Page 14 - Automated issue 14 - Maintenance matters

ISSUE 14
Cobots and the future of
How collaborative robots can improve maintenance to cut this figure.
Unplanned downtime is one of the biggest problems in manufacturing. Recent research by the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) estimates that downtime can cost manufacturers anywhere between $30,000 and $50,000 an hour. The question is, how much can manufacturers reduce this figure with new technology?
Machine breakdown can incur serious costs for manufacturers. It can prevent production, delay orders and raise labour costs.
To reduce the risk of downtime, manufacturers are introducing more intelligent technology to the factory floor. Automated equipment, for example can increase productivity, accuracy and flexibility. However, manufacturers need to consider how they maintain new technology, for the benefits to be long term.
Enter the cobot
Collaborative robots (cobots) can work alongside humans to complete tasks. Traditionally, industrial robots were large, caged machines that humans could not interact with as they were heavy, unaware of their surroundings and posed a safety risk.
Unlike their heavier counterparts, cobots are easy to program and can work alongside people. They also come equipped with safety features that mean they stop or slow down when a human is nearby, which reduces the risk of a collision or safety threat.
Businesses ranging from small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to large industrial companies are purchasing cobots to improve their workflows.
“Because cobots can be
quickly reprogrammed, introducing collaborative robots increases flexibility”
Changing the environment
Manufacturers can use a collaborative robot to optimise slow or inefficient areas of production. Depending on the application, the engineer can
select end-of-arm tooling. The robot can operate ate using the tooling and react to inputs from cameras and sensors in real time. Cobots can also tend to other machines, while working near humans.
Because cobots can be quickly reprogrammed, introducing collaborative robots increases flexibility. Manufacturers can quickly react to any drops in production and find a solution, reducing on-site downtime.
Cobots and maintenance
Most cobots are not designed with maintenance capabilities in mind. However, in-built functions mean that they can help technicians to reduce the risk of unplanned downtime.
Collaborative robots are built to complete complex tasks normally performed by humans to increase accuracy and reduce fatigue. This means that technicians can use cobots to complete intricate maintenance tasks in a hazardous environment, for example, when a machine excessively overheats.
Retrofitting
Small and medium manufacturing companies can see the benefits from a cobot’s versatility. Collaborative robots can be programmed and reprogrammed quickly, so they can be used for a variety of functions, with a quick and easy change in between.
Manufacturers can take advantage of this flexibility to place a collaborative robot at the most suitable point in the assembly line, to ensure it has the greatest impact on the business. SMEs should look to collaborative robots particularly for smaller tasks, as this means it can be added to current infrastructure rather than replacing the entire system.
Robots go mobile
British online supermarket Ocado is using collaborative robots to improve its maintenance processes. The company collaborated with manufacturers to build the ARMAR-6 prototype, an autonomous, humanoid robot that can help engineers reduce time spent on maintenance in the factory. The ARMAR-6 uses a three-camera system to detect and recognise humans and objects, speech recognition to understand commands and hands with grippers to pick up objects.
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