TN Værktøjsslibning ApS

Improvement of lead time and resource management is a key focus area for companies around world.

This is also the case for the Danish company TN Værktøjsslibning ApS, who manufactures high quality cutting tools for the metal industry. With continuous expansion and investment in new equipment, the company today is among the leaders in cutting technology development.

Manufacturing cutting tools involves many operations that each tool must pass through before it is finally sent to the customer. Time, quality and price are essential parameters. Until now the phased production and logistics process has meant that the tool has been manually moved around the company, so employees spent time moving the items around, whilst the CNC machine itself has stood still.

This inefficiency and downtime was identified as a place where improvements in flow and a reduction in lead time could be made. This is when the company contacted Technicon a leading Danish robotics company, specializing in designing and developing modular and flexible automation solutions to a broad range of industrial companies in and outside Denmark.

TN Værktøjsslibning wanted a mobile solution that could optimize processes and reduce the time wasted switching and moving items.

Could time be used for more value-adding tasks by using a mobile robot instead of employees to handle internal transport? Could the robot free employees from having to leave their work area, which would otherwise grind to a halt when the employee had to move the tools?

“We met with the Technical Manager at the company to understand the challenge and were soon able to make some recommendations for an automated solution that would fit their needs” said Thomas Gøtke Head of Sales of MiR distributor Technicon.

“We developed a solution using the MiR250 autonomous mobile robot, with a ROEQ top module lifter TML200” says Thomas Gøtke. This solution can be simply programmed to pick up, transport and deliver components safely and accurately between different workstations.”

Like all ROEQ top modules, the ROEQ TML200 comes with ROEQ safety and ROEQ Assist software, which is fully compatible with the software on the MiR robot. The ROEQ Assist builds standard missions for the robot and defines the robot's footprint, which makes the set up relatively straight forward and the robot can safely and seamlessly navigate the production floor.

TN Værktøjsslibning have adapted the solution to suit their own needs, by mounting a cage on the top module that fits the components that need transporting. 

“And the solution has already paid off.” says Steen Rasmussen, Technical Chief, TN Værktøjsslibning. “We have reduced production lead time, since installing the ROEQ/MiR solution, with orders coming through about half a day faster.”

Over time, TN Værktøjsslibning plan to develop the system so that the robot drops off goods and automatically drives to the next station. The reduced lead time ensures the company a productivity gain and competitive advantage, while at the same time increasing the time employees can spend on the value-adding part of the production.

Already now, TN Værktøjsslibning's investment has paid off: 

• TN Værktøjslibning has decreased the production lead time significantly

• Since the deployment of the AMR solution, orders are processed a half day faster

• TN Værktøjsslibning will in time develop a system where the robot drops off components and automatically drives to the next station