Diverse Needs

The partnership with Nord has served them well. As noted earlier, MESH enjoys a diverse customer base, with no industry segment exceeding 25 percent of its business. “We don't want just one industry feeding us,” London explained. “Despite their differing needs, however, we're able to cost-effectively deliver automated systems to each of these industries due to our use of pre-engineered platforms, which we can easily modify for specific applications. No two are identical, although we do use terms around here like 'half identical’ and ‘three-quarters identical’ to describe the level of customization needed to meet customer requirements.” Nord helps in this respect as well. For instance, MESH technicians can quickly change the gear ratio on any motor, a normally onerous chore made possible by Nord's modular, interchangeable components. This flexibility allows them to easily adjust the speed and torque to match the application without having to stock additional components. And when a special order is called for, noted London, “They've pretty much had whatever we need in stock or available within a couple of weeks.” Whatever the customization level, these platforms often fall under the “MAC” family of automation cells—the MACTend for machine tending, the MACPac for packaging tasks, the MACGrind for finishing small- to medium-sized parts, and so on. Together with its assortment of process-specific “bolt-on” modules, each offers a starting point for MESH engineers to design what are effectively custom solutions but without the associated price point. Prove It Among the many customer success stories posted on the company website is a manufacturer of carpet tiles, which needed to feed "master" tiles to a press that cuts them into smaller pieces, a step known as "planking." Here, MESH delivered a cell containing a pair of vision-equipped robots and custom end-of-arm tooling able to replicate the delicate but ergonomically taxing motions of a human operator. In another, a company that constructs hurricane-proof sheds wanted an automated way to screw the wall and roof panels to the wooden frame. In the past, this operation proved both labor-intensive and error prone. Yet MESH designed a system with two robots, each armed with a screw gun to fasten the panels, following pre-programmed paths and working around window and door openings while ensuring consistent attachment quality.

And a company supplying machined components to its automotive customer desired to augment its human workforce by going “lights out” for three days at a time. This endeavor wouldn't be notable except for the fact that two different castings were used to produce six different part numbers, which meant that the system had to be "smart" enough to identify each workpiece before loading it into the CNC lathe. MESH accommodated this requirement by integrating a vision inspection system into the cell, reading each casting number and tracking it both during and after machining. Each of these solutions and many others share a common theme: the need for dependable conveyors to move products, parts, and materials into and out of the cell. Without them, nothing happens, which is why the company continues to rely on Nord products, despite their being a bit more expensive than those of the previous supplier. “We buy around seventy Nord gearmotors each year and are actually paying slightly more than we did before, but the partnership we've built is well worth the extra money,” London said. “We’re not one to beat someone up on price and then run away when there's an issue—instead, we place great value on suppliers who offer a fair price and stand behind their products. That’s what Nord does.”