VersaBuilt VBX-160 Robotic CNC Machine Tender

Universal Machine Tending

Check out the VBX-160 a new Robotic CNC Machine Tending system at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (International Manufacturing Technology Show 2014). VersaBuilt will be exhibiting with ABB (N-6251) at IMTS in Chicago from September 8-13, 2014. I'd like to personally invite you to join us for a demo of the VBX-160.

The VersaBuilt VBX-160 represents a new category of machine tending products. The VBX-160 requires no robot programming, no robot teach pendant, no custom robot grippers and no special training of your staff. The VersaBuilt VBX-160 can tend virtually any part shape that can be held in a vise. Setting up a new part is as easy as setting up a new part to be machined in your CNC.

The Genius of the VersaBuilt VBX-160 is the patent-pending MultiGrip Soft Jaw system. Like ordinary vise soft jaws, MultiGrip soft jaws can easily be machined to hold a part in a CNC vise. But MultiGrip soft jaws are also engaged by the VBX-160's robot arm to pick a part from the shelf and transfer the part to the CNC vise for processing. The same soft jaws that hold the part in the CNC are used by the VBX-160 to transfer parts in and out of the CNC.

No week-long robotic training classes or expensive robotic engineering consultants. The VBX-160 is completely pre-programmed. A competent machinist can configure and setup a new part for tending within the first day of use. A VBX-160 is easily configured to run dozens of different parts. Typical job setup times are less than 15 minutes, including the time it takes to load the VBX-160 full of parts.

You can do this. We’ll show you how….

Please also visit our website at Versa Built .

Trivia question:
What is made from Shoulder Pork and hAM ?


Nothing that comes up at the website, nothing on Youtube.

Can you smell this thing where you sit?

Well, it is related to Forum topics, so not as unwarranted as it could be. Odd that their Facebook (boo!) page has content but their own site is non-op.

My apologies. The correct URL is VersaBuilt

Send me one and I'll do a long review with it hooked to my 5 axis

I've pondered this type of thing before. What's the difference between loading this up versus a tombstone on a horizontal?

VSMI said:

I've pondered this type of thing before. What's the difference between loading this up versus a tombstone on a horizontal?

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The VBX-160 will produces parts at a far lower cost than a tombstone on a horizontal. The VBX-160 requires less operator labor to handle the parts, has lower fixturing costs and has a lower capital investment costs.

First, I don't believe this is just another, "this type of thing". There are no other robotic machine tending products that the average machine shop can roll into their shop, install in less than a day and begin tending almost any part in just a few hours. Our system uses vise soft jaws (our own proprietary soft jaws) as the robot end of arm tool (EOAT) to load parts in and out of the CNC. Cut your op1 and op2 soft jaws and your ready to tend. All robotic functions are pre-programmed. Other robotic machine tenders require an EOAT be developed for each operation of each part family, plus a transfer station to flip the part from op1 to op2. Engineering costs are typically more than $10k per part family with other robotic machine tending solutions (and out of the scope of most machine shops in-house skills).

The VBX-160 is really the first robotic machine tending product that A) the average machine shop can setup and run without help from robotics systems engineers and B) is economical to run in high mix environments.

For a somewhat concrete example, consider a shop that needs a machine to run 150 different parts with an average cycle time for two ops of 20 minutes and average batch size of 50 parts and 300 unique orders (setups) per year.

Horizontal

Assume an EC-400PP 6 pallet pool machine, nicely equipped for about $285k. Equip it with 6 4-sided tombstones, with 4 six inch double acting vises per tombstone at about $7500 each and we've got a loaded cost of $330K.

Then there are fixturing costs. For the horizontal, let's say that for each part you setup 1/3 of your vises to run that part (always have three jobs running on the machine). I like the Chick products because they're fast to setup (and skilled labor is expensive). The 6" double acting jaws are $332/set. For each part we have 2 tombstones, 4 vises so 8 sets of jaws per part (half first op, half second op). Generally, 10 sets of first op jaws would cover most parts with second op jaws all being unique. Need 40 first op jaws and 600 second op jaws. That's $212K in soft jaw investment. Sometimes you can fixture 2 parts per vise sometimes 4 parts per vise (for smaller parts), assume an average of 3 parts per vise.

