Gripping a wide range of different workpieces, complex assembly tasks, welding workpieces, including in small numbers, or putting together the components for a product or subassembly: the tasks for robot systems in production are varied. But is automation actually economic and technically feasible? What to do if the task differs from the available off-the-shelf solution?
Until the end of 2019, these are questions that will occupy research organizations Danish Technological Institute (Denmark), Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA (Germany), Manufacturing Technology Centre (Great Britain) and Tecnalia (Spain). Together, they advise enterprises in Europe, assisting them with a specific automation project through to realization. This takes place in two rounds, starting with 64 so-called “vouchers” for technical consulting through to the realization of a prototype application, from which eight firms are still benefiting.
The pilots address a variety of challenges in automation with robotics:
- For “Trumpf” the project partners are developing a versatile robot capable of gripping randomly ordered metal parts in various shapes and sizes.
- “Air Liquide” is being provided with a mobile manipulator that puts together new and used gas cylinders in boxes according to their future use.
- The goal of the pilot for “Weibel” is the gripping and mounting of electronic components by robot.
- “Automasimos Maser” is being helped to develop a system for the automated surface inspection and quality control of chrome coatings.
- Economic robot-based welding, including in small production numbers and many variants, is the goal of a new robot programming software for “Cedis” and “Piccolo”.
- The pilot project with “Linak” is to develop a modular robotic assembly system that can be installed and certified for safety within two weeks.
- Regular automatic pest control by means of an autonomously navigating, remotely controllable system is the goal of the collaboration with “Irabia”.
- The project for “Nissan” is to develop an automation solution with gripper and image processing capable of putting together components (“kitting”).
True to the motto of technology transfer, the project partners attach great importance to the diffusion and further use of the developed technologies. There are regular “open labs” at the participating research organizations, as well as training sessions for passing on knowledge about robotics. Finally, the finished solutions will also be available for collaborations outside of ROBOTT-NET.
Acknowledgement: This Project is supported by the European Commission within the project H2020 ICT-688217 ROBOTT-NET.
