Morris, the president of Injection Technology Corp. (Itech), and his vice president Van Durham decided to purchase ABB's 6-axis robot for their injection molding business after visiting ABB's robot in action at a seminar. The robot, nicknamed Abby, is used for producing precision plastic parts such as electric meter covers, dental appliance cases, and spools. By using the ABB robot, Itech is able to improve production efficiency and save costs.
This case study describes how Itech, a custom plastics molder, integrated an ABB IRB 4400 six‑axis robot into its production line. The robot handles spool halves from a 390‑ton injection molding machine, assembles them, and places them in an ultrasonic welding machine, improving consistency and safety.
The implementation reduced cycle time by 23 %, cut man‑hours by 45 %, and allowed Itech to increase capacity and meet rising demand. The robot delivered a return on investment in less than eight months, and Itech plans to add a second robot to serve additional molding machines.
The robot reduced cycle time by 23 % compared with the previous manual process.
The ROI was achieved in less than eight months after the robot was installed.
Man‑hours were reduced by 45 % after the robot was introduced.