We are often asked about return on investment when using robotics in the mould shop. The answer of course, is that great economies can nearly always be achieved, but the extent of the savings is dependent on the application.
A recent visit to a customer provided an excellent case study… The venerable old Apex SA1200 Series robot shown here, has a recommended payload of 6kg. However, for more than 15 years, day in/day out, it has been far out-performing that by carrying loads in excess of 16kg ! No wonder it’s looking a little battle weary – BUT it’s still doing the business. Testimony to the outstanding build quality of Apex robots. Soon it will be replaced by a newer model, but it’s not ready for retirement yet and will soon be transferred to lighter duties in the same mould shop.
So what about the cost savings? Well, estimating the initial outlay at approximately £8000, the investment equates to somewhere in the region of £10 per week over the fifteen years the robot has been running. This is fairly typical for an application like this – and particularly impressive in view of the heavy duty nature of the application.