Maximizing Output: Robot Saves 10 Man-Hours Each Week Cutting 1000 Tubes Daily! | JJB Lean Academy

[@JackBusseyUK]

If a piece of equipment will pay for itself within 3 years we go for it. With this it was a learning experience for us too, now we are able to offer cobots as a new product based of our own testing and implementation, we have one of these welding too😊

[@Stevieboy7]

The Robot arm is really cool, but I can't imagine the initial design, production, machinery, would ever get paid off. The man hours alone for design and trouble shooting would be way more than just having a labourer working. This is why you don't see production like this even in China, where they would be making 10s of millions of the same part... its just never worth it versus "unskilled" labour.

[@JackBusseyUK]

@@Stevieboy7 it took me 2 weeks to design and build, it was a learning experience, really we didn't need to fully automate it. But wanted to learn it's been a fantastic learning project for me! And relieved a employee of a boring task 😊🙏

[@christiantosumbung5791]

Hope the robot lasts longer than 3 years then. Maybe 4 since there is maintenance and operating costs to consider as well.

[@Haza3137]

@@christiantosumbung5791oh yeah we’ve had joints go out on universal cobots and they’re not cheap to replace

[@PointBlank65]

I feel the full robot arm is a bit over kill here. But if it was also for learning how to use the arm then I see the value there too.

[@TheMadManPlace]

LOVE the cowbell... Who says that engineers DON'T have a weird sense of humor???

[@DaManBman]

I don't think anyone has ever said that to be honest.

[@TeslaAtoms]

Haha when i saw the cowbell, i was totally sold!

[@davidrussell8689]

I work in industry and I’m just pleased to see someone who actually thinks seriously about automating a process . Well done .

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks David 👍👍😊

[@davepompea]

I did robotics, control systems & special machines for 35 years and think you've done a fantastic job there!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks Dave! 😎🙏

[@hippopotamus86]

I have a weird passion for automation. I think I finally found my favourite youtube channel.

[@JackBusseyUK]

We too! I wish I had more time to automate more things 😁😎

[@x_ph1l]

Cowbell is an amazing touch! Great system!

[@critical_always]

The cow bell is the icing on top. Wonderful

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks 😁😁🙏

[@cayleependerass]

god that's a beautiful solution! The mid-point of automation was amazingly old-school, but being able to integrate that cobot to simplify the whole setup AND do a one piece flow is such a brilliant setup.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks so much 😊😊 it's was a fun project too!

[@EletricistaEmBrasilia]

what a great project. The bell part was fun and I would never replace it for a traditional alarm.

[@7null]

"They took our jobs" - thanks for sharing journey workflow

[@JackBusseyUK]

My pleasure!

[@davelelonek]

Jack you are seriously a genius and a true inspiration!!

[@marcelschonfeld534]

Wow, thats an amazing and easy to understand Piece of Automation. My Question is, at least what I noticed, the magazine for the PVC Tubes is the main restriction when it comes to human service intervalls by restocking the Tubes. As someone who works for a CNC Machine Manufacturer, we also build a kind of Hopper where round Materials can be loaded in and get dropped out one by one. So depending on the Size of the Hopper, there can easily be stored more than 17 Tubes, so if there would be stored 34 Tubes and dispensed by an Arduino that is connected to a colour or capacitve Sensor it would double the Human service intervall and would let the automation run over night if the hopper is big enough. But the Machine in total is an awesome development and showing the development step by step is awesome.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks for comment, so I'd love to make a hopper for it, but wanted to keep it simple to start with, my time is limited to do it because I have a business to run, currently we are very happy with the result

[@normohara]

Outstanding improvement, Jack. Thanks for taking us through the evolution of this process. Honestly, I was already impressed with what you had done BEFORE you even introduced the cobot!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks Norm! 😊

[@lucasfuelling]

Jack❤ thanks for making this video to show this improvement evolution! I think I requested it some time ago and I LOVE IT. Really shows the improvement progress and all the SMALL STEPS that are actually required to go to where you are right now! Thanks again!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Glad you liked it!! Thanks Lucas

[@dgoddard]

Love the cowbell! We need more cowbell. Instead of the robot picking up the tube and pushing it through each time before having to reach over and grab the cutoff piece, you should have it set up to drop a full pipe in place, then some grab rollers could push the pipe forward until it breaks a beam at the correct length. Just a thought.

[@JackBusseyUK]

I kinda wanted to do that, but really wanted to keep it simple and use the cobot as much as possible. It produces more than we require currently 😎

[@dgoddard]

@@JackBusseyUK I get it. Just my ADHD mind over-thinking. LOL Great work though.