10 minute run time per op, two ops, 3 parts per vise 24 vises; fully loaded the horizontal will run 12 hours unattended. For about $542K in total cost you've got 1 spindle that can run 12 hours after it is fully loaded.

For setup and load cost, assume it takes an operator 2 hours to setup a job (find the box containing the 8 sets of jaws, take out 8 sets of existing jaws across 3 tombstones, put in 8 sets of jaws across 3 tombstones). Then load a set of first ops, when those are done load a set of second ops (with blowing coolant and chips), etc and I think it's safe to assume that will take another 4 hours. About 6 hours total labor to process the average job. At a loaded cost of $20/hr that's $120/order, 300 unique orders per year or about $36,000 in fixture setup and operator load labor.

Vertical + VBX-160

Assume a VF-2SS nicely equipped for $85K add a VBX-160 for just under $100K with the two vise setup and the auto door for a total of $185K.

There are some different options of soft jaws for the VBX-160 but average is $200. To run a part with a VBX-160, we only need 1 first op jaw and 1 second op jaw. Again, 10 different first op jaws and 150 unique second op jaws so $32K in soft jaws. You can only fixture 1 part per softjaw with a VBX-160. However, you can load 52 8.5" wide parts, 66 5.5" wide parts, 78 4" wide parts, 108 2.5" wide part or 240 2" x 2" parts at a time. Lets say average part width is 4" so average load is 78 pieces.

The VBX-160 will perform 2 ops, rinse the part, blow it dry and put it back on the shelf unattended. 20 minutes for two ops with an average load of 78 parts that's an unattented run time of 26 hours. For about $217K in total cost you've got 1 spindle that can run 26 hours after it is fully loaded.

To setup and load a job, operator finds two sets of jaws on a rack, places them on the top shelf of the VBX-160 and places 78 parts on the shelves (after removing the previous 78 parts). Let's assume 1 hour to perform that task (although we find it's generally less than 30 minutes). One hour per job, $20/hour, 300 unique orders per year or about $6,000 in fixture setup and operator load labor.

Conclusion

Horizontal is $330K in capital expenditure, $212K in soft jaws and $36K/year in operator setup and load labor.

Vertical and VBX-160 is $185K in capital expenditure, $32K in soft jaws and $6K/year in operator setup and load labor. You can buy 2 complete VF-2SS/VBX-160s for less than the cost of the horizontal and it will get twice as much work done at 1/6th the labor cost.

Now you can compete with offshore manufacturing.

Al Youngwerth
Founder, President VersaBuilt, Inc.
VersaBuilt Universal Machine Tending

You forget to mention that the horizontal cycle time will be almost 50% faster and gives you the ability to do multi sided parts.....


I see a use for your product in loading my 5 axis with dovetail fixtures but its very similar in price to what Erowa and others are selling them at....

dstryr said:

You forget to mention that the horizontal cycle time will be almost 50% faster and gives you the ability to do multi sided parts.....


I see a use for your product in loading my 5 axis with dovetail fixtures but its very similar in price to what Erowa and others are selling them at....

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Give us a call, we'd like to discuss your application.

I own a VF3SS and an EC-400. In my experience, the VF-3SS is a bit faster than the EC-400. Even if the horizontal is 50% faster, you could buy 2 VF2SSs with 5th axis setup (+$45K each) and you'd have less investment, more capability, more lights-out production hours, more production and lower labor cost.

Have you priced the Erowa fixturing? The Erowa system loads pallets. Pallets can have dedicated fixturing (typically even higher labor cost for loading than a vise) or it can load vises. A typical Erowa system will cost more in pallets and vises than the VBX-160 costs before you start buying vise soft jaws. An Erowa cannot do an op1 to op2 transfer. The Erowa requires just as much operator labor to load an unload as the horizontal. Every part must be loaded for a first op, removed from the first op fixture, secured to a second op fixture and then unloaded out of the second op fixture.

