By reducing the cycle time, you are

By reducing the cycle time, you are basically saving time and money for your operation. The end effector can also be used for other operations. In fact, if a given product is not produced anymore, you can relocate the gripper and use it in another application. Also, consider buying one device that can fit most of your parts instead of buying several custom devices that need to be stored and maintained somewhere else in the plant.''You need machining centers that can leverage the full capabilities of a flexible manufacturing system by minimizing every instance of out-of-cut time, while offering the flexibility necessary to produce a diversity of part materials and features.'' -Doug Conrad, owner of Metal TechnologiesAlthough, since I use robotic grippers as an example, it may seem like I am speaking about the advantages of our own products, yet flexibility really is the next big thing in manufacturing. The goal is basically to save time and money. Even if the outlay of investment initially seems to be a bit higher, the payback will certainly be worth it. Even though we mostly discussed grippers in this article, there are plenty of other examples that can probably fit your application. So, when you shop for your next production device keep in mind that flexibility might be the right tool to make you step it up!