Case study · Precision CNC machining · Fanuc · May 28, 2026
CNC subcontractor runs lights-out across 14 part families
A precision machining subcontractor replaced a rack of dedicated jaws with one Servo-Flex Flexi 150, eliminating changeovers and unlocking unattended night shifts.
The challenge
A precision machining subcontractor ran a robotic CNC cell across 14 part families of varying diameters. Each family needed its own jaws. The result: nine different gripper setups, frequent changeovers, and a cell that couldn't be trusted to run unattended because a mis-set jaw could drop a part overnight.
The change
The team replaced the existing tooling with a single 3-jaw Flexi 150. Its 6–100 mm self-centering grip covered every part family in the catalogue with one configuration, and its mechanical clamp held parts safely even if the cell lost power.
The results
- Changeover time fell by 90%. Switching part families became a program selection, not a jaw swap.
- Gripper references went from 9 to 1. Inventory, documentation and operator training simplified dramatically.
- Production rose 12% on the same robot and machine, driven almost entirely by recovered uptime.
- Night shifts went lights-out. With a mechanical hold and no air supply to fail, the cell now runs unattended.
Why it worked
The bottleneck was never the robot or the machine — it was the gripping strategy. Removing jaw changes turned lost setup time into billable spindle hours, and simplifying the tooling made the whole cell easier to run and to trust.
Want to model this for your own cell? Book a demo or try the ROI calculator.