Koncept för automatiserad produktmärkning

Sammanfattning: Indexator is a world-leading company that develops and manufactures hydraulic rotators and hose swivels. A hose swivel is a hose coupling that can rotate freely around its own axis. During production he hose swivel currently has a semiautomatic marking process, where an operator often must load a laser engraver. Indexator wishes to streamline this process. This study aims to develop a concept for a more efficient process through automation that will free personnel from non-value added activities. First, three concept proposals were developed based on theories of efficiency in industry, such as Toyota production systems, Lean, Six Sigma, and 5s. The concept proposals were limited to primarily developing the function of the process. In collaboration with Indexator, the three concept proposals were scored in a comparison table to choose one of the concepts to develop further. The concept proposal chosen for further development was one with a robot arm that loads the laser engraver and an automatic magazine that supplies the robotarm with hose swivels. The developed concept proposal will free the operator from the machine for one hour before the magazine needs to be refilled. Today’s process frees the operator for 2.5 min per load. The concept will also eliminate 75 min of non-value added work. The concepts magazine capacity is large enough to handle half of the average marking per day, which means that the magazine needs to be reloaded once per day. Compared to today´s process that requires to be loaded approximately 30 times a day because the process lacks a magazine.