Case Study: Thiele achieves unmanned nightshift production with Universal Robots UR5 cobots

Robot Takes The Nightshift In 10-Man Company

Thiele, a small German metal and machining production company, wanted to expand its small-series manufacturing without hiring extra workers. Regular automation options were seen as too expensive, too complex, and too hard to integrate, so the company needed an affordable, easy-to-use, and mobile solution. Universal Robots’ UR5 cobot was chosen to help address this challenge.

Universal Robots implemented a customized UR5 solution with an intuitive graphical interface and special catchers, enabling Thiele to automate CNC machine tending and run unmanned night shifts. The robot handles opening gates, loading raw material, fixing parts in the vice, unloading finished pieces, and placing them aside, all without human interaction. The solution was developed and integrated in just four weeks, cost about one-third of similar alternatives, and was expected to pay for itself in 7–10 months.

Thiele