Many engineers are interested in these next-generation machines that can control forces and work safely alongside people on assembly lines without the need for traditional safety devices.
Since collaborative robots first emerged a decade ago, they have transformed many factory floors and made automation easier for small manufacturers. This technology also allows many companies to move production to the United States and implement low-volume and diversified manufacturing strategies.
Esben Østergaard, CTO of Universal Robots, which pioneered collaboration in 2008, said: "Collaborative robots are particularly attractive today for several reasons. They work alongside people rather than replacing them, which is especially valuable as manufacturing jobs are lost." delicate question.
"We want to put control of factory automation back in the hands of the operator," explains Østergaard, who recently received the 2018 Engelberg Award from the Robotics Industry Association for his contributions to industrial automation. "We don't want to replace people, but rather give them a tool that will allow them to do their jobs more efficiently. We want to empower them to stop working like robots and instead become robot programmers and do more value-added tasks.
"This may be the best long-term outcome of collaborative robots," Ostergaard said. "This redistribution of human creativity, combined with the repeatability of robots, satisfies the needs of both the market and customers. Requirement for high personalization of products. qualitative changes, both for the products that are produced and for the people who produce them."
"Cobots open the door for manufacturers who have historically been concerned about automating assembly lines," added Chris Blanchette, executive director of sales at FANUC America Corp., which offers five cobot models. "This has finally made many companies realize the value of automation."
"Operators can set up the joint machine with just a few hours of training, it is light enough to be moved around the plant several times a day, and it can operate without guards or guards," said Daniel Moore, U An technical support engineer. from Ao Robotics America. "Functionally, any weakness or difficulty in traditional robots can be addressed by changing the focus."
"In the past, a lot of people were afraid of robots," said Matt Fitzgerald, vice president of products at Rethink Robotics Inc., which released the Baxter collaborative robot in 2012. Collaborative machines are flexible, easy to use, and safe to operate. "
Collaborative robots are expected to continue to improve quality, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. However, as with any automation tools, their overall effectiveness depends on choosing the right application and planning ahead.
Despite the hype, collaborative robots have advantages and disadvantages that manufacturing engineers must carefully consider. The technology is interesting, but not ideal for certain types of applications. For example, two disadvantages are limited lifting capacity and lower operating speeds.
According to the International Federation of Robotics, the demand for collaborative robots is growing by 60% annually. Collaborative robots are expected to account for 34% of all robot sales by 2025, up from less than 5% today.
ASSEMBLY's 2018 Employment Survey confirms this trend. More than a third (38%) of assemblers plan to implement collaborative robots in the next 12 months. This is 7 percentage points more than in 2017 and 12 percentage points more than in 2016.
Because the next generation of collaborative robots are so flexible and require virtually no safety barriers, many manufacturers are using them. These machines are especially attractive to small companies. For example, among manufacturers with fewer than 50 employees, 21% plan to implement this technology in the next 12 months. This is 8 percentage points higher than in 2017.
Ryan Whitton, research analyst at ABI Research, said: "Small and medium-sized manufacturers are driving demand for collaborative robots. This is driven by the need for manufacturing solutions that do not involve large-scale investments in capital equipment." large robotic arms. These include tasks such as machine maintenance, quality control, and lighting assembly. "
Whitton says small manufacturers need flexible automation solutions that can easily and quickly adapt to changing needs. "They need systems that can be easily and quickly programmed and that can support many types of automation tasks," he notes. "Collaborative robots fit the bill."
Whitton predicts that over the next seven years, shipments of collaborative robots will grow by 50%, while shipments of traditional industrial robots will grow by 12%. And global revenue from these machines will grow from $292 million today to more than $1 billion by 2025.
This growing demand is driven by shorter product life cycles and the increasing use of small-batch and mixed-production programs rather than high-volume and small-scale production.
"Manufacturers need more flexible automation solutions to adapt to the market quickly and efficiently," said Nicholas De Keyser, manager of robotic assembly and testing at ABB. "Manufacturing is becoming more specialized and unpredictable, making automation more difficult.
"Collaborative automation allows people and robots to work together, making production more flexible while maintaining safety and productivity," explains De Keyser. "This increases manufacturing flexibility by allowing humans and robots to work together on tasks that previously required protective barriers and cages."
"In the past, assembling large quantities of custom products often meant tedious, delicate and repetitive work," says De Keyser. "With collaborative robots like our YuMi, people can focus on more meaningful cognitive tasks, while robots provide tireless precision and endurance.
"YuMi can be installed on any workstation in the plant and redistributed as needed without the limitations of traditional security barriers," De Keyser said. "This increases production flexibility and agility, allowing for more frequent changeovers."
Collaborative robots are emerging in industries and applications that have historically relied on manual assembly lines.
"Many companies are trying to improve some of their production lines through automation," Blanchette said. "They want to address some areas where there might be ergonomic or quality issues. They can add cobots without changing the configuration of the assembly line."
General parts machining applications are ideal for collaborative robots. Small tasks like sorting parts or loading a press are a great start.
"Any assembly task that requires three hands, with the cobot acting as a human assistant," explains Blanchett. "For example, a machine can support heavier parts while people use screwdrivers to connect components.
