Fixed Path: Robots help company rethink production

A leader in custom manufacturing for outdoor power equipment, Standby Screw Machine Products is a third-generation company founded in 1939. To reduce the costs of repetitive tasks, the company deployed collaborative robots that are still flexible enough to quickly adapt to new parts and products.

In Standby Screw’s Berea, Ohio, factory, a robotic cell produces more than one million parts per year, cleaning and packaging cylindrical gears used in lawnmowers. One collaborative, two-armed robot is fed parts from a traditional caged industrial robot, and, using both arms, moves the parts into a slot to clean the machine oil before placing the parts into two boxes.

“Our customers want a quality part, at a competitive price, delivered on time, and the robots are integral to that goal,” says Drew Rabkewych, sales manager at Standby Screw. “We’ve increased efficiency in two critical lines and can now leverage our staff in more complex roles throughout the factory. We see these robots as a major competitive advantage in our industry.”

A second robot tends a milling machine, using two arms to pick up pivot rods designed for snow blowers out of a feeding unit and placing them into the machine to cut a flat end on the rod. Using both arms, the robot can handle multiple parts at a time, package directly on the factory floor, and work overnight as needed. The added production time and ability to package exactly 169 parts per box is directly contributing to Standby Screw’s ability to maintain a competitive price for its products.

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