In 1946 Clack Corporation started as a small water softener exchange company. Today, Clack is a major manufacturer of water treatment components, including the industry’s largest selection of blow molded brine tanks and cabinets. Clack’s headquarters is located in Windsor, Wisconsin, and the growing company has additional facilities in Arkansas and Arizona.
To maintain their competitive edge, Clack decided to automate their blow molding and packaging operations to improve productivity, reduce costs and offset a very low unemployment rate/labor shortage. Clack selected Robotic Automation Systems (RAS), a FANUC Authorized System Integrator for robotics, to provide robotic solutions to help them meet their needs.
The automated solution includes a FANUC M-710iC/50 robot that removes parts from a blow molding machine. The industrial robot offers the flexibility to handle a variety of part types - all picked, de-flashed and moved to cooling racks. Next, a FANUC M-20iA/35M robot uses a hot knife to cut the lid and the scrap. A FANUC CR-15iA collaborative robot, designed to work alongside operators, packs parts into shipping containers.
The robotic systems have provided Clack a variety of benefits including floor space savings, improved quality, cycle time improvements, and reduced operator involvement. Based on the success of the automation to date, Clack plans to implement more robots in areas that will help them achieve their production goals, and continue to manufacture its products in the US.