Robotic Automation Systems Opens New Facility

Robotic Automation Systems (RAS; Waunakee Wis.) moved into a new facility in November 2021 that is three times larger than its previous location. Also located in Waunakee, the new building includes a 7500-ft² production floor and a clear-span ceiling of 31 ft, allowing it to accommodate even large three-axis robots. Construction was finished after 10 months as the project dealt with some construction delays due to challenges securing building materials.

The new building includes a 5-ton overhead crane to lift and set robots into place, and it also has a fully integrated 1600-ft² machine shop further expanding capacity. In addition Craig Tormoen, RAS president, told Plastics Technology that his company has ordered an Onyx One Gen 2 3D printer from Markforged. Capable of printing nylon with chopped carbon fiber, the Markforged printer will be used for rapid prototyping and, in some cases, production parts.

The expanded facility will not only accommodate more efficient production flow, Tormoen said, but also give RAS the ability to build even larger and more complex turnkey automation systems. That capability is in response to customer and market demand, Tormoen told PT.  “The discussions and comments seem to be the same throughout the industry with customers telling us, ‘We are not able to make product, as we have no operators to run the press,’” Tormoen said. “The struggle on the automation supplier side of the fence is to secure the required components to construct a turnkey automation cell—robots, PLCs, HMIs—with a reasonable lead time and price.”

RAS has been a systems integrator in the plastics industry since 1993. The company provides custom end-of-arm tooling; and upstream and downstream automation systems; deploying Fanuc, ABB, Wemo, and Epson robots. It works across many industries and market segments, with a focus on injection molding and blow molding.