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Fanuc factory Video

Robots building robots. Next step is the scenario from the Terminator movies. They are going to take over the world! LOL With all those 'bots, Fanuc must only have about 5 or 6 human factory workers total!
 
Well you would think that with all those robots that the price would be dirt cheap. No Unions, Worker Comp, 4 week Holiday per year, no medical, etc.
 
I go there about 4 times a year.

You should see there machining operation. No one can compete with these guys.
 
Fanuc factory.

I had the pleasure and opportunity to visit the Fanuc factory back in the early 80s, as part of a tour sponsored by Gomiya, they imported Nomura CNC Boring Mills, Kitako 4 spindle lathes and other Japanese CNC equipment.
Customers in those days, and remember this is quite a few years ago when the price of CNC machines was really high, got a free trip to Japan, all paid, for 10 days.
I and my wife got in because I did a lot of Fanuc training for Gomiya and had trained a lot of the customers on the trip. It was the highlight of all the years of training I did, everything was absolutely first class, nice Hotels, great but unusual foods, visits to CNC factories, including Fanuc, even a trip on the bullet train.
What I remember most is meeting the legendary Dr. Inaba, one of the founders of Fanuc, he told me proudly that everyone working there, generated $500 000.-
What was funny and a little embarrassing, he was so short that I desparately looked for a chair to sit on while I talked to him. It did not seem quite right to be that much taller than this really smart guy.
The trip was my CNC highlight and led to quite a bit of work for me, including the training and manual writing I did for Fanuc in Chicago later.
Heinz.
http://home.columbus.rr.com/hputz
 
Well you would think that with all those robots that the price would be dirt cheap. No Unions, Worker Comp, 4 week Holiday per year, no medical, etc.

You hit the nail on the head, the basic Robodrill priced in the 30's is a steal-of-deal for it's longevity and reliability. The robots not only make them cheap, but take the 'human' element of the equation. IOW, Fanuc engineers get the design right, and the robots put the components together without overtorquing screws or forgetting to lube something, or dropping the ball on some other very important process.

I like it. It'd be interesting to see the Haas assembly line for comparison.

QB
 
Well you would think that with all those robots that the price would be dirt cheap. No Unions, Worker Comp, 4 week Holiday per year, no medical, etc.

Not only that, proprietary motors and controllers in their robots gives them a huge advantage. I'm curious as to what the COGS is for each robot.
 
True but robots aren't exactly free and don't last forever.
Neither are employees :ack2:
I would love to see a video of the machining part of the factory. That part seems to have been cut off..of course.

Heinz,
That would have been a trip for the ages...would be a interesting return trip just to see the changes over the years.
Gary
 
Alum, please edit your profile to include some hint of your location. "out in the middle of nowhere" is meaningless as your nowhere could be anywhere from the cornfields of Indiana to the rain forest of Cambodia. :rolleyes5:
 
It is impressive every time you walk through Fanuc.

The Robodrill still has some people involved with its assembly. But all of its machining is done lights out, robot load. Same with the EDM's and Plastic machines.
 
True but robots aren't exactly free and don't last forever.

True, but in the right application, one robot running 24/7 replaces 3 operators during the Monday/Friday shift, and can also fill the awkward Sat/Sun Day/Night shift. You can literally pay for the robot in the first 7-8 months with the labor savings, and the MTBF for those robots is in the tens of thousands of hours.

Unfortunately, not every job is a candidate for robot operation.
 
could be anywhere from the cornfields of Indiana to the rain forest of Cambodia
Opps sorry about that...let me narrow it down a bit.
27.5 Miles from nearest traffic light,
7000+ altitude (air so thin that it affects rational thought)
On the side of the largest flat top mountain in the world (nice..so many rocks you cant dig a post hole)
5 more golden eagles than neighbors within sight
I am sure there is more but I cant think...thin air...
Gary
 
True, but in the right application, one robot running 24/7 replaces 3 operators during the Monday/Friday shift, and can also fill the awkward Sat/Sun Day/Night shift. You can literally pay for the robot in the first 7-8 months with the labor savings, and the MTBF for those robots is in the tens of thousands of hours.

Unfortunately, not every job is a candidate for robot operation.

The robot cells (8 HMC's + pallet system, and Murata stocker + robots) runs 720 hours totally unattended. They have over 40 of these systems.... The Turning area is also very impressive.
 
Opps sorry about that...let me narrow it down a bit.
27.5 Miles from nearest traffic light,
7000+ altitude (air so thin that it affects rational thought)
On the side of the largest flat top mountain in the world (nice..so many rocks you cant dig a post hole)
5 more golden eagles than neighbors within sight
I am sure there is more but I cant think...thin air...
Gary

Grand Mesa Colorado ;)
 








 
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