Wittmann helps ITW do more with less space

Problem: An ITW Deltar Fasteners molding plant was running out of space and producing way too much scrap.   

Solution: Wittmann’s space-saving Insider Package machine configuration has made incorporating automation easy, so operations are now more efficient.  

By Karen Hanna 

Space is tight at the 40,000-square-foot Lakeville, Conn., facility of ITW Deltar Fasteners that makes headrests for Fords and Toyotas. Just to complete quality inspections and post-molding operations, the company used to move products from the plant to inventory and warehouse space nearby.  

“We used to mold all of our components here. We’d send them five miles down the road to another plant we have in New York, and they would assemble all the product, and it would sit in a warehouse,” said manufacturing engineer Phil Dunn, who is in his 16th year at the facility. “We would store WIP [works in progress] there, and by the time they figured out that there was a quality issue ... it was already too late.”  

Because of those quality issues, the company was not only spending a lot of time and money producing and storing scrap, it was jeopardizing its customers’ commitments, as well. Without space to maneuver, it couldn’t get better.  

Reallocating space 

Change came with a complete interior remodel of the plant, as ITW has made consistent investments in space-saving machine configurations from Wittmann over about the past decade. In April, ITW was anticipating the arrival of the third of its three latest new Wittmann IMMs, bringing the total number of lines to 39. 

“We were looking for something to reduce the footprint of our molding cells,” Dunn said. 

Shortly after NPE 2009, he visited Wittmann USA’s headquarters in Torrington, Conn., to view its injection molding machine (IMM) Insider Package, which combines an IMM with automation in one compact, self-contained cell.  

ITW already had some Wittmann robots, so it was comfortable with the OEM’s offerings.  

David Sharp, Wittmann’s division manager for IMMs, explained that with the Insider Package, manufacturers can reduce production cells’ footprint. The layout, he says, requires “no guarding on the floor, making for easier cleaning under the machine, easy access to the non-operator side of the machine.” Also, there’s “no additional safety package for the robot needed as the robot remains within the machine’s standard guarded area.” 

Compared with machines that have external guarding, the Insider Package IMMs are less cumbersome and take up significantly less space. 

ITW purchased its first Insider Package in 2013, but the slowdown created by the COVID-19 pandemic provided just the opportunity for a total reset.  

As its engineering team got to work plotting out how it could optimize their space, ITW began to zero in on the aspects of its business that accounted for around 80 percent of its revenues, shedding the projects that accounted for only 20 percent.  

“Because of that, we were able to cut down on our overhead and maximize the people that we help,” Dunn said. 

That internal reorganization accompanied the one happening at the same time on the plant floor.  

“We took drawings of each one of our molding machines, laid them all out in CAD and laid out our entire production floor in CAD, including the uprights for our cranes, where our stanchions are — where everything is — then laid out how we wanted our floor plan. We had to move every single molding machine in the plant — and we did it all in nine months,” Dunn said. 

All that furniture-moving amounted to so much more than simply rearranging the deck chairs, because while the aisles are now just 36 inches wide, ITW has maximized what takes place within them.  

“The Insider Package is almost like an extension to the molding machine,” Dunn said. “... It’s a metal enclosure, which the robot works inside that enclosure, and there’s a conveyor that is inside of that enclosure, where you’re able to get to the back of the molding machine by opening up a rear safety gate, which is an extension of the molding machine and move the conveyor out of the way. ... It’s all like one beautifully made enclosure system that looks a part of the machine.”  

Set up for success  

For ITW, the Insider Package offers a way to do more with less — to press automation into a space already bursting at the seams with primary machines. 

“There was just molding machines in the plant at that time. Now, we do molding and automation in the same facility,” Dunn said. “So we’re really able to utilize our floor space to maximize the plant and in our business.” 

With automation built into the cells, ITW now performs the operations it used to perform at its New York facility in the same plant where it molds parts. Included in the new cells are cameras and other quality-control instruments, allowing employees to address problems in real time. 