[@JackBusseyUK]

@@dgoddard haha yes likewise my mind went wild on this project, I didn't have much spare time to work on it so had to keep it simple 😁

[@keytools197]

Brilliant vid thanks, I'm a one man band manufacturing in UK too.

[@Tarbard]

This machine sparks joy. So good.

[@jonkersvideos]

Love it. When I faced a similar challenge I learned about 3d designing and injection molding. ;-)

[@JackBusseyUK]

Do you have a video?

[@mastrickchief]

I'd love to see how you built the cutting and capping machines before you got the robot

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks for the idea!

[@AmericanMakerCNC]

"I gotta fever .... and the only prescription ..... is more cowbell!" -Christopher Walken. (Amazing setup and it's fun to watch! Nice job!)

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks so much 😁😎

[@yourtubisfilled7164]

Haha, that cow bell is gold. (Until it picks up your favorite hamster instead).

[@SP-ny1fk]

Very cool video. I don't work in manufacturing at all, it's just pleasing to see the progress you've made in automating around this same product.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks for the positive comment! 😊👍👍

[@leanmadesimple]

Best lean video I’ve seen in a long time !! Well done Jack and team!!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks Ryan! You we're a big part in getting our journey started, showing us what's possible 😊

[@anderodriozola5710]

I also build automatic machines and really like your automated process! Thanks for sharing your projects!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thank you 🙏😎

[@entropic7768]

Fantastic integration! So awesome to see these complex tasks being automated. I look forward to a world full of robotic arms and humanoids wherever necessary.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Exactly! Me too 😎👍👍

[@mulberryworkshop]

This is another level of coolness.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks so much 😎😎

[@locopixel463]

That bell was hilarious!

[@jonny5495]

This looks like so much fun. One of the reasons I relish software engineering is the ability to solve issues through automation.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Yes it was such a fun project ☺️😎

[@LimestoneCoastCustoms]

This is one of the many things I really miss about being in business. Looking back I think I got more of a kick out of the R & D, continue improvement, working more "on the business" than actually working "in it" I love manufacturing but sadly with it's demise these days it's getting harder & harder to have a go! I guess I just need to find that one unique thing that people need to have even a chance of getting back to it (I simply HATE working for a boss!) A great video, I get there would have been lots of hard work & failures to get to that point, so well done!! 👍

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks for you positive comments! What you say is 100% correct, it's so enjoyable doing the r & d. I could spend a year tuning this cobot cell, it's endless the amount of improvements that could be done. There's millions of products out there that require this type of thing they just need to be found

[@DIYToPen]

Making setups like this is a dream, so inspired

[@JackBusseyUK]

It's really really enjoyable, it's almost like playing around rather than work!

[@patrickmagee774]

Fantastic, the cow bell is the best !

[@BarsMonster]

This cowbell is cherry on the top :-)

[@davidalexander843]

I absolutely love this video. I use a tun of pneumatics and learned to code on Arduino to incorporate automation into my factory as well. A real game changer. Respect for this video. *edit* just saw the cow bell. hahahah, this guy is awesome!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Oh wow cool! I learned on arduino too it's so much fun, would love help, make some videos too!

[@famousamoso7]

Who knew paper towel tubes would be such an in demand product.

[@JNHEscapes]

Bravo sir, Bravo. 👏 I love see someone always trying to figure out a way to do something better in a world of complainers. The bell was a great touch. Would love to know how you sourced parts, the robot, the software, how you learned to program it. Just came across this one video so maybe there are more…good job!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks for the positive comment! The cobot has a touch screen controller which I learned to program it actually doing this machine, it was actually quite easy to do, trial and error with lots of small Improvements, overall it took a couple of weeks to build it.

[@ChristopherWilley1]

LOVE this automation. However, if you change the design you remove 75% of the steps and two loose parts... Instead of open sides for the pipe, close those side faces and make three U-shape cuts in each side, then bend in the "tabs" that are created. The shorter PVC would then be contained and vertically supported by the bent tabs, and wouldn't need branded end caps installed to limit side-to-side motion. Saves material also.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks! That's a great idea, maybe I'll use that for next version 👍👍💡

[@RD-kj9ms]

Great Work, love to see this sort of innovation in British manufacturing. Ignore the naysayers, I think looking at the naysayers most of us want to go back in time to the age of manual lathes. They ignore the fact that finding and employing people to do this type of work is extremely difficult. Have you tried any other brands of Cobot?

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks! I do doubt that the naysayers are washing their clothes in a local stream 😂😂😁 Yes I invested around 200k, testing lots of different brands, we now are UK and Europe distributors for this one 😎🇬🇧

[@JonWhitton]

Thanks for sharing. I will order your blue roll dispenser soon!

