FEATURE Robotics
Portable and permanent automation
Renishaw’s Kevyn Jonas, Director and General Manager – Industrial Automation, reveals how the company’s latest industrial automation products bring metrology solutions into the world of robot cells and robot processes
M
etrology is the backbone of precision in manufacturing, yet its integration in automated robot cells has
long been overlooked. While robots have revolutionised production processes, their set-up and maintenance have paradoxically remained labour-intensive and prone to error. Renishaw is addressing this gap with a new approach. The existing processes surrounding robot set-up and maintenance are largely manual. It’s a strange conundrum for an industry built on automation. Robotic automation cells are prone to inaccuracies over time due to wear and tear, environmental factors and complex operational demands. Without precise calibration and monitoring, these issues can lead to production errors, At Renishaw, we decided to change that. As a result, we focused on issues relating to the manual set-up, calibration and maintenance of robots, aiming to enhance operational accuracy and repeatability. We product toolkit and permanently installed in-process products. The toolkit products can be taken from job to job to speed up robot commissioning and
Kevyn Jonas, Director and General Manager – Industrial Automation, is pictured below
L-90 ballbar, which improves robot system accuracy, reduces deployment time and monitors robot health. The technology works with the coordinating software package, guide users through a range of tests and is purchased as an add-on kit. This system which enables robot users to identify root causes of poor performance, with further comprehensive tests to capture critical robot information. Examples include remastering running master-recovery routines and plotting 3D path performance. Remastering joints is a good example
of a crucial function of robotic testing — especially in high-precision, high-repetition tasks where robots are most commonly used. Enabling quick and accurate joint remastering allows manufacturers to swiftly correct any misalignment, eliminating the need for extensive manual adjustments or prolonged downtime. This ensures that robot performance remains consistent without disrupting production. integrates a permanent Renishaw probing solution within a robot cell to apply in- probes and tool setters to enable cell auto- recovery, which minimises downtime and allows operations to resume at the touch of a button. Available in a variety of bundles, the package to suit the needs of their robotic cell. Automation cells are designed to be
22 April 2025 | Automation
operated with minimal intervention, but to truly run autonomously, a closed loop approach must be applied. This is the goal Renishaw set out to achieve. We have a long history of expertise in
metrology and the physical automation of processes. As such, we provide a holistic solution to industrial automation problems. robustness that meets the high standards of precision and reliability expected by the industry. We’ve been using high levels of automation in our own manufacturing facilities for decades. We therefore have faced by the sector. The improvements industrial automation cells are revealing new applications that could be automated successfully. The market reception to this product line has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve seen a keen interest in the capabilities raising production quality and automatically recovering from crashes without reprogramming. Looking to the future, we’re dedicated to driving product innovation by continually engaging with end-users and integrators, understanding their needs and developing solutions that address the evolving challenges of the sector.
Renishaw
www.renishaw.com/en/innovationmatters
automationmagazine.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
