INTERCONNECTION Latest KUKA cobot assists H


and in hand with its team, the cobot now checks data matrix codes for quality and completeness. The new colleague has been accepted unreservedly and it’s no problem to train either, even for employees with no experience of programming.


Flexible and simple: everything is iisy


At a trade fair in the German town of Kassel, Bastian Fest, managing director of FMO Surface GmbH & Co. KG, met KUKA sales engineer Robert Korte, who introduced him to the LBR iisy collaborative robot. The entrepreneur was immediately convinced of the advantages of the cobot. Mr Fest then took a closer look at the LBR iisy at KUKA’s branch office in Siegen and decided to purchase it.


Mr Fest said: “The LBR iisy combines several factors that we require: flexibility, ease of programming and suitability for collaborative operation. That is why we purchased it, without knowing exactly where we wanted to use it.”


As far as the programming of robots is concerned, Mr Fest described himself as a beginner.


Automation in small and medium-sized enterprises


FMO Surface, a family-owned company


specialising in the finishing of plastic surfaces, was founded in 1999 in Lemgo, in the region of East Westphalia-Lippe, and currently employs 75 people – around seven million bus connectors are laser-marked with data matrix codes (DMC) every year.


The cooperation with KUKA began with a KR CYBERTECH nano (KR10 R1420), which is used for palletising and for tending a laser system. Two years later, another KUKA robot from the KR CYBERTECH series was added, which can turn over, measure and laser the plastic parts to be finished. “Particularly in view of the shortage of skilled workers, automation plays an important role for a medium-sized company like ours,” Mr Fest explained.


Easy integration desired Mr Fest said: “It took us just 30 minutes to unpack and install the robot and perform initial programming.”


With the aid of the KUKA smartPAD pro and the KR C5 micro robot controller, even employees with virtually no experience of robot programming can operate and train the cobot.


“The LBR iisy runs on the basis of the new iiQKA.OS operating system, making it easy to install, configure and program,” said Mr Korte .


The cobot can also be adapted to new challenges quickly.


connector quality inspection A flexible, efficient and meticulous employee is what every boss wants, and that’s precisely what Bastian Fest from FMO Surface found in the new KUKA LBR iisy collaborative robot, or ‘cobot’.


Mr Fest said: “We don’t have engineers here, so ease of integration is all the more important.”


How the cobot checks data matrix codes


Equipped with two cameras, the cobot checks data matrix codes. There are 200 plastic parts on a tray, which are slid under the LBR iisy with its two Keyence cameras. Foreman Tim Hertz said: “In the first step, the quality of the codes is spot-checked on the basis of 20 parts.


“If everything is OK, the cobot moves over the tray again and checks whether all 200 parts are present, and all codes are readable.”


Cobot with all-rounder qualities The LBR iisy can be integrated into existing processes just as easily as it can be reprogrammed for new tasks. From loading machines to packing or various handling tasks, the LBR iisy has everything under control.


Mr Korte said: “The LBR iisy’s integrated cable routing and energy supply system also enable quick and easy tool changing. “With this product, I naturally have something that is highly flexible. It makes no difference to the robot whether I mount a suction cup, a gripper or a camera on the front, but it enables me to cover my entire spectrum.”


Safe human-robot collaboration The employees at FMO Surface were enthusiastic about the new colleague right away, Mr Fest said.


Mr Korte added: “Thanks to the safety features, collaboration with people in a single workspace is possible.”


Mr Korte noted that the cobot could also provide valuable services in pad printing in the near future. In addition, he is also hoping to make use of the larger versions of the LBR iisy with payload capacities of 11kg and 15kg.


KUKA www.kuka.com 22 JUNE 2023 | ELECTRONICS TODAY


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