INDUSTRY News
Festo helps restore Paris’s Notre-Dame
[Image: Mehmet Turgut Kirkgo for Unsplash]
ABB COLUMN
MAKE ROBOTS YOUR RESOLUTION FOR 2023
It’s no secret that the past twelve months have been difficult for UK manufacturing. With companies facing uncertainties including soaring energy prices, labour shortages and economic and environmental pressures, many are turning to technologies like robots to build operating models that are better able to withstand sudden changes. The uptake of robotic automation is growing at a
Rotterdam-based company Concr3de is using a 3D printer for stone in the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The team uses burnt remains of the Paris cathedral as raw material to repair the damaged masonry. For its 3D printer, Concr3de needed reliable components that can operate for long periods of time in diffi cult conditions. For that, it turned to Festo: An appropriate Festo linear drive for the handling system was selected, to drive the movements of the print head. Its ELGA actuator allows positive pressure to be applied internally to prevent dust ingress. It can also be supplied in long lengths and off ers good protective cover. In addition to the ELGA axis, the control system, the Z-axis components and the fl uid supply for the binder and piping also came from Festo. Using data from Concr3de, Festo calculated the axes, gearbox, motor and control to obtain the correct inertia ratio.
Integrating a Siemens controller was also easy. All Concr3de then had to do was drag the appropriate function blocks for the communication lines from Festo’s standard software libraries into the right place. With Festo’s confi guration tool, only the positions to be moved had to be entered, and a plan of each movement could be created. Festo provided engineering support and training to Concr3de throughout the project. The company printed a 30cm high model of the stone carving, using limestone powder and a binder, in fi ve hours. Tests at the Delft University of Technology showed the result to be the same as the real limestone.
spectacular speed. The IFR’s latest statistics show that over 500,000 robots are being used across multiple sectors, as companies look for new ways to enhance their productivity, maintain competitiveness and build resilience. Whether you’re new to robots or using them already, the following are just three ways that investing in the latest robotic technologies can help to put your business in better shape for 2023 and beyond: Flexibility: Unprecedented changes in consumer demand for personalised products and delivery have been one of the biggest trends of recent times. The latest generation of robots, including modular cells, autonomous mobile robots and collaborative robots are providing new opportunities for manufacturers to switch from fixed production lines to flexible robotic cells, reducing complexity and enabling new levels of adaptability. Productivity: With their inherent speed and ability to work non-stop twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, robots are proven to offer increased production output whilst maintaining the highest levels of quality and consistency. Robot programming and simulation tools like RobotStudio optimise the capabilities and efficiency of robots, enhancing operational productivity, whilst reducing the time and disruption of physical commissioning. Resilience: Resilience against uncertainty will be increasingly important in 2023 and beyond. Options including cobots and easy to use programming software can help to transform both production resilience and workforce efficiency by freeing people from dull and repetitive tasks, boosting output and enabling them to do more rewarding work. While robots represent an investment, their ability to make your business more flexible, productive and resilient could make a switch to robotic automation one of the best resolutions you could make for 2023. See how we can help with our free automation appraisal:
https://bit.ly/ABBRobotAppraisals.
Nigel Platt, LBL Manager, UK and Ireland, ABB Robotics
automationmagazine.co.uk
Automation | March 2023
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