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Tier-1 Automotive Supplier Boosts Productivity 25%
- The Auto-Axcess with Accu-Pulse™ got rid of spatter, reduced reject and scrap rates, and decreased cycle time
- Increased productivity by 25%
- Cut 19 seconds from the welding cycle and arc-on time by 50%
- ROI of 143% and a payback time of .43 years
Customer Testimonial
“I have a great deal to do with installations, and I didn’t think we could do it that quickly. We actually gained production the first night after installing the Auto-Axcess system. In fact, our first part had zero weld failures.”
— Eric Walton, production engineer, welding, DTR
Application
Robotic welding at a Tier-1 automotive supplier's anti-vibration engine mount line
Key Business Issue
Increasing productivity on engine mount line to meet production target goals.
Challenge
- Problems associated with spatter, poor arc starts and lack of penetration increased reject rates so much that working weekends to meet production goals became commonplace.
- Improvements made through Kaizen had reached their limit.
- Overcoming the risk of retrofitting robots in a timely manner and with minimal production disruptions.
Previous System & Process
Competitive pulsed MIG welding systems.
New Solution
Auto-Axcess 450 featuring the Accu-Pulse pulsed MIG process and Auto-Cal calibration technology.
Results
- Fast and easy power source integration. “Auto-Axcess, in my opinion, has been the least difficult power supply to work with, and I've worked with both Japanese and American welders.”
— Tim Taylor, production engineering assistant manager with DTR - Productivity increased 25%. DTR cut 19 seconds from the welding cycle and cut arc-on time by 50%.
- Twelve-fold quality improvement. Due to Auto-Axcess' superior arc control, DTR experienced just two weld penetration failures on the engine mount line during 4Q 2005, a 12-fold quality improvement.
- Smart investment. “I calculated a return on investment of 143% and a payback time of .43 years”
— Tim Taylor, production engineering assistant manager with DTR
