At Sennheiser Manufacturing USA in Albuquerque, precision is non-negotiable.
Each week, the ability assembles 30,000 printed circuit boards (PCBs) that energy 1,500 skilled audio gadgets for the Americas and Asia. With 115 totally different PCB variants working via manufacturing, automation is important to keep up throughput and high quality.
However one vital step remained handbook: 100% PCB testing.
As manufacturing elevated, testing turned a bottleneck.
Right here’s how Sennheiser eliminated that bottleneck and elevated the variety of PCBs examined by 33% in a single yr.
Outcomes at a look
- 33% improve in PCBs examined inside one yr
- 115 PCB variants dealt with with one adaptive gripper
- 100% PCB take a look at protection maintained
- Actual-time cobot KPI monitoring carried out
- Second cobot justified utilizing manufacturing information
Preserve studying for the complete story…
The problem: handbook PCB testing turned a bottleneck
“At Sennheiser, we take a look at every thing 100%,” explains Manufacturing Supervisor Steven Nery.
The method was easy however repetitive:
- An operator locations a PCB into the tester
- Closes the fixture
- Waits for the take a look at cycle
- Removes the board
- Masses the subsequent one
Repeat for eight hours.
With 115 PCB varieties and rising manufacturing demand, handbook dealing with restricted scalability. The group wanted an answer that would:
- Deal with frequent half changeovers
- Adapt to totally different PCB sizes and kind elements
- Keep constant high quality
- Combine rapidly with out disrupting manufacturing
The answer: versatile gripping and collaborative automation
Check Engineer Roger Case started exploring automation choices. The breakthrough got here with Robotiq’s 2F-85 Adaptive Gripper.
“Robotiq had a singular answer: a dependable gripper that may handle half changeovers rapidly, which was vital for our high-mix, high-volume manufacturing. Plus, its extensive stroke match the shape issue of the PCBs we had been .”
Inside weeks, the group deployed a Common Robots UR5 cobot outfitted with the 2F-85.
The automated workflow:
- The robotic picks up a PCB with the gripper
- Strikes it to a scanner to validate half ID
- Masses it into the tester
- The tester alerts begin
- After testing, the system sends a cross/fail message
- The robotic types the PCB into the suitable bin
The consequence was a repeatable, constant testing cycle — with out handbook intervention.
Measuring efficiency with Robotiq Insights
From the start, Sennheiser handled their cobot like a brand new group member. They even named it ART (Automated Robotic Group member).
However efficiency wanted to be measurable.
“Since we all the time consider how new workers are performing, I instructed our managers we must always do the identical for ART,” says Case.
To trace KPIs, the group related the robotic to Robotiq Insights, a web-based monitoring utility.
Insights rapidly turned a store ground management instrument utilized by a number of teams:
- Managers use dashboards to visualise manufacturing efficiency
- Engineers obtain day by day reviews and cease alerts
- Operators obtain notifications when trays want reloading
“I exploit Insights to speak data to non-engineering folks, as a result of I can simply level to the dashboard and clarify what’s occurring,” says Nery.
When the robotic stops, the group is aware of instantly — and may react rapidly. That visibility remodeled automation from a black field right into a controllable, optimizable course of.
33% extra PCBs examined with greater consistency
After one yr, the numbers had been clear.
“With ART1, we noticed a rise of round 33% within the variety of PCBs examined over a yr,” says Case. “And the standard was greater as a result of the dealing with was extra constant.”
The manufacturing information collected via Insights helped justify the acquisition of a second cobot.
At this time, ART2 (a UR5e) operates alongside ART1, and the manufacturing unit is aiming to double PCB testing capability.
The primary deployment eliminated a bottleneck. The second scaled a confirmed system.
A brand new position on the store ground
Automation didn’t remove jobs; it elevated them.
Marcella Segovia beforehand carried out the repetitive handbook testing course of. At this time, she runs the robotic testing operation.
She:
- Prepares trays
- Prioritizes job orders
- Adjustments robotic applications for various PCB varieties
- Displays manufacturing
Insights sends her a textual content message when trays are empty so she is aware of when to reload.
“I used to be a bit of fearful of the robots at first, however I actually wished to discover ways to run them,” she says. “They’re quick, however I can sustain — and it’s nice how a lot we’ve elevated our numbers.”
Repetitive handbook testing turned a higher-value technical position on the heart of manufacturing.
The larger image: scaling with information, not assumptions
Sennheiser didn’t automate every thing directly.
They:
- Recognized a transparent bottleneck
- Deployed a versatile cobot cell
- Measured efficiency
- Used actual manufacturing information to justify scaling
That’s Lean Robotics in motion.
By combining a versatile adaptive gripper, a collaborative robotic, and real-time efficiency monitoring, Sennheiser turned testing right into a aggressive benefit — and constructed a transparent path for future enlargement.
If PCB testing is limiting your throughput, the chance will not be in including labor — however in eradicating the bottleneck with versatile automation and measurable efficiency.
