Hardware Podcasts

DIY Automation That Actually Works: How One 80-Person Shop Cracked High-Mix Lights-Out Manufacturing, Ep #39

Lights Out · 24 Apr 2026 · 54m · Episode 39

What this episode covers

Katie Murphy, from Arcamed, an 80-person medical manufacturing company in Indiana, explains how her team built a high-mix, lights-out automation system in-house. By leveraging a state grant for collaborative robots and focusing on common features like vices, they increased spindle utilization from 50% to 80% and achieved 58 hours of unattended runtime. This DIY approach allowed them to upskill operators, such as 'Jerry,' into CNC programmers, proving that small shops can automate complex, low-volume work without expensive integrators.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Arcamed, 5th Axis, Hennig, DN Solutions, FacturMFG, Purdue MEP, Canexus
Tools
ProShop ERP

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