Page 11 - Machines Italia Vol. XIII Next Generation Manufacturing

Automating the artisan with a Nova Sidera spinning lathe.
Automation in any language
If there’s a one word mantra in manufacturing today, it’s “automa- tion.” Automation helps control costs while improving quality, safe- ty, and maybe even job satisfaction. Relieved from the drudgery of repetitive tasks this article discusses how humans can employ their
innate creativity to better their manufacturing operations.
And if there’s an Italian firm that epitomizes improved automation, it’s Studio 1 Automazioni Industriali Srl (Casalgrande, Italy, www. studio1srl.it). As a member of GIMAV, the Italian Association of Glass-Processing Machinery and Accessory Suppliers (www. gimav.it), Studio 1 began making machines for the production of ceramic tiles. But that was just a jumping off point to helping a wide variety of manufacturers automate their production. As sales director Barbara Righi explained, “Everything is automatic in the production of ceramic tiles. You don’t touch anything.” Based on this experience, the company evolved to be able to provide handling equipment for
other fields and other products.
In other cases, the customer may already have key pieces of pro- duction equipment, but brings in Studio 1 to interconnect (and pos- sibly augment) this equipment to create a fully automated produc- tion line. That was the case with a Wisconsin cookware company, which had a furnace, press, and washing machine for making pans, but moved the pans between the units manually. Studio 1 automated the entire process, from the furnace to feeding coil into the press to form the pan, to sandblasting, washing, painting, and curing. The re- sult, said Righi, is increased production and eliminating the cost and inconsistencies of humans handling the product.
Other examples in the US market include glass makers in Chicago, Phoenix, and Pittsburgh, and a number of ceramics businesses in the Dallas area and Kentucky. Further afield, Studio 1 recently installed a system for loading and unloading wheel rings at a factory producing them for BMW, and an automated furnace for whitening Carrara mar- ble. Righi said Studio 1 is also unique in having a completely automated
AUTOMATION
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