Why Automate?

Because your competition is already doing it. Automation is essential to control your costs, maximize your efficiency, and maintain a competitive edge – to ensure your future. Automation has become an absolute necessity, due to a shortage of skilled personnel, rising labor costs, and the increased need to deliver higher-quality parts at reduced prices.

Adding automation to your shop will help:

  • Control your costs
  • Maximize your efficiency
  • Maintain a competitive edge

Mill Automation

AUTOMATE YOUR MILL

Lathe Automation

AUTOMATE YOUR LATHE

 Easy Automation

Why Bar Feeders & Pallet Pools are the easiest of all possible automation choices to implement

Bar Feeder

  • Easiest of all automation platforms
  • Compact, affordable design
  • Maximize spindle uptime – boost productivity
  • Bar loader design – less floorspace
  • Great first-op automation solution
  • Designed and built by Haas for Haas
  • Interfaces directly through Haas control
  • Innovative rollaway design for easy access to the spindle

Using a bar feeder on a CNC lathe is perhaps one of the oldest automation solutions for turning operations. For decades, companies have used bar feeders to keep their spindles running and free up operators to do more meaningful tasks. Loading bar stock into the machine provides an easy way to introduce more material to the cutting spindle.

Pallet Pools

  • Easiest of all automation platforms – step-and-repeat process
  • Set up multiple fixtures/operations on each pallet​
  • Onboard Haas pallet scheduler – prioritize each job/pallet independently​
  • Increase spindle uptime/decrease machine idle machine​
  • Good for both high-mix/low-volume, or low mix/high-volume work​
  • Accommodates larger/heavier parts​
  • Includes part load/unload station

Pallet Pools are the easiest of all automation platforms, because they are a step-and-repeat of what you’re already doing. Take what already exists on your UMC platter or mill table and duplicate it for the number of pallets you want to populate.

Using pallet pools for your 5-axis or 3+2 parts is the ideal automation solution. Easily combine multiple operations and access multiple sides of your part to maximize your spindle uptime. Multiply that by the number of available pallets and you can run a UMC or VMC pallet pool all night long! There are several sizes to choose from to meet your specific machining requirements.

Have multiple jobs of equal importance? No problem! Simply divide the number of pallets in the pallet pool by the number of jobs you have to run, and allocate different pallets to different jobs. The onboard Haas pallet scheduler allows you to prioritize each job according to urgency. You can skip a job if don’t need more parts, temporarily set a job aside while you’re waiting for a first article, or even squeeze in an unexpected rush job. Once your pallet pool is fully loaded, the result is more spindle uptime, less downtime due to setup/teardown, and greater overall productivity by tapping into the 24 hours available every day.

Automation in Action

DK Custom Products – ST-20Y + Haas Bar Feeder

DK Custom Products was founded by Devin and Kevin – the D and K in DK – to provide “better than OEM” Harely Davidson parts for owners who drive their motorcycles long distances. After initially hand-fabricating parts, they invested in  a Haas TM-2P to begin machining parts from billet. As production volumes grew, they added a Haas ST-20Y with Haas Bar Feeder to machine cylindrical parts with milled secondary features complete. Most recently, they added a VF-2SS to handle high-volume parts previously milled on the TM-2P.  

 

Phillips Precision – EC-400 + Pallet Pool

“We are primarily a job shop, but we also have our own product line, which makes us somewhat special. We had a customer that had a high demand for parts, so we purchased an EC-400. I saw the 6+1 Pallet Pool that was available, and it was a no brainer. The machine ran non-stop, with no hiccups. We had all 7 pallets loaded up at night when our workers would go home for the day, and it would run all night. Our Pallet Pool got us ahead of schedule, and let us take on more work. Our EC-400 has probably saved about 25% on our runtime. We have 15,000-rpm, faster feeds and speeds, much faster tool changes, finishes are great, accuracy is very good, and repeatability is no problem.” 

– Steve Phillips, President

Clippard Instrument Lab – UMC-500 + Pallet Pool

Clippard Instrument Lab of Cincinnati, Ohio, recently received a Haas UMC-500 with a Pallet Pool, so their single-shift shop could run the machine unattended overnight. Operations Manager Robin Rutschilling explains how the 16-station pallet pool allowed them to reduce handling times, as well as increase productivity.

TOOHIGHPSI – VF-2SSYT + Pallet Pool

Recently, we visited TooHighPSI, and talked with Mike Sitar Jr. about the high-performance parts they’re making, and how Haas machines and tooling fit into their manufacturing program. Their VF-2SSYT with 3+1 pallet pool has allowed them to increase production, and run longer-cycle parts overnight.

 Affordable Automation

Why Automatic Parts Loaders are the lowest possible price for automation​

  • Load/unload individual parts
  • Increase overall productivity
  • Built-in Haas control templates simplify set up & programming
  • Use to run multiples of the same part 
  • Typically used for mid to large lot sizes 

Haas Automatic Part Loaders (APLs) are the most affordable automation platform. These simple, compact designs are built completely in-house, which means we’ve obtained the lowest possible cost of manufacturing, so you can benefit from the best overall value in an automation choice. For automatic loading and unloading of smaller 3-axis, 5-axis, or 3+2 machined parts, the APL is a great fit!

On a lathe, the APL is perfect when bar stock is too large in diameter to bar feed, or you have parts that need to be individually loaded into the spindle. The APL can typically double the size of parts you can handle from 3-inch (75 mm) diameter to 6-inch (150 mm) diameter. If you have lots of parts that have had outside processing such as heat-treating or plating, the APL can make easy work of loading and unloading those parts for you.