Dunn estimated his facility has reduced scrap from about 10 percent to about 2 percent. 

Along with robots, Wittmann’s Industry 4.0 connectivity supports a hands-off approach. As a result, although ITW isn’t a lights-out plant, it’s getting close.  

Four operators, one process technician and one automation technician keep the plant running during each of its shifts, 24 hours a day, five days a week.  

“Originally, we had 50 employees between our two plants. We’re down to about 26 right now,” Dunn said. “... It’s all fully automated, so we were able to cut down on the resources that we needed in the plant, which helped our bottom line.” 

Each operator manages eight IMMs and three pieces of automation equipment. Metal components and finished products are the only things that require physical handling and inspection. 

“We have an automation technician that oversees any technical issues that come up ... that the operator cannot figure out. And we have a molding technician that does some mold changes and works with the tool room to do things like that, but that’s about it. We have a maintenance person that maintains the whole plant, so there’s not a lot of overhead.” 

Wittmann 4.0 connects an array of equipment, from auxiliaries, like water heaters, mixing units and robots to the IMMs and hot runners. 

“We’ve seen a huge reduction in scrap because it catches the problems that are happening on that equipment immediately,” Dunn said. “So, that’s been a huge benefit to us, for sure. Also the simplicity: We’re able to do a setup faster. All we’ve got to do is call up one recipe, and it programs everything that’s in there, which is very beneficial for us. Since we’re so lean when it comes to technicians, it increases our productivity by reducing our downtime.” 

The setup also includes a central drying system from Wittmann, installed about two years ago.  

Having gradually upgraded from Wittman’s Series 4 robots to the company’s W8 and W9 series, ITW also has gotten a jolt from upticks in its robots’ performance.  

“Their servo drives are pretty fast compared to hydraulic, so we are able to increase screw-recovery times, optimize our clamp speeds. The robots we had prior were pneumatic, which increased the cycle by four seconds. When we started to get the full servo robots, we were able to cut almost four seconds off our cycle just by adding that in there,” Dunn said. 

The equipment that ITW’s running now also is more efficient. As it’s replaced older IMMs, ITW has upgraded from hydraulics to electric EcoPower machines. The new machines have servo-hydraulic ejection and injection unit carriages, with integrated hydraulic core pulls; the hydraulic functions run only as needed. Those improvements have allowed the plant to qualify for rebates from its energy provider. 

“We were getting about $18,000 for every 110 [ton] molding machine that we bought. ... At the end, it was down to about $11,000 per machine. ... But overall, we’re still saving money on electricity,” Dunn said. 

All in one 

ITW’s loyalty to Wittman is only growing, as the company has embraced its supplier’s slogan, “It’s all Wittmann.” 

The end-to-end services, encompassing both primary and auxiliary equipment, are unique, Sharp and Dunn said. 

With about 60 percent of its IMMs from Wittmann, ITW is committed to squeezing as much as it can from every cell, and its annual machine replacement plan reflects that. 

ITW’s primary machine stable is dominated by IMMs with a clamping force of 110 tons, but it also has some 55-tonners; the newest machines include its first with a clamping force of 90 tons.  

“This ITW facility’s investment in its Wittmann equipment has made it the U.S. leader in use of Wittmann’s Insider Package of automation solutions,” Wittmann USA President Sonny Morneault said. “Many of our customers use it, but not to this scale.”   

ITW is so pleased with Wittmann IMMs, it’s also investing in a a different space-saving configuration: an EcoPower with a longitudinal, or L-mount, robot that loads a box indexer at the end of the clamp side. 

After touring last year’s NPE, Dunn said he saw no other OEM offering a one-stop-shop approach comparable to Wittmann’s comprehensive portfolio. 

“We have been able to cut down on scrap, cut down on overhead, be more efficient and more productive. And that’s what every business really wants. We’ve been able to do that with Wittmann’s support and equipment,” he said. 

Contact: 

Wittmann USA Inc., Torrington, Conn., 860-496-9603, www.wittmann-group.com