DIY Automation That Actually Works: How One 80-Person Shop Cracked High-Mix Lights-Out Manufacturing, Ep #39

Automation has a reputation problem. It's often painted as something reserved for massive factories, predictable part runs, and deep pockets. But what happens when a small, high-mix shop decides to challenge every one of those assumptions—and wins? In this episode of Lights Out, we sit down with Katie Murphy from Arcamed, an 80-person medical manufacturing company that did what most shops think is impossible: they built a fully functional, high-mix automation system… themselves. No massive integrator contracts. No perfect production environment. Just curiosity, grit, and a willingness to figure it out as they went. Katie walks us through how their team tackled one of the toughest use cases for automation—low volume, constantly changing parts—and still managed to unlock serious gains in machine utilization, throughput, and employee growth. From a "hokey bookshelf" prototype to a system capable of running 50+ hours unattended, this is a masterclass in progress over perfection. But this isn't just a story about robots. It's about mindset. It's about rethinking what your people should be doing, where your real bottlenecks are, and how much hidden capacity is sitting idle in your shop right now. The result? More output, higher wages, and a team that's more engaged than ever. If you've ever said, "automation won't work here," this episode might just change your mind. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... (0:00) Busting automation myths: small shops, high-mix work, and non-standard materials (1:57) Introducing Katie Murphy and the Arcamed automation journey (5:41) Inside Arcamed: medical manufacturing, machining plastics, and fabrication (9:07) The real problem: high-mix, low-volume production bottlenecks (11:21) Katie's role in continuous improvement and hands-on automation development (13:24) The goal: increasing machine utilization without adding labor (14:48) Why you need to look into grants for your businesses (16:28) Head to the DN Solutions Manufacturing Without Limits event (17:31) Measuring success through unattended runtime and capacity gains (21:52) Avoiding "local optimization" and freeing operators to do higher-value work (24:56) Upskilling employees and increasing wages through automation (26:42) Why Arcamed chose DIY automation over turnkey systems (29:06) From prototype "bookshelf" to scalable automation cell design (31:22) Using common features (like vises) to automate diverse part geometries (34:00) Get a free report of opportunities in your industry from FacturMFG.com/chips (35:08) The iterative process: trial, error, and continuous improvement (37:21) Learning automation skills on the job through problem-solving (42:15) The impact: major gains in spindle utilization and overall capacity (44:16) Investing in ProShop ERP is an investment in your shop (45:55) What's next: scaling systems and expanding press brake automation (47:37) The future: AI, vision systems, and bin picking capabilities (49:40) Advice for shops: the 80/20 rule and avoiding perfection paralysis (52:21) Arcamed's plans for learning at IMTS 2026 Resources & People Mentioned Conexus Indiana Head to the DN Solutions Manufacturing Without Limits event Get a free report of opportunities in your industry from FacturMFG.com/chips Investing in ProShop ERP is an investment in your shop IMTS 2026 Connect with Katie Murphy Arcamed Connect on LinkedIn Connect With Lights Out LinkedIn MakingChips.com Subscribe to Lights Out On Apple and Spotify