MakerBot, a global leader in 3D printing, revealed that All Axis Robotics is implementing the MakerBot METHOD manufacturing workstation into its automation processes to produce custom tooling parts for its legacy machines as well as customers.

All Axis Robotics is a Dallas, Texas-based machine shop and a leader in turnkey custom robot solutions for other machine shops and manufacturing facilities in need of automated machine tending. Customers use All Axis Robotics to streamline their manufacturing operations with robotic arms and custom end-effectors, including those for CNC machine tending, automated part sanding, and brake press machine tending, among others.

“One of the challenges we faced when adapting our collaborative robots and automation in the machine shop was the need to develop custom parts during the process. We would have to develop custom brackets, fixtures, or fingers for the grippers, and not all of this would be possible to produce on CNC machines,” said Gary Kuzmin, CEO, All Axis. “When we purchased the MakerBot METHOD, we were able to customize all these different parts. The relevance of having this machine within our process is that we have a quick turnaround capability to produce custom parts that we can integrate into our systems immediately.”

The engineering team at All Axis uses 3D printing to produce custom tooling parts—reducing lead times from months to hours for their bespoke robot end-effector designs. This ability to create custom solutions for customers—combined with rapid turnaround times—has helped All Axis gain a competitive advantage against competitors as more manufacturing facilities upgrade new and legacy equipment to meet the increasing demands of industry 4.0 and the modern global marketplace.

“Not only was it extremely valuable for us to make on-demand custom parts for what we needed to keep our operations going, but we were able to implement 3D printing for our customers and their needs,” added Kuzmin. “As our engineers realized the capabilities of 3D printing, we were able to create a product line of 3D printed parts for existing customers who had similar challenges.”

For example, All Axis engineers designed and manufactured a custom part sander using MakerBot’s strong and durable real ABS material with the METHOD X. The robot sander automates the time-consuming manual aluminum sanding operation; helping a machine shop to run more efficiently by freeing up personnel for other tasks. It features two sides with different grid sand pads as well as a connection for a vacuum to remove debris.

By producing the part with an in-house METHOD printer, the team was able to eliminate undesirable factors typical of traditional manufacturing processes, including expensive machinist time and material costs. And by approaching the part design through the lens of freeform additive manufacturing, the engineers were able to 3D model the part quickly without having to account for complex assembly considerations typical of traditional manufacturing processes.

Printing with Stratasys SR-30 soluble support material allowed the engineers to design the sander as one complex part. METHOD’s dimensional accuracy ensured that the part mated perfectly with the robot arm on the first try. The use of production-grade ABS printed in the 100°C heated chamber produced a strong and durable tool capable of withstanding the harsh machine shop environment.

“One of the interesting things about our shop is that right next to our million-dollar machines on the production floor is a MakerBot METHOD, which is about $6,500. And it’s that $6,500 machine that is able to keep our million-dollar machines running automation,” concluded Kuzmin.

MakerBot
www.makerbot.com/method

All Axis Robotics
www.allaxisrobotics.com