"In applications with short life cycles, collaborative robots allow manufacturers to move to new products very quickly," Blanchette said. "We are also seeing increased demand for collaborative robots in companies with higher employee turnover and in regions with severe labor shortages."
"We're seeing increased demand from contract manufacturers, especially companies based in China and Mexico," said Samir Patel, director of product and application development for Kawasaki Robot America, which redistributes the machines to factories elsewhere.
"For example, a company that wants to change from one type or size of PCB to another simply detaches our DuAro robot and sends it to the next assembly line," Patel explained. "They can use the same robot on an assembly line and then easily reuse it later in the day on an inspection line where the robot loads and unloads circuit boards into an inspection machine.
"We have also seen our cobots used to assemble gears for computer printers and small fan units used to cool electronic devices," adds Patel. "Robots work side by side with humans, helping humans perform repetitive tasks that may be difficult to complete.
"The repeatability of our two-arm joint machine is close to that of a six-axis robot," Patel said. "We decided to solve this problem when designing the robot. This makes the machine particularly suitable for tightening tasks such as tablet assembly.
"In one case, one arm of the machine was used as a fixture while the other arm inserted and tightened small 3mm screws that had to be precisely positioned," says Patel. "Our robot is also used to secure the circuit board inside the case. One hand moves the circuit board onto the chassis while the other hand inserts each screw and tightens it using an automatic screwdriver."
Collaborative robots are also used as mobile robotic systems that can navigate assembly lines and perform filling operations anywhere and at any time. This strategy was recently implemented at the Stäubli electrical connector plant in Allschwil, Switzerland, where the assembly line is equipped with fully automated and manual workstations.
The HelMo mobile platform is equipped with a Stäubli TX2 collaborative robot with a maximum load capacity of 15 kg and a movement range of 1200 mm. Touch surfaces will immediately stop moving if they come into direct contact with a person. Autonomous robots navigate autonomously to designated work stations, slowing down or stopping when people get too close.
HelMo positions itself with an accuracy of 0.1 mm, calibrating its position using three measuring points permanently installed on the workstation. It connects to fixed power and compressed air outlets via a multi-way connector and then begins its movement.
"Today the machine can install connector housings and contact pins; tomorrow it can be used in other stages of the assembly process," says Olivier Cremoux, Business Development Manager at Stäubli AG. "HelMo is no longer seen as a robot, but rather as an assistant, flexible enough to help where needed.
"The goal is...to use robots as a flexible alternative to increase the availability of mixed assembly lines or to meet peak demand," explains Cremu.
One of the reasons why collaborative robots are attractive to many manufacturers is that they often cost less than traditional robots. They also tend to have a faster payback period and return on investment because they are more flexible and can be easily integrated into existing assembly lines.
"We typically expect a return on investment of less than nine months," says Universal Robots' Moore. "Given all the hidden costs associated with traditional robotics, as well as the potentially higher uptime of redeployed collaborative robots, we have found that the return on investment is often very fast. In our most compelling example (usually involving injection molding), customers report. three-month ROI.
"For most repeatable processes, automation will be more consistent and reliable than humans," Moore said. "While most cobot users measure ROI through labor costs and productivity gains, many manufacturers also see quality improvements after installing cobots. This frees up labor to evaluate and improve other areas of the plant, then create additional automation and reduce waste."
Collaborative technologies can also optimize production lines, allowing for smarter, more functional shop floor layouts. Collaborative robots can be easily implemented into existing assembly lines without significant reconfiguration.
"The footprint is smaller because you don't need all the safety guards and barriers typically associated with fixed automation," says Fitzgerald of Rethink Robotics. "Unlike large traditional robotic work cells, collaborative robots do not require extensive advance planning.
"It helps you move forward faster," Fitzgerald said. "If you didn't take something into account in the planning stage, you can compensate for it with the robot's flexibility."
Collaborative robots enable engineers to quickly and easily deploy automation in assembly applications that require high levels of human-machine interaction. However, security issues cannot be ignored.
"The only real downside to collaborative robots is that many people think they are 'safe' right out of the box," said Corey Ryan, North American manager of medical robotics at KUKA Robotics.
"The reality is that robots are just one part of the system, and the entire system needs a thorough risk assessment before implementation," Ryan warned. "For example, a collaborative robot with a drill on the end is inherently unsafe without additional safety systems that can stop the drill before humans get too close."
"Many companies buy collaborative robots thinking they can eliminate typical safety precautions," added Rick Brookshire, group product manager for Epson Robotics. "However, if the risk assessment is correct, due to the nature of the application the robot will often have to use traditional protective measures such as light curtains. A safe robot does not mean a safe application."
"Don't assume that you can eliminate all guards and other security measures with a cobot," adds Ed Roney, national account manager, authorized systems integrator at FANUC America Corp. "A common misconception is that a risk assessment is not required for a cobot. Applications. However, it is not.
"When people work in automation, they need to be aware of the hazards they may encounter," says Roney. "For example, are the parts sharp or have sharp edges that could pose a safety hazard?"
One of the main arguments against collaborative robots is that the machines sacrifice speed for safety. To limit force and momentum, cobots must operate at lower speeds than other types of robots.
When it comes to collaborative robots, engineers need to consider some performance limitations. At some point, traditional machines such as delta robots, six-axis robots or SCARA robots will become the best automation options.