platform. With an extensive model library and built-in functions that facilitate safe, timely, and cost-effective robot job creation, this tool enables high-detail simulation. Moreover, it serves to build programming proficiency and a knowledge base that can cultivate maximum benefit from this workcell and others installed on the factory floor.

The long reach, through-arm AR3120 arc welding robot’s high-speed performance and precision enables faster cycle time for high-deposition part welding, improving takt time for greater throughput.

To ensure the utmost safety and ROI, five AMI employees completed the “YRC1000 Basic Programming with Arc Welding” course at Yaskawa Canada in Mississauga, Ont., a facility accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). This training, combined with thorough customer service through Yaskawa Support Services, aided the successful integration of the robotic system for optimal uptime.

“The utilization of Yaskawa’s Basic Programming course has helped most of our team members pick up the basics of the teach pendant quickly, enabling each person to work independently with their designated robot after several months,” said PJ Muker, robotic supervisor.

This expertise, along with implementing the newest technology available, allows AMI to maintain the manufacturing of high-quality attachments with a progressive and modern outlook that sets them apart from their competition. Moreover, AMI’s success with robotics has become known to other high-mix, low-volume manufacturers, triggering international visits to AMI’s facility to demonstrate their utilization of off-line programming and robotics – making them a role model for the industry.

AMI Attachments, amiattachments.com

Yaskawa Canada, motoman.com