In general, the robot market and the collaborative robot market are developing rapidly. A forecast report indicates that the number of collaborative robots will grow at an alarming 57% CAGR between 2017 and 2023.
Co-robot supplier Rethink Robotics (Boston) made the right choice in high-tech operations. This pioneering company introduced the Baxter robot to the world in 2012, and in 2015 introduced a more flexible, powerful, and friendly Sawyer robot.
"Collaborative robots can be implemented in a variety of industries, including packaging, plastics, electronics, metal manufacturing, automotive, and general manufacturing," said Mike Fair, product manager at Rethink Robotics.
Like many manufacturers, shop floor operations can be challenged by inefficient processes, unpredictable downtime, and difficult machine maintenance. Manufacturing execution systems (MES) can help make the most of shop floor capabilities, use tools that identify poor and high-performance machines, and then optimize asset utilization accordingly.
"They are useful in a variety of manufacturing functions and play an important role in automated tasks that were previously only performed by humans. For collaborative robots, the best workflow includes repetitiveness These tasks often put pressure on human workers or dangerous tasks that interact with other machines. By using robotic automation to complete these tedious and time-consuming tasks, factory workers are free to perform more valuable tasks. "
For the reader of PlasticsToday, we asked him about the specific applicability of collaborative robots to plastics.
"Plastic manufacturers are no stranger to filling repetitive, boring work. Fortunately, the lightweight nature of plastic parts makes them ideal for collaborative robots because they have lower payloads than traditional industrial robots," Fair answered. Say. "Collaborative robots can be deployed in a variety of tasks that are part of plastic manufacturing, including machine processing of injection or blow molding machines, packaging finished parts, and packaging containers that transport and package plastic parts."
Cox Container
He shared the example of plastic blow molding maker Cox Container (Troy, Ayr) as a possible example of these markets today.
The company has deployed Sawyer robots in its packaging division to address challenges related to labor shortages and provide its employees with higher quality jobs. The robot picks up bottles from a conveyor belt and places them in a custom box designed by Cox Container. Once the box is half full, the robot will be arranged to another picking area, choose a corrugated divider, place it in the box, and then fill the container with a second layer of bottles. Once completed, the operator will start packing a new box for the robot and the operator will complete the final packaging of the product. With the help of robots, the company halved the labor requirements of a packaging work unit and reallocated three full-time employees to more valuable and meaningful work.
Sometimes companies don't want to free workers from mundane tasks because they just need workers to operate, which shows that one of the main trends driving robotics is the universal impact of labor shortages. Fundstrat Global Advisors reports that there will be a global shortage of 8.2 million manufacturing workers by 2027. According to Fair, this forces manufacturers to look for alternative ways to staff their factories, and collaborative robots are an obvious choice.
"For the foreseeable future, labor will continue to be a major challenge for manufacturers." He said, "Statistics show that 10,000 baby boomers are entering retirement age every day, and 76 million people will retire in the next few years. Many of these baby boomers are working in factories, and the next generation is not interested in doing mundane manufacturing jobs. This trend makes it crucial for manufacturers to have alternative labor resources. Assisting robots is the answer to this challenge A great solution that fills unpopular jobs, including monotonous jobs, while giving workers the freedom to do more valuable work. "
The robot's flexibility, mobility and capabilities are being upgraded through hardware and software, while at the same time finding the best optimization point in integration with other technologies.
For example, in terms of hardware, Rethink Robotics recently announced "click-to-smart technology", a solution for end devices that combines smart sensing and fast switching capabilities. "Click Intelligent Technology" is designed to simplify robot deployment, providing users with a way to exchange end effectors in seconds, whether they are from Rethink Robotics' "Click Intelligent Technology" series of fixtures or from various end effector supplies Quotient fixture.
Fair pointed out that in the software field, assisting robots is also entering the data collection stage, empowering manufacturers to make better business decisions.
"We recently released the Intera Insights feature using the Intera 5 software platform, providing manufacturers with key data in real time," he explained. "Intera Insights displays key performance indicators (KPIs) through a customizable dashboard on the robotic display, which can be used directly on the factory floor. This data drives smarter production decisions while eliminating investment or creating another data collection system To save time and money. With Intera 5, manufacturers can also optimize cycle time by further enhancing the visual capabilities of Sawyer robots. "
Fair also provides manufacturers with increasing success stories of assisted robots.
"One of the things manufacturers are doing better now than in the last few years is to identify and deploy assistive robots in the right tasks," Fair said. "Assistance robots are particularly well-suited for specific tasks such as packaging, but perform poorly on tasks that require human awareness and flexibility. Today's manufacturers have a better understanding of Cobots technology and are doing the right tasks for deploying collaborative robots To increase productivity and efficiency. "
We asked Fair for the final thoughts and shared with readers.
"Collaboration robots are safe enough to work with people without the need for a safety fence, easy to deploy, able to perform boring or dirty tasks that must be completed, and the manual completion of these tasks is not very satisfactory," Fair said. "To solve the problem of a new generation of workforces related to labor aging and unwillingness to work in manufacturing, collaborative robots provide an effective and reliable solution that can automate more tasks without sacrificing quality Improve productivity."