Case Study: 1650mm AMR Robot Body Shell

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

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