The Challenge
Streamlining Bus Bar Welding & Milling Amid Skilled Labor Shortages
The customer needed to automate a multi-step process that combined welding and grinding of complex bus bar assemblies. Their key objectives were:
- Automating welding of aluminum and copper bus bar tabs
- Integrating downstream milling/grinding into the automated flow
- Managing tool changes and material transitions across operations
- Running continuously to meet high-volume production demand
They turned to MWES to design a scalable, ergonomic solution capable of unifying multiple machining processes into a single workflow.
The Solution
Ferris Wheel Welding Positioner & Gantry-Driven Milling Integration
MWES engineered a single integrated robotic cell that performs both welding and finishing operations with high throughput:
- Operator loads bus bars and tabs into an ABB 1000K Ferris wheel positioner
- Two ABB IRB2600 robots handle dual-side welding operations
- A Gudel PZ overhead gantry transfers parts to the milling station
- Milling robots grind and finish each side of the weld, including corner cleanup
- Automatic tool changes support multi-material workflows
- Sequential indexing enables uninterrupted weld‑to‑mill cycles
This turnkey cell unifies welding and milling stages into a continuous, automated process—eliminating idle time and operator constraints.
The Results
24/7 Operation, Sub‑135‑Second Cycle, and Fully Automated Workflow
The MWES system transformed bus bar production into a high-speed, low-labor operation:
- Completed weld + mill workflow in 135 seconds or less, depending on part size
- Able to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with minimal human intervention
- Reduced dependence on specialized welders and mill operators
- Optimized tool change and motion sequencing for high uptime and throughput
By combining welding, gantry transport, and milling in one automated cell, MWES delivered a high-speed, labor-efficient system capable of meeting continuous production requirements.
