Revamped materials handling systems reinvigorate electronics manufacturer
Thomson Consumer Electronics uses gantry robots and conveyors to increase efficiency, thereby improving its competitiveness.
By Lisa A. Goetze -- Modern Materials Handling, 9/1/1998
Manufacturers that evolve tend to stay viable. With that in mind, Thomson Consumer Electronics (TCE) decided to revamp the manufacturing and materials handling operations at its television picture tube glass plant in Circleville, Ohio, just outside of Columbus.To improve safety and improve productivity while reducing labor requirements, TCE converted the neck sealing process of its picture tube operations from one involving high heat to a cold process. This change necessitated the installation of new conveyors, gantry robots, and workstations. Before the retrofit, workers performed all materials handling tasks manually.
The multi-million-dollar automation project increased the manufacturing floor space of the plant by almost 40,000 sq ft.
According to Mike Simpson, a senior member of the technical staff who has overall responsibility for mechanical design and operation for this project, "the system is much safer now, and has significantly increased our throughput." The plant has 4 large cold neck sealing machines with 14 stations each. Before the expansion, the plant had 18 individual machines.
The expansion also increased competitiveness by allowing the company to control costs more effectively. The heavy-duty production system operates unattended and continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Simpson notes that the redesign has also reduced the amount of scrap discarded by the plant.
System in action
Simpson reports that the Circleville plant produces 2,500-3,000 picture tube funnels per line per shift. To build a funnel requires a multi-step process that attaches a neck to a partially completed funnel.
All partially completed funnels travel on two belt conveyors at a rate of five parts per minute per line. These are the inbound conveyors to the cold neck sealing equipment. If one or both cold neck machines are not operational, two of the newly installed equipment transfers move the funnels to two sets of dedicated staging conveyors that provide a buffer for short down-time periods.
On each production line, a single-head, two-axis gantry robot moves the funnels to the first of fourteen workstations on the cold neck sealing machine. All workstations are situated on a circular index mechanism that moves the funnels through the various stages of the cold neck sealing process. All operations occur automatically.
A second gantry robot then transfers the work-in-process to the annealing machine. The robot is double-headed, allowing it to pick up a part with one head and place it on a transfer table. Meanwhile, the second head takes the part already on the table and places it into the annealing machine.
A circular index mechanism then moves parts through the annealing process. At the end, a third gantry robot removes parts automatically, placing them on a conveyor for takeaway to final inspection and pack. Lift trucks move cartons to the warehouse next door. Here the product is stretch wrapped before shipment.
Much of the credit for TCE's viability must go to the flexibility of management and workers to adopt new materials handling procedures when warranted by safety, technology, or a combination of both. The expansion two years ago increased manufacturing capacity, and introduced additional automation to the plant as well.
Integration is key
A major automation project of this nature provides a good example of integrating materials handling operations into the production process. The entire system was designed from ground zero, as opposed to an approach whereby the production line is designed first, with materials handling support functions being added later. At Thomson, materials handling support and processing activities are one system.
By its nature, handling of glass poses some inherent safety issues. As noted earlier, automating the operation has enhanced safety at the plant. Significant improvements in productivity and quality have also been realized with the new system, further enhancing competitiveness.
Supplier snapshot
Integrated Technologies Group (Chillicothe, OH) - Systems integrator. Designed, built, and installed work platforms, conveyors, automation equipment and annealing machines; did mechanical installation of all other purchased equipment.
Swanson/Erie (Erie, PA) - Designed unique cold necksealing machine.
Electrical Design Systems (Westerville, OH) - Electrical installation, controls and software.
Thomson Consumer Electronics provided detailed electrical and mechanical specifications and plant floor layouts for use by subcontractors as a guide in the design and installation of the project.
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