Automation in Action

Micro-Cut Engineering - VF-2SS + Automatic Parts Loader

Customer Spotlight

See how Micro-Cut Engineering automated their processes, and were running parts the first night of setting up their APL!

Micro-Cut Engineering decided to purchase a VF-2SS with an APL to machine their parts unattended. Previously, all parts were hand loaded one-by-one into a vise. Purchasing the Haas APL is their first step to a simple transition toward lights-out, unattended machining. Company president Andrew Starrenburg explains how simple the install and set up were, allowing him to run parts unattended the first night!

“Once the machine was installed by our local HFO, the machine was up and running within an hour or two.” 
– Andrew Starrenburg, President, Micro-Cut Engineering

Holzman Machine - UMC-500 + Automatic Parts Loader

Customer Spotlight

Holzman Machine, LLC found its niche in machining complex 5-axis parts for aerospace with Haas UMC 5-axis machining centers. Recently, they took 5-axis machining to the next level by adding a UMC-500 integrated with an Automatic Parts Loader to run stainless steel parts lights-out and on weekends. Their next step in increasing productivity was to add a Haas ST-20Y Y-axis lathe with live-tooling to machine cylindrical parts having critical slots and a window in a single setup.

American Torch Tip Co. – ST-20Y + Automatic Parts Loader

Customer Spotlight

See how American Torch Tip is using automation to increase productivity, and give them a competitive edge.

Recently, American Torch Tip installed a turning cell with three Haas ST-20Y CNC lathes with sub-spindles, each set up with automation for lights out production. Two of the Haas ST-20Y CNC lathes are loaded by Haas Automatic Parts Loaders, while the third is loaded by a Haas Robot Package. Learn how this installation is helping a leading manufacturer of torches gain a competitive edge post-pandemic.

“We finally bought one . . . [Robot Package] and that was nice, because it was all plug-and-play.”  – Jack Walters, President, American Torch Tip Co.

TMF Center - VF-2 + Automatic Parts Loader

Customer Spotlight

TMF Center is a technology-based manufacturing company based in rural, west-central Indiana. TMF Center produces component parts for manufacturers of off-highway construction equipment, the mining industry, and heavy-duty trucking. Adding Haas machines with automation has helped them increase productivity. 

 Versatile Automation

Why Robots & Cobots offer the most flexibility in implementation and part handling.

  • Compact footprint​
  • Automatic loading and unloading of part​s
  • Most versatile; flexibility to have different pick-up/drop-off locations​
  • Part-flipping station available to gain access to your final operation​
  • Interface directly through the Haas control; no need for third-party integrator​
  • Use to run multiples of the same part
  • Choose from single-station or dual-station grippers​
  • Control templates simplify set up & programming

Robots and cobots offer the greatest degree of flexibility in an automation system, because you can have different pick-up and drop-off locations, and can also incorporate a part-flipping station to combine multiple operations. Both platforms interface directly through the Haas control, eliminating the need for a third-party integrator, which means the overall package is less complex, less expensive, and more predictable in behavior.

Both robots and cobots allow automatic loading and unloading of parts into and out of your mill or lathe for unattended operation, which is the biggest contributor of time savings in any automation solution.

Automation in Action

AMI Machining – VF-2SS + Robot

Customer Spotlight

AMI Machining incorporated their first robot with the VF-2SS in their job shop, which allowed their operators to train more employees and run more machines.

“While the robot is running, I am able to do other setups. I am to run jobs. I am able to help anyone else that needs my help. Because the robot is making parts while I go to lunch or in the back, I am able to do other things that I wouldn't be able to if the robot wasn’t helping." 
– Esteban Rodriguez, Lead CNC Machinist, AMI Machining

American Torch Tip Co. – ST-20Y + Robot

Customer Spotlight

See how American Torch Tip is using automation to increase productivity, and give them a competitive edge.

Recently, American Torch Tip installed a turning cell with three Haas ST-20Y CNC lathes with sub-spindles, each set up with automation for lights-out production. Two of the Haas ST-20Ys are loaded by Haas Automatic Parts Loaders, while the third is loaded by a Haas Robot Package. Learn how this installation is helping a leading manufacturer of torches gain a competitive edge, post-pandemic.

“We finally bought one . . . [Robot Package] and that was nice, because it was all plug-and-play.”  – Jack Walters, President, American Torch Tip Co.

WESTERN SAW – ST-30 + 25 KG ROBOT PACKAGE

Customer Spotlight

This Haas 25 kg Robot Package at Western Saw in Oxnard, CA, uses a unique magnetic gripper to load and unload parts from a Haas ST-30. Watch as the 25 kg robot easily handles these large, steel cylindrical parts. 

PRIMARY MACHINE AND REPAIR – VF-2SSYT + Robot 

Customer Spotlight

“The Haas Robot Package has allowed us to triple our production. Before we purchased the Robot Package-1, we were looking to hire a person for the night shift, and now that we have the Robot Package, we are able to run our machine lights-out, and still keep our overhead relatively low.”

– Cherish Vining, Owner

MASTEQ – VF-2SS + Robot

Customer Spotlight

See how Masteq Tool & Engineering optimized their Haas robot setup with multiple vises and a custom part drop-off point.

“Haas provides an unparalleled value in the market today. The technology, performance, and reliability are why, when we’re in the market for new machines, we always start with Haas!” 

– Mark B. Anderson, Owner - Masteq Tool & Engineering, LLC and Masteq Manufacturing, LLC.

Still have questions? Just ask. We’ll get right back to you.

Be as specific as you like, so we can help you find the best automation for your shop.