Components of change

Bob Love of THK UK suggests that by integrating different technologies, such as linear motion guides and motors, component suppliers can provide OEMs with an important competitive advantage.

Bob Love of THK UK suggests that by integrating different technologies, such as linear motion guides and motors, component suppliers can provide OEMs with an important competitive advantage.

Change is at the heart of progress.

It freshens up established production processes, streamlines inefficiencies and removes bottlenecks.

It is the driving force behind economic success and has never been more needed than now, at a time when the manufacturing sector is under increasing pressure from foreign competition, together with slowdown in domestic demand.

To counteract these trends companies are both cutting costs and looking for new ways of improving production processes.

The OEM sector is no exception.

The sourcing of hundreds of components from many different suppliers means that OEMs and machine retrofitters are often incurring additional cost, in terms of the time required to source individual parts, the effort and labour needed for system and subsystem design, assembly and test, and the resources required for coordinating and administering multiple suppliers, to ensure that deliveries are maintained on time.

In many respects, the onus is on component suppliers to offer value added services that can help OEMs deliver competitive advantage.

One tactic that progressive component manufacturers are adopting is the formulation of strategic alliances with complementary suppliers in order to create fully integrated ready-to-install systems and subsystems.

The idea of formulating partnerships isn't new, but the ingenuity stems from bringing together distinct components to form an entirely new solution, ready assembled, that offers cost and time-saving benefits by eliminating stages of the OEM's production process.

By removing the necessity to source components from multiple suppliers, then assemble and test on-site, OEMs can refocus resources into refining production processes and improving profit margins.

One of the key areas that is ripe for component integration is the development of linear motion solutions - the transport mechanisms on which machinery and components can be moved or positioned to perform specified tasks.

Configured to meet an array of different criteria, linear motion guides can be used in a number of environments, including level surfaces, vertical planes, inverted positions and even on inclines.

Of course, they require power, which is typically delivered through separate components, such as a stepper or servomotor, plus a power supply, encoder, drive and cabling.

Usually sourced from different suppliers, the linear motion guides and associated equipment are integrated and tested off-site by the supplier before being installed by the OEM as part of the final application or machine.

An example of the development of the component-integration theory was recently unveiled by THK and Parker-Digiplan in the form of a strategic alliance that produced a new KRE linear motion solution, combining THK's proven KR actuator technology with either a Parker DIN Rail stepper system or a ViX servo drive.

Perhaps as importantly, the new solution can also incorporate all the required ancillary equipment, such as an encoder, cabling and HMI unit.

A similar approach has been taken with the introduction of a linear motor system, the RDM-M, that combines a linear motion guide, linear motor, encoder and cabling into a single, pre-assembled and tested system, ready for installation by the OEM.

Both of these solutions epitomise a new approach to component supply and create a number of important advantages for OEMs and retrofit or service companies alike.

Perhaps the most valuable benefit is the ability to make considerable time and cost savings, as there is no longer a need for the OEM to assemble or test systems or sub-systems during overall machine build.

In addition, there are savings to be made in both initial system design - now machine builders can simply design in a complete functional unit, rather than a number of otherwise independent components - and administration, as the number of parts and suppliers is potentially minimised, together with a corresponding reduction in stockholding.

The movement towards preassembled, ready-to-use systems is clearly gaining momentum as economic conditions dictate increased rationalisation of production processes, cost reductions and better ways of deploying labour.

The delivery of fully integrated component parts could be the very change for which the manufacturing sector has been searching.

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