Using Press Room Automation to Increase Manufacturing Efficiency

Modern manufacturers need to reduce inefficiencies to be competitive in an ever-changing marketplace. Frequent labor shortages and the rising cost of manual labor can pose significant challenges for companies looking to make their operations more efficient.

That’s where automated press room equipment can help.

Automating even a portion of your press room operations can:

• Eliminate downtime
• Increase production
• Increase human safety
• Focus operator efforts on tasks requiring dexterity or oversight

What Are the Best Opportunities to Switch to Automation in the Press Room?

Press room automation can benefit manufacturers serving any industry. In particular, companies in the food and beverage industry can use automated press equipment to reduce human contact with food and improve sanitation. Automotive manufacturers can use automated press equipment to speed up production to meet customer demand. 

There are multiple opportunities to incorporate automation in the press room.

Post Press Automation

Post press automation equipment can range from simple blank stacking and transfer systems to more complex automation of mechanical assembly, vision inspection and part organization. Examples of post press automation systems include:

• High-Speed Stacking Systems. Manufacturers are reducing the labor force needed by implementing custom stackers to retrieve the parts and present them as stacks. Automated stacking systems can rapidly achieve straight-side stacks, eliminate hazards of handling stacked products and reduce scraps. 

• Part Retrieval and Scrap Removal. Automated parts retrieval systems can pick up and remove parts from the die and collect scrap material with a shuttle plate. Different shuttle plates can be selected to collect scrap from different-sized parts accurately.

• Press-to-Press Transfer Systems. Automated press-to-press transfer systems can increase production capacity and minimize the amount of manual labor needed between presses. 

One Machine Concepts customer saw their production capacity increase 20% by replacing old stamping presses with a new automated press-to-press transfer system. This custom system also reduced the required manual labor between the presses to two people, one at the beginning and one at the end.   

When Can You Expect to See ROI With Automation?

The return on investment of your automated press room equipment depends on your particular project and scope of work required, but most of our customers achieve a complete ROI within one to three years. 

How to Get Started With Press Room Automation

Before getting started with automating your press room, it’s critical for your automation partner to understand your needs, processes and existing setup. 

That’s why at Machine Concepts, we thoroughly inspect and analyze your manufacturing processes to determine if and what it makes sense to automate. We can advise you on the best use cases for your company and propose custom solutions. We’ll align your quote and scope of work, along with providing an approximate ROI on your investment. 

Learn more about our press room automation solutions process here.

At Machine Concepts, we’ve been designing and building innovative, engineering-based solutions for nearly 30 years. Our breadth of capabilities allows us to provide turnkey machine builds even for the most challenging applications.