Al Youngwerth
Founder, President VersaBuilt, Inc.
VersaBuilt Universal Machine Tending

Pretty defensive spammer. I don't know why your comparing a pallet pool to your robot rig. I would think a 500mm horizontal with a 4-sided tombstone would hold as many parts or blanks as your rig. If talking Haas, their 500mm is around 200K in usable form. I would guesstimate a four sided tombstone would offer twice the usable surface area of a VF2 table and no spindle stoppage to load and unload parts. I don't think it would take any longer to make high density fixtures for a tombstone than to make a slew of soft jaws. To each his own but you still have to have someone load and unload your unit just like you would a horizontal and although a horizontal may cost slightly more than your set up and a VMC, it has distinct advantages over a vertical.

VSMI said:

Pretty defensive spammer. I don't know why your comparing a pallet pool to your robot rig. I would think a 500mm horizontal with a 4-sided tombstone would hold as many parts or blanks as your rig. If talking Haas, their 500mm is around 200K in usable form. I would guesstimate a four sided tombstone would offer twice the usable surface area of a VF2 table and no spindle stoppage to load and unload parts. I don't think it would take any longer to make high density fixtures for a tombstone than to make a slew of soft jaws. To each his own but you still have to have someone load and unload your unit just like you would a horizontal and although a horizontal may cost slightly more than your set up and a VMC, it has distinct advantages over a vertical.

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Comparing to an EC-500 is certainly another reasonable comparison and with high density fixturing would have similar capacity. But the VBX-160 system still has some significant advantages. Only two sets of soft jaws are required to load all 78 4" parts in the example above; about $400 and first op jaws can usually work with a lot of different parts so the average fixtuting cost is closer to $250. There's a lot of different ways to tool up high density fixtures but I believe the cost to tool up four sides of a 500mm tombstone to hold 78 parts would be substantially higher.

The labor to load a VBX-160 is also much lower than a horizontal or vertical. The jaws and parts are just set in the VBX-160; no vises or fixtures to tighten, no flipping parts from op1 to op2. Set the jaws and the part blanks in the shelves and press go. Parts are put back on the shelf clean and ready to go.

Al Youngwerth
Founder, President VersaBuilt, Inc.
VersaBuilt Universal Machine Tending

I think you have something but for me to be interested for the 5 axis machines it would have to be a lower price point. If I'm going to spend that money I'd rather have the EROWA or 3R.

I just need a pick and place of how ever many dovetail fixtures you can get on your rack.

dstryr said:

I think you have something but for me to be interested for the 5 axis machines it would have to be a lower price point. If I'm going to spend that money I'd rather have the EROWA or 3R.

I just need a pick and place of how ever many dovetail fixtures you can get on your rack.

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The VBX-160 operates in two different picking modes: pick pallets or pick parts. In pick part mode, it grabs two-piece soft jaws and picks individual parts off the shelf. In pick pallet mode, it picks pallets (essentially 1-piece soft jaws) that can have parts fixtured to the pallet (or a dovetail fixture mounted on the pallet).

We support loading 52 pallets in pick pallet mode.

In pick part mode, there are 6 different software selectable configurations based upon the part width and height:

#Parts MaxPartWidth MaxPartDepth MaxPartHeight
22 13” 8” 4.25"
52 8.5” 8” 4.25"
66 5.5” 8” 4.25"
78 4” 8” 4.25"
108 2.5” 8” 4.25"
240 2” 2” 2.125"

So if your part is 2" x 2" x 2" or less, we can load 240. If your part is 8.5" wide x 8" deep by up to 4.25" tall wide we can load 52 parts in one load. Our part weight capacity is 8lbs.

If you can work in pick part mode, your fixturing cost and labor cost drop dramatically. For 5-axis work, it's going to depend on your parts and your machine to see if our vise and soft jaws will allow your spindle in close enough to do all your machining.

If you can work in pick part mode, I think you will find the savings in fixturing and labor cost for part loading to be dramatic. Loading up an Erowa system with 50+ dovetail fixtures and the Erowa clamping system can easily exceed the cost of the VBX-160. But the real savings is in labor. In pick part mode, the VBX-160 can load the raw stock in first op jaws to cut the dovetail feature, grab the dovetail feature with second op jaws and machine all your 5-axis work, then grab another set of soft jaws to turn the part over again to machine off the dovetail feature and finally wash and blow off the finished part before putting it back on the rack.

If you're interested, I can send you 3-d models of the vise, soft jaws and shelf pick locations.

Al Youngwerth
Founder, President VersaBuilt, Inc.
VersaBuilt Universal Machine Tending