FANUC CRX Cobot Powers Lights-Out Production at Athena 3D
Athena increased 3D printing output and utilization by implementing a FANUC CRX collaborative robot for scalable, lights‑out production.
Challenges
- Printers that completed jobs in the middle of the night were forced to sit idle until the next morning when an operator changed out the print bed to start the next job.
- Manual changeover of multiple 3D Printers was extremely time-consuming, impacted machine utilization and production deadlines
Results
Story
Athena is an additive manufacturer providing 3D-printed parts for its expanding customer base. Faced with a variety of challenges, including the desire to run lights-out production, Athena partnered with Delta Technology (a FANUC Authorized System Integrator) to develop an automated solution.
The automated system features a FANUC CRX collaborative robot that has enabled Athena to easily scale production from one to multiple printers, all running at the same time – all night long. The results have been outstanding! Part production has nearly doubled, and they've seen a 40% increase in machine utilization.
With the automated system, our customers are getting their parts on-demand. This allows us to dedicate more time to customer support rather than back-end processing, and that’s much more valuable for us in the long run.
Jacob Moss Vice President of Operations – Athena 3DFANUC Products Used
CRX-10iA/L
Boost productivity with the user-friendly FANUC CRX-10iA/L cobot featuring a 10kg payload, 1418mm reach, and simple programming.
- Max Payload:
- 10 kg
- Reach:
- 1418 mm
Meet Delta Technology LLC, FANUC Authorized System Integrator
Delta Technology is a process automation expert providing automated solutions that help customers lower production costs, increase throughput, enhance safety, improve quality, and lower overall risk.
About Athena 3D Manufacturing
Athena 3D Manufacturing creates high-quality parts through 3D printing.
Since 2019, Athena has expanded its offering to include various additive manufacturing methods (including HP Jet Fusion and Markforged Metal X technology), post-processing services, CNC machining, injection molding, cast urethane, and engineering design services.
Based in the Phoenix area, Athena has a wide reach – providing high-quality 3D printing and engineering services across the country.
