February 2007 Edition

EDM/PLASMA/WATERJET

Robot Adds Horsepower to Motorcycle Aftermarket Shop

Milwaukee Iron met success on the Discovery Channel, but its real achievement was the discovery of increased productivity with a robotic cutter and welder.

When 17-year-old Randy Simpson first tinkered with an old Harley-Davidson Panhead in the Virginia backcountry town of Lynchburg, he never imagined the hobby would elevate him to celebrity status with his own television series 30 years later.

The customized motorcycle, Karn Evil, sports a finished fender made by Milwaukee Iron

Simpson’s fame and popularity didn’t come overnight; it grew over the years as did demand for his custom motorcycle parts produced by hand in his hometown shop, Milwaukee Iron.

As fame and demand grew, Milwaukee Iron’s dozen employees needed help in speeding production, without increasing labor costs.

Simpson turned to the Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland. Lincoln’s solution was a small robot capable of welding and cutting custom fenders in a fraction of the time his employees could.

Productivity jumped 300 percent after Simpson installed the robot.

“We’re using the robot more and more every day,” he said. “We just keep finding new ways to apply it.”

Milwaukee Iron took its name from the nickname for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, referring the brand’s Wisconsin factory. Since 1975, Simpson has built and rebuilt Harley-Davidsons, establishing a reputation in and around Lynchburg for off-the-wall custom designs.

Rock ’n’ Roll Dreams Come True

Milwaukee Iron rode into the national spotlight in1991, when Simpson debuted a motorcycle at a national motorcycle show in Daytona, FL, inspired by a Lynyrd Skynyrd album. To the surprise of many, including Simpson, the motorcycle took first place.

In the years that followed, Simpson pioneered a retail line of steel fenders for Harley enthusiasts. They could customize their motorcycles with Simpson’s aftermarket parts. A new idea at the time, the line proved a success.

Together with fabricators Gary Woodford and Lee Stamper, Simpson’s show motorcycles turned heads a decade later at the Discovery Channel cable television network. Producers noticed Simpson’s design flair and approached him about a television documentary based on his shop. Simpson agreed, and a two-hour pilot aired early in 2004. Milwaukee Iron received word a few months later that the show, Southern Steel, was a hit, and the film crew would return for a full season of shooting.

While the television show focused on the shop’s custom motorcycles, behind the scenes, employees at Milwaukee Iron concentrated on manufacturing their aftermarket parts. This included fenders and dashboards available through local dealers as well as at the Milwaukee Iron web site.

Until 1997, employees at Milwaukee Iron cut and welded fender blanks by hand. With irregular shapes and necessary attention to detail, each unit took about 15 minutes. However, demand rose beyond the team’s capacity.

Too Much of a Good Thing

As could be expected when demand exceeds capacity, human error increased and quality sometimes fell short of Milwaukee Iron’s standards. Mistakes were reworked, filed down, or sometimes scrapped. The process wasted time and money. Implementing a Lincoln Electric robotic system solved the quality problems and improved productivity.

Now automated, Milwaukee Iron cuts thousands of error-free fenders. Cutting each fender takes about two minutes, without the need for corrections. The time savings, consistency, and improved quality paid for the system in months, Simpson said.

After being cut, the fender is then sanded or ground with power tools as required

“We got to a point where it didn’t make sense not to automate the process,” he said. “It’s better than I imagined.”

Woodford, Milwaukee Iron’s chief fabricator, agreed.

“I love working with the robot,” he said. “Every shop should have one.”

Included with the robotic arm installation was a three- to five-day training course, the focus of which was learning and programming the system. Lincoln also included a 24-hour, toll-free support line staffed with technical specialists.

Greg McQuaid, the Lincoln sales representative who services Milwaukee Iron, said automated welding and cutting technology is now easier, more accessible, and more affordable.

“This is something any shop that makes a series of repetitive cuts or welds should consider,” McQuaid said. “Even the smallest businesses are surprised to learn just how cost-effective this technology is. It pays for itself, over and over.”

The robot at Milwaukee Iron – a predecessor to Lincoln’s latest offering, the eCell – primarily cuts fenders and other parts. It uses a Lincoln Pro-Cut 55 plasma cutter for steel, seven to 14 gauge and 5/16" thick and four to 17" wide. The plasma cutter sometimes changes out with a Lincoln Invertec STT MIG welder for welding other parts.

For TIG welding, the shop uses a Lincoln Precision TIG 275, typically on 14-gauge steel with 100 percent argon gas. Milwaukee Iron uses a 3/32" tungsten electrode and AWS ER70S-3 filler metal. Edge prepping is typically sheared or plasma cut, then sanded or ground with power tools as required.

When MIG welding with the robot, the shop often uses Lincoln’s Power MIG 255 with 0.03" diameter Lincoln SuperArc L-56 AWS ER70S-6 wire. They use a 75/25 argon/CO2 shielding gas mix and finish the edges with power tools.

“Fit up is extremely tight and is rarely an issue,” Simpson said, “because the robot is used in conjunction with the plasma cutter.”

In Memory Yet Green

Because the shop produces many different parts, the robot has been programmed with memory presets to cut and fabricate each style. Simpson likens it to choosing a station on a car radio. When a specific operation is needed, an operator recalls the preset program and work begins.

Milwaukee Iron’s automated plasma cutter, a Lincoln Electric Pro-Cut 55, increased productivity by 300 percent and helped the small shop keep up with the increased demand for its custom motorcycle products

Lincoln’s eCell, the company’s newest small robot, is a dual fixed-table cell that provides flexible automation for consistent and predictable production of small parts and high-production volumes. It uses a Fanuc Arcmate 100iBe robot and performs plasma cutting, short arc and spray MIG, Synergic MIG, MIG Pulse welding, or flux-cored arc welding on parts that can be welded without reorientation. It can be used on a variety of materials, including steel, stainless steel, and aluminum.

What started in a 1975 high school welding class sparked an industry phenomenon of home custom builders and a small-town shop that has helped shape the design of motorcycles nationwide.

With the success of Southern Steel on The Discovery Channel and ongoing paid appearances, sales at Milwaukee Iron are expected to continue growing. Simpson plans to add a second Lincoln robotic welder, which he said will TIG weld other custom parts. He estimates the added automation will increase productivity by 85 to 100 percent for those operations.

“Don’t think you can’t afford a robot in a small shop,” he said. “After you’ve done it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.

“Eventually, I’d like to see tractor trailers rolling down the highway with our logo on the side, carrying our products to distributors all over the country.”

Lincoln Electric www.rsleads.com/702mn-205

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