1650mm AMR Robot Body Shell — Series B US Robotics OEM
Project ID: PRJ-2024-A33
Industry: Industrial Robotics / Autonomous Mobile Robots
Region: United States
Volume: Currently 200/year, scaling to 2,000/year
Customer Background
Series B robotics startup, US-based, building autonomous mobile robots for warehouse logistics. They needed a premium-feel body shell that could match Boston Dynamics aesthetic while keeping a path to scale.
Part Specifications
- Dimensions: 1650mm length, two-piece body shell (top + base)
- Material: Soft-touch ABS with custom acid-etched leather grain
- Critical features: 14 sensor cutouts at ±0.2mm tolerance (front lidar, depth cameras, ultrasonic sensors)
- Surface finish: Class A leather grain on cosmetic surface
Engineering Approach
The 14 sensor cutouts at ±0.2mm tolerance was the main DFM challenge. Standard thermoforming runs at ±0.3-0.5mm. We achieved ±0.2mm by:
- Pressure forming on the cosmetic surface (vs. vacuum forming)
- 5-axis CNC trimming for cutouts (not punch dies)
- First-piece optical verification on every shift
Production Outcomes
- First-article cycle: 7 weeks (3 weeks tooling + 1 week first article + 3 weeks customer eval and one minor revision)
- Production yield: 99.4% first-pass
- Tooling cost: $11,500 for both halves
- Per-piece price: $42 (small volume), drops to $24 at 2,000/year
Why This Project Worked
Mutual NDA before drawing review. Engineering team responded to design questions within 48 hours. Material upgrade (ABS → ABS/PC blend) for impact-prone zones identified during DFM, saved a tooling change later.
Capabilities Demonstrated
- ±0.2mm precision sensor cutouts
- Soft-touch ABS Class A finish
- Custom acid-etched leather grain texture
- 5-axis CNC trimming integration
- Volume scaling from 200 to 2,000 units/year on the same tooling