【191】Industry 4.0 Upgrade: Fengchuang‘s Robotic Arms Boost Automotive Parts Yield from 91% to 99%

【191】Industry 4.0 Upgrade: Fengchuang‘s Robotic Arms Boost Automotive Parts Yield from 91% to 99%

Keywords: Industry 4.0 Robotic Arm Automation Fengchuang Plastics

Lao Li is a quality manager at an automotive parts company in Wuhan. One of their interior trim parts had been stuck at a 91% yield for over half a year. The problems were concentrated in two areas: part deformation during removal, and uneven gate trimming. Together, these two issues accounted for 60% of all defects.

Lao Li tried many approaches: changing materials, adjusting process parameters, retraining workers. The yield improved only marginally, to 92.5%, and then flatlined. The company brought in a German injection molding expert to diagnose the line. After a full day of observation, the expert said, “Your process parameters are fine. Your mold is fine. The problem is human. Humans cannot perform the same motion every single time — that’s a law of physics.”

The expert’s recommendation was to automate: use robotic arms for part removal and gate trimming. Lao Li ran the numbers. Converting one line to automation would cost over half a million RMB. The boss thought it was too expensive and told Lao Li to find another way. Lao Li racked his brain for two weeks and came up empty. Then he came across a presentation by Fengchuang Plastics on an industry forum, titled “How Robotic Arms Improve Injection Molding Yield.” Lao Li contacted Fengchuang and asked if they could take over the product.

Fengchuang took Lao Li’s part for analysis and delivered a complete automation solution: After the part is molded, a robotic arm uses a contour‑matching suction cup to remove it. The suction cup is designed to match the product’s curved surface, distributing holding force evenly across the part — no deformation. Then the robotic arm transfers the part directly to a trimming station, where pneumatic cutters precisely trim the gate, leaving a clean, smooth edge. The entire process — from removal to finished trim — takes just four seconds.

Lao Li moved the order to Fengchuang. The first batch of 20,000 units was completed with a yield of 99.2%. When Lao Li saw the data, he stared in silence for a long time. Then he called Fengchuang and asked, “How did you do it?” The reply was simple: “What people used to do, machines now do. Machines don’t make mistakes.”

Production volume for this interior trim part has since doubled, and Lao Li no longer worries about yield. He says, “Industry 4.0 isn’t just a concept. It’s something that actually helps us make money.”

Automotive parts yield stuck at 91%? Fengchuang’s Industry 4.0 automated lines and robotic arms help you break through to 99%.