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OFF-LINE PROGRAMMING (OLP)
THE NEXT LEVEL IN ROBOT PROGRAMMING
Umair Ejaz, Senior Manager, Visual
Components, discusses the role of Off-line programming- (OLP-) driven robots in modern manufacturing
he laborious tasks of cutting, welding and assembly of products that once were within the responsibility of human workers have now been taken over by robots. Every year, more companies are getting in on the act, and there will be a record 518,000 projected industrial robot installations worldwide by 2024. Automation has therefore been made a reality by robotic deployments, but they still need to be programmed and maintained.
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Certain industries, such as the automotive sector, can utilise various robotic applications to assemble a car, which can be made up of as many as 30,000 different components. Workers have to ensure that each robot is programmed to follow each specific task to ensure the car is ultimately built and moved on in the production line. For example, a robot may need to move a welding torch in a 3D arc around the circumference of a circular part of a metal workpiece. Manually teaching it to do this can be extremely time-consuming and potentially inaccurate. Automation needs to find its way in the deployment and programming of robots to ensure they provide full value to the organisation.
Industrial robots hold the key to quicker, highly accurate and infinitely repeatable processes, but manual programming is needed to achieve these benefits. Aside from taking an excessive amount of time to complete and running the risk of inaccuracies, human workers may also need to put themselves in dangerous positions to program large industrial equipment. Industrial robots can frequently take weeks to program manually before they are ready, leading to production downtime, and this can be complicated by the range of robots from different brands on the market today. Manual programming can be further hindered by the lack of skilled workers at the organisation. The National Association of Manufacturers discovered last year that more than three quarters (76%) of manufacturers are facing a challenge in attracting and retaining a quality workforce. Aging workers with inherent knowledge are also retiring from their roles, which is adding to the issue. To enable manufacturers to get the best out of their robotic integrations, the automation of programming is vital. Offline robot programming (OLP) allows planning teams and operators to collaborate and program robots in a virtual environment. This enables accurate simulations of processes and workflows to make cost-effective and efficient decisions in real-time, from any location to ensure worker safety. Drawing on the example of a circular part being welded on a metal workpiece, a CAD file of the welding cell can be seamlessly imported into the OLP software and shows the path that the worker wants the torch to take. When finished, the software generates the robot program and verifies it for its ability to avoid any potential collisions. The employee can even run the program in low speed to
34 SEPTEMBER 2023 | PROCESS & CONTROL
double-check its function before setting off at normal speed on repeatable instances. OLP brings a level of automated
programming to robots without any disruption to production. Rather than inefficient sequential programming, this whole process takes place concurrently, allowing new products to be launched into production quicker. A virtual sandbox environment with opportunities to make mistakes without any consequences can lead to a robotic process being refined to the most granular detail. Cloning, multi-layer, automatic axes optimisation, vision system integration, templates and weld databases can enable significant increases in productivity. It’s not unusual to witness manual programming human work hours reduce by as much as 80%, with a change from two weeks to just four days for the robot to be operational and complete its task. Often, manufacturers are able to double output of the final product, and robot agnosticism means that OLP software can cover all applications.
OLP can be integrated into a wider range of technologies to drive a fully automated factory environment. For example, layout design, feasibility and validation of control logics and processes can be simulated and refined in a virtual environment to increase efficiencies and upskill new employees.
Robotic investments will continue to grow over the coming years, with OLP programming an essential tool for automating robotic workflows and movements, helping to provide value from initial deployment. Crucially, OLP can deliver human-centric automation that allows people to be at the front-and-centre of digital innovation.
Visual Components
www.visualcomponents.com
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