Reducing Manpower and Increasing Production Quantity Together with Robots

Touhoku Kounan Co., Ltd.

(Headquarters: Nihonmatsu, Fukushima)

Touhoku Kounan Co., Ltd. is a company that manufactures and sells industrial plastic products. Together with the head office factory, Touhoku Kounan boasts of eight factory buildings and over 300 employees devoted to their work. With a slogan of "Our customer's satisfaction is our satisfaction," they have established an integrated production system that offers non-stop processing from plastic cutting to bending, bonding, and welding of each part for assembly.

Their main products are in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, as well as in LCD cleaning equipment. In recent years, there has also been growing demand for plastic tanks for fire trucks. Since its founding, the company has seen steady growth in performance. Explaining this growth, President Endo said, "In the field of plastic processing, our company is increasingly working on larger production sizes, the size of bathtubs. I think this is what sets us apart."

Getting High Praise for SPEEDIO Within the Company

The company currently has a total of four SPEEDIOs, two M200X3 units and two M200Xd1 units.

Talking about how they started using SPEEDIO, President Endo said, "We had already installed a machining center from another manufacturer, but we were looking for a smaller-sized machine that can handle a lot of different work. After looking at various options, the SPEEDIO M200X3 came up because it can perform the turning process. Moreover, it can also be used with a pallet changer, which we had planned on getting, so we just decided to go for it." The first M200X3 was installed in July 2022, and the second was added in December of that year. Looking back on how this came about, he added "The delivery of the pallet changer to be combined with it was delayed, so we used the M200X3 alone at first. We tried out various specifications and it got some high praises, with people saying 'how good it was,' so we decided to get a second one." Afterward, two of the successor model, the M200Xd1, were added at the same time in August 2023.

Achieving Manpower Reduction and Installing a New SPEEDIO

The installed SPEEDIO works together with a pallet changer with a built-in articulated robot to automate workpiece and tool holder replacement and other processes. While the company factory operates 24 hours a day, this allowed nearly unmanned machining operations on weekends and at night, helping reduce the number of staff. "Our manufacturing staff's load was reduced, and our daily production volume has increased," said President Endo. Mr. Kuwahara, who is in charge of the work, said "I was attracted to how it can perform the turning process in addition to 5-axis machining, and all in the compact size of the SPEEDIO." He continued, "With a BT30, the tool itself is not heavy, and there are shelves for tools as well as workpieces, so the cutting instruments can be left attached, which makes setup very easy."

President Endo added, "Of course, there are cost benefits to the SPEEDIO as well. We can install two machines in areas where we would only be able to install one with a larger machine. Another advantage is the short delivery time." The company is now waiting for the installation of a new R650Xd1. "The quick delivery time is what led us to get this as well. Another key point is its wide range of machining capabilities."

Making Full Use of SPEEDIO to Meet New Needs

Resin is a softer material than metal. Asked about the challenges of working with resin, he replied, "Since machine tools have been mainly designed for metalwork, I think that there are some difficulties in dealing with chips when machining plastic. However, this is true not just for SPEEDIO, but for any machine. And so, I think it is necessary to be resourceful while working as well. Other than that, there is balancing between rotating and feeding while machining. If I machine too quickly, it can melt and cause severe roughness, so I also try to sense the limit to the speed." He added that they also work extra hard on the finishing process after rough machining to make the finished product as thin as possible, among other things.

Regarding the future, he said "Manufacturers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment are calling for greater production." There are no signs of the company's growth stopping anytime soon. President Endo said that there are areas where the SPEEDIO they have has yet to be fully utilized, and adds "We would like to fulfil various needs by leveraging its use."

With the new R650Xd1, we would be grateful if Touhoku Kounan will once again share their thoughts and impressions so that we can continue to help them in their future business.