A high-precision Cambridgeshire engineering firm has invested £2m in robot technology as it looks to win back business from overseas manufacturers.
Cambridge Precision, which employs 80 people at its St Neots manufacturing HQ, says the cobots are already helping to boost productivity and improve working conditions for its engineers.
Cambridge Precision has invested £2m in robotic technology, including the two cobots, which have been named Rodney and Derek. Image courtesy of Cambridge Precision.
The firm, which was founded in 1994 and designs and manufactures small-scale critical components for global clients in pioneering sectors such as med-tech, imaging, security and life science, has integrated a pair of cutting-edge Doosan cobots from distributor Mills CNC to create an automated manufacturing cell.
The new cobots remove the repetitive tasks involved in the high-precision production process, enabling Cambridge Precision’s team of skilled engineers to focus on the more complex elements of manufacturing and assembly.
“Our investment in the two cobots, which our staff have named Rodney and Derek, has certainly increased productivity,” said Cambridge Precision operations manager, Nick Raven. “The predictable manual tasks can now be performed 24/7 by the cobots, with as many repetitions as necessary to get the job done, while employees who would have had to carry out those fairly supervisory processes can be getting on with much more interesting and creative work that’s outside the remit of cobots.”
He added: “Technology is integral to the state-of-the-art manufacturing environment we’ve created here at St Neots and plays an integral part in the milling, turning and quality checking of the components we manufacture.
“The new cobots are the next step in our ongoing investment in technology that enables Cambridge Precision to work alongside those innovators that are developing critical technologies. That focus is also helping us to win back business to the UK that had previously been lost to overseas manufacturers, by providing expertly engineered, quality products that are swiftly produced and competitively priced.”
Cambridge Precision designs and produces specialist components for clients in a range of high-tech industries, from med-tech to forensic imaging, producing components for the likes of airport security machines and robotic surgery. It supports its clients from concept development and manufacturing of prototypes through to large-scale machining production.
For more information, visit www.cambridgeprecision.com
Interested in innovation? This year’s Smart Factory Expo, including the Made Smarter Innovation Alley and Emerging Tech Pavilion, part of Digital Manufacturing Week 2021, takes place 10-11 November at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool and is free to attend for manufacturers.
