ROBOTICS THE FACTORY OF THE FUTURE IS HERE TODAY
Stäubli’s HelMo and AGV: highly flexible intralogistics based on mobile robots and AGVs (left)
Stäubli’s TX2-140 is the new model of the high- performance series TX2 CS9. For efficient teamwork, the CS9 embedded WEB server can provide custom user interfaces to guide the operator through the various tasks (below)
Connected robotic manufacturing – a vision of the future or reality today? Simon Jenkins, divisional manager - Robotics, Stäubli UK, explains how an agile approach to manufacturing can be achieved using robots and Industry 4.0
E
ver since robots started to become a mainstream part of manufacturing, the concept of fully automated flexible
production has been the ultimate objective for businesses across a wide range of sectors. Moving towards this goal has been an iterative process with ongoing developments in hardware, software and connectivity making it possible to continually enhance the flexibility and capability of automated manufacturing. With the notable exception of
collaboration, will be at the heart of next-generation production’’
human-robot
robots, and growth in
‘‘Mobile
the automotive sector, many early robot installations generally operated as stand-alone systems, performing repetitive tasks on the same parts with little or no links to any other part of the manufacturing process. Now, as Industry 4.0 firmly establishes itself as the template for a more automated future, factories are increasingly digitising their processes and as a result all aspects of the business from manufacturing to warehousing, distribution, and sales, are becoming
22 JUNE 2021 | PROCESS & CONTROL
networked and able to communicate in real time. This allows robots and many other manufacturing technologies to operate with a greater degree of flexibility, connectivity and autonomy, making it possible to consider automating manufacturing and assembly processes from beginning to end. The capability of today’s technology to achieve end to end automated
manufacturing was clearly
demonstrated by Stäubli during their recent Robotics Innovation Days. Here the company’s four
product families – industrial robots,
collaborative robots, mobile robots and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) operated together to perform final assembly operations on an E-Bike. Stäubli’s Simon Jenkins explained: “Although
shown as part of our Innovation days, the E- Bike assembly operations are a perfect example of what can actually be achieved today. We have available a powerful and comprehensive range of 6 axis and SCARA robots, AGV and autonomous fork-lift technologies which can deliver parts to the line from the warehouse, load them to the appropriate workstations, perform the various assembly tasks, either fully automatically or in collaboration with humans and return finished components to dispatch if required.” The agile approach to manufacturing,
which can be achieved through Industry 4.0 connectivity, also makes it possible to fulfil the growing trend across a number of sectors for customised or personalised products. This requires processes and technologies to respond dynamically to produce individual items to customer specifications. Robots play a key role in achieving these objectives through their ability to communicate with each other and quickly adapt to changing production requirements whilst maintaining the highest levels of quality and productivity. Jenkins concluded: “What was once thought
of as the “factory of the future” has become the factory of today, and the new factory of the future will capitalise on the ever increasing capabilities of robots in all of their forms. Mobile robots and continued growth in areas of human-robot collaboration, together with ever more capable industrial robots, will be at the heart of the next generation production lines.”
Stäubli
www.staubli.com
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