FEATURE Robotics
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Harnessing robots for managing mundane tasks
Dave Hanslow, Sales Director at RNA Automation, explains the key challenges facing manufacturers who want to minimise supply-chain disruption by embracing developing technologies
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combination of Brexit and the covid pandemic has changed the face of UK manufacturing. The sudden departure of
thousands of Eastern-European workers combined with social distancing and isolation of the infectious left many production lines desperately short of people. This probably left some managers wishing they had embraced automation while the going was good.
On a normal assembly line, people are often working almost shoulder to shoulder. Then, the introduction of social distancing and the two-metre rule changed all that in an instant. Companies that didn’t take the opportunity to automate then had to shut down, as they had falsely believed there was no need to invest thousands of pounds in automation when there was a constant pool of labour to draw from. Increased global competition and new innovations are challenges faced by manufacturers today, which means they must become more fl exible and cost-effi cient to provide consistently high standards of quality and reliable precision with optimum productivity.
Robots on the march Businesses are having to learn to live with this new reality and at RNA Automation we have seen a huge spike in enquiries for robotics.
It’s quite challenging for robots to emulate some very dextrous applications that human senses can pick up on, like hearing something clicking together or, say, cleaning and drying printed circuit boards in electronics manufacturing. However, they can be adapted to automate manual processes common to many industries, as well as interact with people, as is the case with cobots (collaborative robots). Enquiries for any robot should not be based on quantity or cost but on specifi cation. Whether a major supplier or a small, growing company, it doesn’t have to be about purchasing large expensive equipment – some robots are seen as an
12 February 2023 | Automation
operator’s tool rather than a separate entity. Systems are being installed that have the fl exibility to handle various components speedily thanks to the latest quick-change tooling technology, which in turn improves uptime and productivity.
Big push for cobots Robots are normally looked at for mundane repetitive actions, to free up staff for more complex and productive tasks, lower head counts or streamline and optimise production. Cobots are a good solution for automating fi ddly time-consuming processes: they are easier to operate and cheaper than traditional, industrial robots, making them the most popular solution going forward. But, unlike many overseas manufacturers where human-robot collaboration has been widely accepted, in the UK we still have major issues with a robot working in the same unguarded space as the operator, even though an automated operation taking over mundane tasks on the assembly line helps reduce repetitive strain injuries among staff . Cobots have the ability to work alongside people without a safety cage because they have built-in sensors that bring the machine to a halt if it touches a person nearby. This type of incident could potentially be considered a collision injury under health and safety guidelines.
The more expensive heavy-duty six-axis industrial robot is guarded and isolated from staff but is less space friendly. There has been a big push from companies trying to encourage cobots into their production lines because they think they are safer – and in certain applications they are. But you must consider the implications of operators working in parallel with partially-automated lines and how to best ensure their safety without impacting productivity.
Prior to committing to delivery of an end solution, RNA carries out a proof of principle to develop and validate a working concept of the solution ahead of time, de-risking the project for both the machine builder and the end customer. Ultimately, customers will bring their own vision to the table. A good systems integrator will have the expertise to be able to map out a journey of how robots can be used in the context of the customer’s factory operation, while remaining sympathetic to the immediate and longer-term objectives they are striving to achieve. Finding an automation partner will help you take advantage of the opportunities the industry is going to bring well into the future.
CONTACT:
RNA Automation
www.rnaautomation.com
automationmagazine.co.uk
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