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Founded in 1974 by brothers Jim and Dale Lawrence, Virginia-based Lawrence Brothers Inc. is a heavy metal fabricator specializing in battery trays. While it has grown and diversified to include the manufacturing of motive power trays, ground support systems and transformer components, such as core frames and electrical control panels, it was experiencing a workforce shortage due to the limited labor pool.

The company operates in a small area where many young people want to leave, and the opioid crisis further reduces the available workforce. This made it difficult to find and retain employees for demanding manual labor tasks.

The manual grinding process for the motive battery trays in particular required the use of heavy (7-10 lb.) grinders all day, which led to significant physical strain and at times injuries for employees, particularly affecting their hands and backs. This also contributed to high turnover in these positions.

Manual grinding also resulted in varying quality, depending on the individual worker's level of training and the time of day, with fatigue affecting later hours. A significant number of manufactured trays (8-10 per day) required rework due to inconsistencies in the manual grinding process, impacting the bottom line. The company was also spending a considerable amount on grinding discs for the manual process.

Lawrence Brothers considered several solutions, including:

• Improved manual grinding techniques and tooling-However, time and cost to train was not sustainable considering the high turnover rate in these positions.
• Semi-automated grinding equipment-This would alleviate some of the ergonomic strain, but would not be worth the capital investment.
• Outsourcing the grinding operation-This would present quality control challenges and increased costs.
• Acquiring traditional automation/grinding robot-Not only does this require significant capital investment, but it would need to be reprogrammed manually for every SKU, which was not feasible for this high-mix operation. Robotic programmers are also hard to find in the area.

Lawrence Brothers ultimately selected and implemented the Scan&Grind robotic grinding solution from GrayMatter Robotics to address its manufacturing challenges.

Scan&Grind is an AI-powered robotic system designed for high-precision material removal and surface finishing. This advanced solution utilizes artificial intelligence to scan and understand the geometry of each part, automatically generating the optimal grinding path. This eliminates the need for complex programming and allows the robot to adapt to variations in parts, ensuring consistent and high-quality results across different motive power trays. The system is designed to replace manual grinding, thereby reducing operator fatigue and the risk of injuries, while simultaneously increasing efficiency and productivity.

Lawrence Brothers' Scan&Grind robotic grinding solution was deployed right on the shop floor. GrayMatter Robotics worked with Lawrence Brothers to design a custom configuration of the smart robotic cell that maximized efficiency while minimizing the physical requirements from operators. The final design consisted of a single robot arm and eight tracks for the operator to load the unfinished parts onto. Once the unfinished parts are loaded up, the operator is able to slide them in and press the button to scan and grind the parts automatically-zero programming required.

Production rate increased by approximately 38% after implementing the robot-achieving the target of 160 trays per 20-hour period from week one.

The robotic grinding solution also addressed the identified challenges:

• The solution allowed the existing workforce to be utilized more efficiently and in less physically demanding roles.
• The robot provides improved consistency due to the AI scanning technology, ensuring the same process every time.
• Rework related to grinding has decreased from 8-10 trays per day to 8-10 every couple of months.
• Training time for the robotic grinding operation has been reduced to less than a day.
• Despite a higher cost per grinding disc, the overall consumable usage is down by almost half, leading to substantial cost savings.

GMR-AI, the physical AI powering the robotic grinding solution, automatically identifies and adapts to different tray designs, reducing part-to-part switchover to under 5 minutes. After acquiring the robot, there was a significant increase in overall production (38%). They are now able to produce 80 parts per shift.

GMR-AI leverages advanced physics-informed AI to bring a higher level of precision and reliability to autonomous operations in high-mix, high-variability manufacturing.

"Unlike traditional AI, which relies on large datasets, physics-informed AI incorporates established physics models to guarantee safety and fill in gaps where data is scarce," said a GrayMatter Robotics spokesperson. "This unique approach accelerates learning, ensuring that robots operate accurately, safely and consistently in high-mix manufacturing. By combining real-world physics constraints with data-driven adjustments, GMR-AI enables smart robotic cells to deliver predictable, high-quality results, even under new and complex conditions."

Additional features and benefits of GrayMatter Robotics solutions include:

• GMR-ProcessPro is an advanced process optimization solution designed to maximize the efficiency and performance of robotic cells across a wide range of materials.

"Traditionally, process development is done internally, requiring significant resources and expertise," said the spokesperson. "GMR-ProcessPro takes this burden off the teams by providing tailored algorithms, innovative consumables and expert consultation from GrayMatter Robotics' team of process physicists. This results in faster cycle times, minimized consumable usage and consistent quality. Focused on quality and speed, GMR-ProcessPro enables manufacturers to achieve premium-quality results with unprecedented efficiency, enhancing productivity while reducing costs-without sacrificing quality. Its versatility across materials ensures manufacturers can optimize robotic operations and achieve high-quality outcomes quickly."

• GMR-Guardian offers proactive monitoring to help ensure the safety and reliability of smart robotic cells. Equipped with advanced AI-driven Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) capabilities, it detects and addresses potential issues before they escalate into expensive failures or downtime, delivering greater than 95% system availability. By issuing real-time alerts and enabling rapid recovery from contingency situations, GMR-Guardian minimizes disruptions, enhances operator safety and maximizes productivity.
• GMR-Insights delivers advanced analytics capabilities to help manufacturers fully leverage the potential of their smart robotic systems. By analyzing data generated by robotic cells, it provides detailed visibility into system performance and utilization. These insights enable manufacturers to take a holistic view of their operations, including upstream and downstream processes, and identify opportunities for optimization. From diagnosing upstream quality issues to improving downstream workflows, GMR-Insights empowers manufacturers to make data-driven decisions that enhance efficiency, maximize production and help ensure consistent quality across the entire operation.
• GMR-UX is an intuitive, user-friendly interface that empowers shop floor operators to confidently manage robotic cells within hours of training. By simplifying operation and removing the need for specialized robotics expertise, GMR-UX makes advanced technology accessible to the existing workforce, opening up new opportunities for workforce utilization and optimization. This approach not only enhances operator safety, but also allows manufacturers to upskill employees and focus on maximizing production efficiency-all through a system designed for ease of use and seamless adoption.

For more information contact:

Lawrence Brothers Inc.

203 Lawrence Road

Bluefield, VA 24605

877-322-4988

lbi@lbiweb.com

GrayMatter Robotics

2226 East 223rd St.

Carson, CA 90810

310-283-2335

info@graymatter-robotics.com