[@Rob_65]

"Save my people, make their job easier" - and that's how we do business ! I am going to steal your idea for the cow bell. This is the best idea to improve happiness on the work place 😁 The only thing I was wondering about was how you get the end-caps in the machine but I just noticed a piece of conduit on the wall. I am guessing this connects to a vibration sorter, similar to the one being used in the old setup.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Glad you liked it!! So the cap tube is currently filled manually, I'm working on a automated process 😁👍

[@philippberner]

Amazing. Love the cow bell too. How fast can you dial it up speed wise? Also, I’d be super interested in a video on how you programmed it. Cheers

[@JackBusseyUK]

It's pretty much at max speed in the video, I plan a programming video so people can see how easy it is

[@Carhug2012]

I LOVE THE COWBELL!!!! That is such a fun way to alert, and also incorporates strong audio controls around. So fun! What did the whole setup cost?

[@JackBusseyUK]

Really really fun! 😁 Approximately 30k

[@raw_000]

And then the next step, including batch processing into this setup :D

[@JackBusseyUK]

Next step I've not worked that out yet

[@ollie9397]

Nice work. I have one of those blue roll holders, it`s great. Obviously a pre robot model.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Very cool!

[@craigcooknf]

All of that is absolutely brilliant!!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thank you 👍👍😎

[@LuftpolsterManu]

more of these videos please. its awesome jack!

[@sunrisetacticalgear2676]

New sub. This is outstanding!! I love seeing your evolution to improving your “processes”.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thank you for your support 😁😊

[@mattjparker]

Love the automation you have done on this so interesting, next step a +Z laser engraver with a -Z laser engrave, takt time will increase by nearly 8s :)

[@JackBusseyUK]

Yes great idea

[@choppersmurf]

Fantasic innovation. Just wondering what is the return on investment on it?

[@DUIofPhysics]

Those robots are pretty decent, (Hanbot is a fun twist on the supplier's name) had some time working with the manufacturer of them 4 years back, they've improved a fair bit since then from the look of it. Really awesome setup you got there! Nice job! Little bit concerned about the laser engraver without a proper enclosure. They can definitely seriously blind you, and even damage your eyes from the reflection. I've done a fair bit of work with MOPA / Fibre lasers. They're no joke. Without enclosure they are far into a class 4 laser. I see a lot of videos not treading them with the respect needed, especially from Overseas manufacturers. You only have one set of eyes!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks for you comments! Glad to see you like it 😎😁 did you notice the 3d printed laser shield it stops any laser light getting out, do you think this is not enough?

[@geepytee]

the cowbell is hilarious!

[@CalMariner]

This is mesmerizing! Love all the custom machines. Have you considered heating and then flaring or beading the ends of the tubes? Would eliminate end caps altogether...

[@JackBusseyUK]

Yes I thought about it and actually tested it with a heat gun, I couldn't get it to look nice, so stayed with the cap design

[@CalMariner]

@@JackBusseyUK fair enough. I figured you would have, you are always optimizing. But doesn't matter how optimized things are, if they're ugly people don't buy them. Keep up the great work. Thanks for sharing!

[@GertGybels]

I allways try to explain to people who are scared of AI an example of using robotics in the industry. This is a nice easy example to show.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thank you

[@kenwgoins]

Nice! I liked how you learned a new skillset in order to upgrade and improve your production method!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks Ken! 🙏👍

[@DanielSimu]

That looks great, must be a lot of fun to work out this process! I wonder, is the robot not very slow at its task? Can you produce the same amount of tubes in a day as you were doing before? Or did you not have to run at full capacity?

[@JackBusseyUK]

It was definitely fun to work out the process and build / program it! It's speed suits our demand perfectly, if anything we can produce more than we require.

[@berendlucasvanderweide]

Very nice!! thank you for sharing. incredible upgrade. Are these fiber lasers UV? The cowbell is the nicest touch.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks for your comment 😊 the fibre laser marking machine is not UV

[@Luke-Barrett]

need more cow bell.

[@jodyqt]

Mate what an amazing production line well done did you work this all out on your own or did you have a consultant help make this?

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks! I worked this out on my own, took each step as I went, surprisingly it was quite easy to do, although took a couple of weeks

[@jodyqt]

@@JackBusseyUK​​⁠well it’s very impressive, you should feel very proud. I’m currently building a production line making expansion joints for industrial cement floors in Brazil and you really inspire me to keep pushing though the inefficiencies for solutions. thank you for the motivation 🙏💪

[@JackBusseyUK]

@@jodyqt thanks! Yes never give up and continue to improve every day!

