24-Hour-Production thanks to WH-AGV 5*
In Shimane Prefecture, known since ancient times for its iron production, KIGUCHI TECHNICS INC. has its headquarters in Yasugi. Japanese sword polisher Hisashi Kiguchi founded the company in 1961 and today KIGUCHI TECHNICS' core business is quality control of metals and other materials.
Since 2021, test specimens have been processed on two NTX 1000 2nd Generation machines that are connected to a pallet warehouse via the WH-AGV 5*, an autonomous transport system. This allows KIGUCHI TECHNICS to have a fully automated process from the transport of raw parts to 6-sided complete machining and return of the finished test specimens.
„By connecting the NTX 1000 2nd Generation to a pallet warehouse via the WH-AGV 5*, we were able to sustainably optimize our processes."
Inspection of industrial materials
“Defects in components can lead to serious accidents and endanger people’s lives,” explains Takahiro Kiguchi, Executive Vice President KIGUCHI TECHNICS INC. This applies to cars, airplanes and power plants, for example, he said. “Quality control of industrial materials used in production is therefore essential to ensure human safety.” KIGUCHI TECHNICS came to material inspection when a steel company asked the then Kiguchi Polishing Company to polish the surface of the high-grade special steel Yasuki-Hagane to a high gloss. It was then to be inspected under a microscope.
Metal inspection specialists – more demanding tasks through automation
Since then, KIGUCHI TECHNICS has consistently refined its expertise in metal inspection. Today, the company has an integrated system to perform everything from making test specimens to testing and evaluating them in-house – primarily in the aerospace, automotive, energy and medical sectors. As part of its 60th anniversary celebration, KIGUCHI TECHNICS has been working for two years to automate test specimen machining. Tatsuya Kanou, head of the production department responsible for this anniversary project, recalls, “We aimed to eliminate human error and increase productivity. At the same time, we wanted to use automation to reform our work processes so that our employees could concentrate on more demanding tasks.”
KIGUCHI TECHNICS' testing business is characterized by high-mix, low-volume production. The company cuts the materials received from customers, machines them into the optimum shape for testing and performs strength and fatigue tests. Finally, KIGUCHI TECHNICS provides the test data. The iron, stainless steel, aluminum or titanium test specimens each have to be molded into dozens of shapes. “Sometimes engines that have broken down due to metal fatigue are brought to us as they are,” Tatsuya Kanou said. “Our job then is to process such ‘irreplaceable specimens’ flawlessly and with the highest precision.”
DMG MORI excels with autonomous and collaborative automation concept
After evaluating several suppliers for the planned automation solution, KIGUCHI TECHNICS opted for the concept from DMG MORI. The innovation leader combined two NTX 1000 2nd Generation – compact turn & mill centers – with an autonomous transport system, the WH-AGV 5*, enabling linkage to the pallet warehouse. The WH-AGV 5* takes the workpiece from the warehouse and trans-ports it to the two NTX 1000 2nd Generation. One takes over the pre-machining, the other the finishing. The WH-AGV 5* then returns the test specimen to the warehouse. Unlike its predecessor, the autonomous transport system does not need rails. It can avoid people and obstacles automatically. “Since the NTX 1000 2nd Generation is equipped with 76 tools, we can machine a wide range of workpieces without much setup effort,” adds Tatsuya Kanou. In addition, he says the system also improves machining accuracy. “This is because manual grinding used to be required after finishing.”
0.5 operators and 2 NTX 1000s instead of 4 operators and 4 machines
The automated system is able to measure the length of the workpiece and the thread dimensions independently, eliminating the need for manual operations. “DMG MORI was the only manufacturer able to implement this automatic measurement,” Tatsuya Kanou looks back on the decision-making phase. In addition, he says, the system adjusts the machining program based on the measurement results. “The automation solution has been fully operational since January 2022. Processes that used to require four machine tools and four operator can now be performed by just 0.5 operator.” Therefore, he said, employees can be assigned to more demanding tasks. “Operators used to work two shifts to run the machines, but now automated production is possible around the clock.”
Looking to the future, Tatsuya Kanou adds, “With the increasing use of hydrogen as an energy source, the need for metal testing will certainly increase even more.” This is because hydrogen embrittlement could reduce the strength of metallic materials. “As the overall labor force in Japan decreases, there will still be areas where manual labor is required as in this type of metal testing. Based on the automation solution we have now introduced, we intend to further automate such processes and increase their precision.”
*“WH-AGV” was renamed “WH-AMR” from July 2022.
KIGUCHI TECHNICS INC.
114 – 15, Enoshima-cho,
Yasugi-shi, Shimane, Japan
https://kiguchitech.co.jp