Robot Donation to Kishwaukee College by Erika Meiners
Twelve years ago, in an attempt to reduce labor needs and automate our process, Crest Foods pur- chased our first robot to stack product on the end of three pro- duction lines at the West Produc- tion Facility. It served its purpose well for many years, but due to the change in
products run at that facility, we decided it was time to retire the recently abandoned robot and upgrade our system to meet our current needs. Unfortunately, the going rate for a twelve year old million dollar robot isn’t much these days, which left it destined for the scrap yard. Instead, it was able to serve another purpose as we decided to donate it to Kishwaukee Community College’s Electronics Department. While Kish’s four year search for a robot had come to an end, they quickly had to come up with a creative game- plan because they had nowhere to put a 16 foot tall robot! Electronics Instructor Charles Raimondi, worked out a trade-in deal to obtain a brand new (and much smaller!) Fanuc LRMate 200ID-30iB for their classroom. The new Fanuc robot enables them to develop Industrial Robots courses and expand the skills taught in the Career Technol- ogy Division, which is something students and local businesses ask for frequently. Students will learn to integrate OSHA Robotics Safety requirements, program the robot to perform tasks, and install various inputs and outputs to work in conjunction with the robot. This deal works out great for both parties involved. Kish gets to upgrade their Electronics classrooms, and Crest Foods continues a partnership with them while we continue to look for and employ students with these skillsets. Safety Glasses Policy Late this August Crest Foods officially implemented a safety glasses policy. Safety glasses and side shields were distributed to all employees working in areas requiring hairnets and earplugs. This policy has been implemented because the list of tasks requiring safety glasses continues to grow, and instead of trying to remember when and where they are needed, it made sense to just wear them at all times. The requirement of safety glasses is a common industry standard and just one more way we can provide a safe and healthy work environment at Crest Foods. Thanks to everyone for their cooperation and to Jeff Capes, Cass Askegaard and Dylan Hanabarger for modeling.
October, November & December 2018 Crest Ink 15
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