[@Haza3137]

That’s amazing . What are you using to control the cobot ?

[@JackBusseyUK]

It comes with a control system which is super easy to program

[@Andre78923]

The cow bell is the most important part of this whole operation.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks 😎😎

[@dougaltolan3017]

I see an opportunity to streamline it's operation. A case in point is when it reverses the tube to place the second end cap. I believe that you have set a location that is the start of the apply a single end cap. That location is to the side of the capping station. If that location was directly above the capping station, the workpice would not need to traverse horizontally between application of the end caps. There appears to be a similar opportunity at the laser engraver too. Saving 10 robot hours a week?

[@JackBusseyUK]

That's a great idea I like it! I was so happy to get it working, since I've had 100 of ways to tune it, It would be easy to spend a year tuning it up. Currently it produces more than we require 😎😊

[@dougaltolan3017]

@@JackBusseyUK Thanks. Consider the savings through optimisation, its a similar calculation to each of the automation iterations. Your time vs energy and machine longevity.

[@mrlasttimer]

could this load a pod and rail CNC with timber?

[@JackBusseyUK]

It's possible, it really just depends on the reach and load capacity required, the cobot used in this project has a 10kg payload and 1000mm reach capacity

[@LtShifty]

I'm curious if you will use this robot for other tasks once it finished making the tubes, assuming it doesn't need to run 24/7. You mention a 3yr return on investment, which is pretty decent for what looks to be low volume production. If you aren't using the robot for other tasks though, and it's not running 24/7, was there any consideration to just bulk buy your tubes from china? I love seeing this sort of clever innovation, you obviously have a knack for the technology.

[@JackBusseyUK]

I really try to keep as much manufacturing in house as possible, it was a learning experience really, I'll no be able to install others around the factory too

[@ValleyViewIndustriesLtd]

Jack I am so inspired, fantastic!

[@ryanmcknight4580]

That cowbell!!!!

[@JarvisJapanLab]

wow thanks for sharing the process. What was the setup cost of this robot ?

[@JackBusseyUK]

Glad you enjoyed! Approx £25k

[@NorweldAustralia]

That’s awesome mate. Love your work

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thank you!

[@scp8412]

So awesome to see the improvements over the years. I think the tunes needs to feen themselves without the robot for cutting, would face a lot of motion.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks

[@Pabz2030]

That's awesome. Any reason you cant make the capping machine add both end caps at once?

[@JackBusseyUK]

I could but would require lots of work to achieve, so I kept it simple

[@Sean_y4k2l5]

That's so cool man, thank you for sharing! I love manufacturing. Just curious what is that arm you're using and how much do those go for?

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks! Approximately 25k

[@incognito6469]

We need more cowbell!

[@RichardFortin77]

Super Interesting ! ! !

[@hrb1081]

I love to watch it and you did really an amazing job there. But I think I would design it in a way, that you put in the pipe, and it would "fall" through all the separat machine parts, which I would aligne in a way that there is no Robot arm needed. The benefiit of the Robot would have been that you could use your "old" machinery which was fedded by hand with an robot automaticaly. For other reasons till now I never found a reason for a robot. (Till now i nowhere use a Robot :-( , all automatisation was able to run run more efficent and cheaper without.) And at least I always was afraid of the high costs and programming skills to use one The BELL is mindblowing!! Perhaps I should buy a robot just for this reason !! 😂

[@JackBusseyUK]

See this video of the previous machine I built for it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6C8c6ONaNl5jqc

[@eyesyc]

nice end effector.

[@georgestone8099]

Need more people like you in British business. So many British businesses are absolutely allergic to R&D and would rather import some randomer from the third world and pay them peanuts to do that job. It's why our productivity in this country is such dogshit. That said, I think the robot arm is overkill. Most companies wouldn't even bother with your first round of automation even!

[@JackBusseyUK]

It's sad because many businesses are not trying to improve processes, we try to improve everything to make the work easier and better quality for the customer.

[@jaidevcool]

Fantastic work!! Congratulations!!!

[@alanesq1]

I think you might want to get some safety glasses for when operating that laser engraver, or put it in an enclosure?

[@JackBusseyUK]

The new one is very good, the old machine is no longer used

[@markthorogood1825]

Why would you remove the auto engraver? Wouldn't it make more sense to integrate that into the process so that when it drops the black end after engraving, it drops it into the feed in tube for the assembly bot. This means that you could cut out the entire step of having the robot hold up the tubes to engrave?

[@JackBusseyUK]

It's one piece flow, this way it's simple and works

[@markthorogood1825]

@@JackBusseyUK sure thing - just seems about 20% less efficient than it could be.

