Both pick–and-place as well as robotic assembly is generally designed around one SCARA robot per cell. In some cases, one robot hands work off to another, but imagine the productivity gains that could be realized if multiple robots could function inside the same work envelope? At Automate 2023, Luke Drong, robotics software engineer with Realtime Robotics, demonstrates three Mitsubishi robots interacting closely in a small working envelope to Jim Anderton. 

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Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR’s) have evolved from glorified trolleys to ant-like systems capable of working in and around multiple moving objects on the shop floor. Most AMRs however, are very payload limited, but what if there was a simple solution that could boost the payload of existing vehicles? At Automate 2023, Jonathen Karavolias, head of sales, Americas for ROEQ, shows Jim Anderton a deceptively simple mechanical device that distributes payloads over more rolling elements without adding more or larger AMR’s.  

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In complex environments like warehouse distribution and high mix, low-volume manufacturing, automation is necessary, but difficult. Pick-and-place tasks may involve tens of thousands of different objects, arranged or packaged in an almost infinite number of possible configurations. Tasking expert robot programmers to set up these machines would be cost prohibitive in these complex environments. Mujin director of sales Josh Cloer demonstrates a no-code solution to address this problem to Jim Anderton at Automate 2023. 

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Traditional manufacturing assembly lines are fixed, with individual stations containing trained individuals or purpose-built automation. A new generation of mobile robots however, promises to free the manufacturing process from the rigidity of linear assembly lines and truly optimize floor space and machine motion. The semiconductor industry is especially sensitive to wasted time and space, especially where expensive cleaner facilities are necessary. Rishabh Arora, team lead, application engineering with Mobile Industrial Robots demonstrates advanced control of AGVs on the factory floor to Jim Anderton at Automate 2023. 

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The great majority of industrial robotics applications involve highly repetitive work. In aviation, rivets, pins and collars and nut plates are installed by the thousands in each airframe, and it’s delicate work. At Automate 2023, Micropsi vice president of sales and operations Matt Jones shows Jim Anderton a system to train cobots by literally leading them by the hand for delicate, high value tasks. 

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The open secret to industrial robotics is that linear, Cartesian motion is in fact driven by rotational motion at robot arm joints. Imparting that motion requires electric or hydraulic drive motors, and a torque multiplying geartrain for most industrial applications. To deliver the right amount of torque repeatability in robot motion requires torque sensing at the joints, sensors which themselves are subject to error and calibration issues. At Automate 2023, Schaeffler vice president of robotics Nicolai Haemmerle shows Jim Anderton a unique torque sensing system built integrally with a robot arm joint planetary gearbox. 

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As welding processes and the automation that drives them have become more complex, welded assemblies have also increased in complexity. The combination of multi-axis articulated robot arms and automated positioning tables offers excellent access to the joint, but cycle time reduction and process optimization has become a complex task for engineers to manage. The digital twin and advanced simulation lets engineers experiment and iterate off-line, at low cost, without interruption of production processes. Mariah Sampson, digital manufacturing engineer at Metalquest Solutions demonstrates the power of simulation in welding automation to Jim Anderton at Automate 2023  

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Welding is a highly skilled trade and was one of the first industrial tasks to be automated. The use of general-purpose robots and cobots has allowed small and medium-sized operations to move up to automation, but most skilled welders lack the ability to program complex machine motion. At Automate 2023, Rob Goldiez, CEO of Hire Robotics shows Jim Anderton and easy to program system that eliminates the need for specialist robot programming skills in welding automation. 

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Surprisingly little of the history of industrial robotics has been preserved, especially compared to technology from high profile sectors like automotive and aviation. Joseph Engleberger’s Unimation is widely regarded as the first manufacturer of industrial robots, and in 1968, Kawasaki signed an agreement to manufacture Unimate robots for the Japanese market. They were instrumental in the manufacturing revolution pioneered by Japan in the 1970s, but very few original Unimates exist today. At Automate 2023, Kawasaki Robotics displayed a pristine, functional Kawasaki Unimate alongside modern units. Zach Thoma, regional sales manager for Kawasaki robotics, shows the machine to Jim Anderton.  

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Machine vision has done a great job for decades in automation applications by using light and contrast to define shape in pick-and-place tasks. In challenging applications like packaging, surface shape, color, reflectivity and texture make accuracy and repeatability difficult, especially at the high speeds common in mass production. AI can be used to error proof tough object recognition tasks without the need for regular operator intervention and the resulting line stoppages. Ed Goffin, senior marketing manager for Pleora, talks about the future of AI and machine learning with Jim Anderton at Automate 2023.  

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