PMI Deploys Flexxbotics to Increase Precision Defense Manufacturing Capacity

The Problem

Increasing capacity, yields, and unattended operation

Growing demand across defense missile programs required PMI to increase production capacity while maintaining mission-critical quality and delivery requirements. 

PMI needed to increase output immediately by improving productivity and extending unattended operation rather than waiting for new plants to be built or a lengthy facility expansion project.

The Solution

Flexxbotics for automated manufacturing autonomy

“Our customers demand precision quality and Flexxbotics takes advanced automation to the next level with autonomous process control,” said Greg Wilson Jr, President of PMI.

Flexxbotics connects factory equipment, robotic automation, and inspection systems so workcells can operate with autonomy. Based on inspection results, closed-loop feedback corrections are provided to the machines in real-time for autonomous process control to maintain continuous operation while achieving tight tolerances.

By increasing per shift throughput productivity and running an additional ‘lights-out’ shift each day, PMI achieved an overall production capacity increase of 125% with a 17:1 machine-to-labor ratio.

“We especially like Flexxbotics ability to detect tool breakage and automate tool change to keep production running without downtime,” said Greg Wilson Jr, President of PMI.

With Flexxbotics, PMI achieved cellularized robotics automation cells with each robot managing multiple factory machines including Haas vertical machining centers with tool breakage sensors, Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) for in-line inspection along with deburring and cleaning blow-off stations.

• Open connectivity and interoperability between the factory machines, robotic automation, inspection systems, and other equipment.
• In-process inspection for closed-loop quality with inspection results driving engineering-authorized offset updates for adjustment corrections.
• Intelligent recovery capability with tool breakage detection and automatic tool swap without downtime or human intervention.
• Automated deburring operation to speed up production by enabling deburring to occur in parallel with CNC machining.
• Automated production tracking that includes actual production output, yields, utilization, and downtime reasons for continuous improvement initiatives.
• Intuitive Human–Machine-Interface (HMI) for simplified operation without programming.
• Solution flexibility to scale out across the factory and quickly add additional workcells.