[@GembaDocs]

Great story of lean Jack!

[@ThePirateGod]

Looks good. Just needs some smoothing for the motions.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks for the tip

[@snydrnck]

That’s great. I love the idea.

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thanks!

[@jimshtepa5423]

did you say "come through Kazakhstan"? what were you referring to?

[@JackBusseyUK]

I ordered the laser engraver from aliexpress thinking it would be sent via air, it was taking ages to arrive, when I tracked the shipment it was in Kazakhstan on a train coming to me

[@jimshtepa5423]

@@JackBusseyUKI see. It must have been due to logistics. At this point in time KZ has no capacity to manufacture any technology whatsoever

[@fimblefomble]

great video, what's the return on investment on this whole process or how long will payback be on saving 10 hours per week?

[@JackBusseyUK]

Should be a few years, but it was a valuable learning experience for me

[@MySpam-v1t]

Thats just soooooo cooooool! :)

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thank you

[@calvinlouie2707]

This is uber cool, now I want to see it run at full speed!.

[@brianmcareavey9101]

Amazing video Jack! 👏🏻

[@JackBusseyUK]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joeysteverston6636]

does the power used to create this finished product pay for it self? Seems like a lot of power to run this

[@JackBusseyUK]

Yes of course 😎👍

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Amazing! Can you tell us about the robot?

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thank you! 😊 Sure what would you like to know? Shall I make a video about it?

[@MaxMakerChannel]

@@JackBusseyUK How much are they? How are they programmed? Is there a subscription fee?

[@MaxMakerChannel]

@@JackBusseyUK Oh. I do automation too! kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3m8aqBvqZajl9ksi=6sGWP-ERo189-xle

[@JackBusseyUK]

@@MaxMakerChannel The one used in the video has 1000mm reach and 10kg load capacity. This is £23k. Programming is very simple from touch screen controller, drag and drop logic features, I self taught with no manual in a day. No subscription

[@JackBusseyUK]

@@MaxMakerChannel kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXWlY3V3frqlY9ksi=V-iVnv-k3SFl293n

[@taypac1775]

What was the cost of the robot and system? I’m all for automation and saving man hours but I’m very interested to hear how long it will take to recoup the cost of the system and turn the savings into margin? System cost - (520 hours a year X dollars per hour) etc.

[@JackBusseyUK]

£25k, if a piece of equipment will pay for itself within 3 years, then I'll do it, the bonus with this was it was a learning experience too

[@taypac1775]

@@JackBusseyUK very cool, thanks for the quick reply too! Personally, 3 years sounds like a bit of a long time but as your company grows this will be very worth it. Love to see it. Mind if I ask where you buy your robots?

[@JackBusseyUK]

@@taypac1775 we deal directly with the manufacturers and rebrand them Nukeson HanBot

[@GeeTheBuilder]

Congrats. Looks amazing But, you make good money doing this ? Obviously I guess 😄 Nice to see British ingenuity 👍

[@marcus_w0]

More Cowbell!!

[@AdrianTache]

It seems much less effective than the previous machines. You could just have a bar feeder for the cutter, and the laser engraver seems to be working great, only thing missing is attaching the bars to the caps.

[@JackBusseyUK]

I thought of many other ways to do it, I decided to use the cobot as a learning experience really 😉😊

[@CreatorWorkshop1]

I noticed in the capping part can you install the cap inserters on both sides so it would be done at once ?

[@JackBusseyUK]

It would need lots of work to make that happen so went for a simple option

[@AlexanderGoller]

Good morning What make and type of robot did you use?

[@JackBusseyUK]

Nukeson HanBot

[@MattLitkeRacing]

This is very clever. I like it!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thank you!

[@Martin.Ferrier]

the cowbell is cute, but how about automatically generating an SMS message (or email)?

[@JackBusseyUK]

Nice idea, but people are working around it so can see the alarm, thanks

[@charleshopper4638]

I got a fever... and the only prescription, is more Cowbell !!! (SNL)

[@JackBusseyUK]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@phillruby]

Love the cow bell

[@PatHaskell]

You are brilliant!!

[@JackBusseyUK]

Thank you 🙏☺️

[@philhermetic]

How many pieces of plastic pipe need to be processed before the £20,000 robot is paid for/ Seems like the earlier automation system was far faster and cheaper, and of course if the robot breaks down and needs an expensive repair, then what?

[@JackBusseyUK]

3 years pay back on investment, but it was a fantastic learning experience to

[@philhermetic]

@@JackBusseyUK i think you are far more interested in robots than paper towel dispensers!

[@JackBusseyUK]

@@philhermetic yes, we enjoyable to work with