When Did Rework Become Part of Your Process? – Part I
“When did rework become part of your process?” is one of my all-time favorite challenge questions. (Though originally coined by Saint Clair Systems’ own Mark Portelli, I have adopted it as my own and use it frequently.)
So why do I love this question so much? Because every time I ask it, I get the same response, though it comes in many forms.
People in the industrial and manufacturing sectors say things like, “Oh, we don’t have rework in our process” or, “We’re not like that.” The list of denials goes on, but in the end, it’s always some version of “Nope; not us.”
The reality? Rework is part of the process for many operations.
In this series, we are going to examine how and why rework can creep almost undetected into our processes, what it looks like, and how we can eliminate it.
Who’s Automating?
Who’s automating is important. The automotive industry was one of the first to embrace robotic automation, so it’s loaded with mature applications. Demand remains relatively flat.
Interestingly, though, the market for industrial robotic automation is expanding. The Robotics Industry Association (RIA) describes it as “unprecedented growth, and it’s only expected to get stronger…. As the technology matures, new markets are accelerating the rate of adoption and increasing the pervasive impact of industrial robotics around the world.”
In fact, a recent study by Future Market Insights predicts an annual growth rate in excess of 9% between now and 2029.
This means that the growth is happening in other industries - electronics, food and beverage, metal and machinery, and rubber and plastics, just to name a few.
It also means that more and more novice users are implementing automation in new applications and may not be as aware of the pitfalls and pratfalls that come with advanced robotic implementations.
Automating Fluid Dispensing
Fortunately for us, one area that has received significant attention is fluid dispensing operations such as the application of paints and coatings, sealers and adhesives, pottings and encapsulants, lubricants, etc. These are important processes to automate because they are critical to product quality, and a robot can repeat the same motions (path, speed, distance and angle to the part, etc.) time after time.
Unfortunately, fluid dispensing applications are different from material handling applications (like sorting, stacking, wrapping, etc.) and assembly operations (like pick-and-place, mechanical fastening, welding, etc.). Effective fluid dispensing requires exceptional process control over parameters outside of the control of the robot (things like fluid viscosity and temperature, which directly affects viscosity).
As a result, despite the robot’s ability to reliably repeat motion, we still often end up having to “clean up” after our application process. Examples include brushing out sealer beads, cleaning off excess adhesive, buffing out paint, or even sanding and repainting certain areas.
But the clean up is often less obvious. For instance, we may add an operator to hand spray (or otherwise apply) before or after our robotic application.
Why We Intervene
It’s easy to understand why we need to intervene sometimes. Some of the more common excuses for these “clean-up” operations include:
“We certainly can’t afford to scrap all this stuff!”
“Our customer’s requirements keep getting tougher!”
“We have to make our shipments or we’ll lose this business!”
And, of course, the list goes on. The truth is, these are all good excuses – valid reasons for introducing rework into our process. But the bottom line is simple: we call it part of our process…but it’s still rework.
In Part II of this series, we’re going to show some examples of what rework looks like in the real world and how you can identify it in your process.
Looking at rework differently is the first step to eliminating it.