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ROBOTICS GETTING TO GRIPS WITH ROBOTICS GROWTH IPS WITH ROBOTICS


Steve Sands, Head of Product Management at Festo GB, gives his views on the latest developments in robotics


here has been recent acceleration in engineering automation, which is having significant positive effects for the process and control industry. Many factors impacting the sector lately, from the aftermath of the global COVID pandemic, to labour shortages, rising energy costs and the need for higher flexibility and productivity, are all driving innovation and increasing opportunities for automation and robotics.


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Furthermore, global technology giants are investing heavily in robotics. For example, Google, Amazon, and Tesla are devoting resource to robotic technologies, which are expected to be disruptive in the market and further drive the pace of change. Festo has focussed its robotic development projects in areas such as the creation of ultra- lightweight handling systems and the reduction of moving masses - making it safer for automated assistance devices to work alongside humans - and the use of controlled pneumatics.


The result is a pneumatic concept cobot, which combines unique drive technology with simplified programming and teaching nodes, and more flexible end-effectors. Historically, vacuum has been used to generate suction for pick-and-place applications on a processing line. However, high-technology grippers have now been designed with less material, which reduces the moving mass and ultimately reduces the cost. These grippers can also offer more flexible control over position and force using fieldbus protocols.


The latest innovative robotic end-effectors have soft flexible grippers (or fingers) that wrap


The use of robotics in


automated drug discovery is rising rapidly


Soft flexible grippers that


replicate human hands improve end-effector accuracy (below)


around the product like human hands, moving it both securely and accurately.


One of the fastest adoption rates of robotics we have seen has been in the pharmaceutical industry. The speed at which tests were conducted, and the COVID vaccine was developed and rolled out was thanks to the use of highly automated processes. The global pandemic forced many laboratories to re- evaluate their processes, and many manual tasks were replaced by automation. Indeed, Festo supplied cartesian-based robot solutions for many of these applications. Bespoke robots can be deployed and installed quickly since axes can be combined with motors and motion controllers easily, providing a solution that operates to the required speed, force, and precision. The size of these systems can vary from as small as a sheet of A4 paper to gantries spanning more than 30m2


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Another area where there has been a step change in development is in handling system designs. There has been a significant demand for rapid delivery, and Festo has risen to the challenge. Our engineering team is able to produce design concepts for customised multi-axis handling solutions in just a few hours. In one example our team received an urgent request for a health-related application at 4.30


pm. They produced a 3D drawing and sent it to the customer for their review first thing the following morning.


Achieving these fast turnaround times is down to the team’s expertise coupled with special software that makes cartesian and gantry system design fast and error-free. Application requirements and parameters such as stroke lengths and mass to be moved are input into the Handling Guide Online (HGO) design and selection package. The HGO then creates models based on the requirements. The clever part is that the models not only contain the mechanical design, but also the bill of materials and simulations. The 3D CAD drawing is created in numerous formats simultaneously and even includes documentation for electrical wiring and programming I/O allocations. The HGO creates a much more efficient way of working. Data can be transferred easily into software such as EPLAN, simulation of complete stations can be carried out, and operating (PLC) programs written and virtually commissioned: all before any metal is cut or assembled.


In the past, face-to-face consultations and application support between designers and suppliers was commonplace. However, today, it is much easier than ever before for process and control managers and engineers to specify handling and automation systems on their own. This is thanks, in part, to increased access to readily available, free-of-charge, and easy-to-use software.


Following the global pandemic, remote consultations have also swiftly become the normal way of working, enabling engineers to get answers to their queries more quickly and get their process systems up and running faster. The sector has now become used to these faster online services, ultimately paving the way for accelerated robot design and delivery in the future.


Festo www.festo.com/gb/en/


JUNE 2023 | PROCESS & CONTROL 19


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