Case Study - 2026 - Robotic Cells With 1.5-year ROI Increase Production by 25% without Addition of Operators

IE Case Study 161 

01/02/2026

Customer:  Mathews Archery , Sparta, Wisconsin 

 Issue:  Rising demand  - How to cater to it profitably?

Solution:   Machine-tending automated cells 

Provider: CNC Solutions

Results: 25% increase in production, 50% less scrap 

Return on Investment: 1.5 years per cell 

As demand for bows grew, Mathews’ production lines faced mounting challenges. Manual machine tending struggled to keep pace with rising orders, and ongoing labor shortages added pressure to the 375-employee company. Mathews needed a solution to increase capacity without overburdening employees. They work five days a week, 24 hours a day, and sometimes on Saturdays. A system that could run unattended on weekend days is required.  

CNC Solutions engineered two new automated machining cells for Mathews’ riser production.

First Automated Cell 

The FANUC robotic arm lifts a raw bow riser forging from the conveyor for machining.  It was designed for flexibility, it can process multiple riser models and adapt to frequent design updates without slowing production. The first cell focused on Operation 20, where rough-machined risers are finished. Engineers integrated a FANUC M-20iD/12L robot mounted on a 7th-axis rail to service five Haas UMC-1000SS machines. There is flexibility to run machines manually when needed. A robot-guided vision system simplified raw-part loading. The first cell achieved a full return on investment in just 18 months. 

Second Automated Cell 

This stage handled 28–33-inch aluminum forgings weighing up to 12.5 pounds. The cell centers on six Haas VF-3YT machines, serviced by a FANUC M-710iC/50 robot mounted on a 7th-axis rail for extended reach. It was designed to run 16 hours unattended, minimizing operator intervention. Material flow is fully automated: raw forgings arrive via two infeed conveyors, and the system can process two models simultaneously. Finished parts move to outgoing conveyors for minor hand deburring, about two minutes per riser, before proceeding to the next automated cell for Bridge-Lock™ machining. 

The system allows  to load raw forgings on Friday and retrieve finished risers by Monday

The cell supports  machining and other processes: raw forgings are machined, flipped, and machined on the opposite side. Air blasts remove coolant between operations, which include drilling, milling, tapping, and partial in-machine deburring. Custom dual-gripper tooling allows the robot to handle raw and finished parts in a single motion, reducing cycle times and minimizing manual handling. Instead of a fixed regrip station, CNC Solutions engineered a traveling regrip station mounted to the robot carriage, saving open-door time and improving efficiency. Inspection drawers at each machine enable operators to perform random quality checks without interrupting production. The system was built for flexibility to accommodate evolving bow designs. 

Results: Higher Production, Lower Scrap 

https://www.mmsonline.com/articles/robotic-cells-transform-archery-bow-manufacturing-efficiency