My colleague asked what our UR5e unloading idea costs and I gave her the arm and gripper price. She asked again, more slowly. Fair enough. The blocks come in mixed trays, someone must prepare them, and I had left my fixture work and everyone else's trial time out of the answer.
I'd like a small comparison we can both judge, rather than asking her to approve an entire cell on the promise that I'll make the awkward parts work. Would two representative block variants be a sensible first boundary?
Two can be sensible if you explain why those two. Choose a common variant and one that exposes the awkward handling or changeover. Set the trial question and spending limit with your colleague first.
One common shallow block and a taller one which tips in our loose tray. The question is whether unloading saves enough work after preparation and changeover are included.
Try the proposed presentation fixture manually first. A simple divider change might help the existing job even if the robot trial loses. Get a price for that comparison before making the arm purchase the entry fee.
Sofia, ours is needed for another order between trials, so it really does have to clear. Isabel, we can price a manual divider comparison without committing to the robot.
Nathan, our toolmaker is estimating it with my drawing time listed separately. Liam, production planner is costing cover; I had assumed I would squeeze it in, which isn't a reliable budget.
Have the operator handle those two variants in the proposed divider layout before you finalise it. They may spot an irritating reach or a fiddly reload long before you have anything worth timing.
We tried a bench mock-up. Operator wants the tall blocks nearer the front, which changes the proposed arrangement. Toolmaker is revising the estimate; no powered trial yet.
Write down what would justify the next stage while you still agree about the question. Include preparation and reset time, successful handling and the operator's experience, not just the best cycle.
Both signatures required for an extension. Thanks, Liam and Nathan. We have the comparison scope agreed, but the revised fixture and cover costs still need to come back before we approve running it.