No. 7 & 7A,
Jalan Tiara, Tiara Square,
Taman Perindustrian Sime UEP,
47600 Subang Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8023 9829
+603-8023 7089
Fictron Industrial Supplies Sdn Bhd
No. 7 & 7A,
Jalan Tiara, Tiara Square,
Taman Perindustrian Sime UEP,
47600 Subang Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
No. 7 & 7A,
Jalan Tiara, Tiara Square,
Taman Perindustrian Sime UEP,
47600 Subang Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.
Fictron Industrial
Automation Pte Ltd
140 Paya Lebar Road, #03-01,
AZ @ Paya Lebar 409015,
Singapore.
+65 31388976
sg.sales@fictron.com
Automation Pte Ltd
140 Paya Lebar Road, #03-01,
AZ @ Paya Lebar 409015,
Singapore.
+65 31388976
sg.sales@fictron.com
Benefits of Collaborative Robots
21 Feb 2019
View Full Size
Tell us about Applied Manufacturing Technologies.
AMT was established 30 years ago as an engineering services team and has improved over the last three decades to become a full-scale automation solution provider. Our capabilities present the potential to indulge with our consumers at every level in their manufacturing process from front-end contacting, through concept and design, and build and field start-up. We are often concentrated in robotic automation but our engineers are experienced in many areas of automation technology to allow the solution to best fit the wants of the customer.
How do you determine a collaborative robot in your discussions with customers?
Robots that have been identified as “collaborative” are those products that have been specially fashioned to exclusively interact with humans without the use of additional safety equipment and components. This is usually through the use of force limited joints and special safety sensors. Other standard industrial robots can be manufactured into a collaborative workspace but they need other elements as part of that system in order to make a secure working environment for humans.
Are there areas of human-robot-interaction that do not fall under your definition of a collaborative robot?
There surely are. For the purposes of industrial safety research there have been four types of collaborative systems characterized by how the components of that system work together. Collaborative robots fall into just one of these types of systems. These varied ways of monitoring space and tasks allow work areas to be designed with the method best suited for the particular process and functionality. In fact, some systems may still involve standard industrial robots but not the specific collaborative robot models.
What are the most frequent misconceptions customers have about collaborative robots?
I would say the most common misconceptions have to do with how collaborative robots affect safety criteria for a work space. There are some customers that may see these types of robots as a means to quickly eliminate safety issues that they are seeing with implementing traditional automation. It is true that a collaborative robot is manufactured to work without additional physical guarding like fencing. But the robot is never a lone component in a system. For example some end of arm tools may not be right with working in close distance to a human no matter of being mounted to a collaborative robot. So collaborative robots can have some benefit in this aspect but may not relieve all such fears. All parts of a system need to be examined as part of a risk examination procedure.
What are the biggest benefits of collaborative robots that you have noticed?
There are some benefits of employing collaborative robots when the application and process are a good fit. One of the most talked about is floor space. Standard industrial robots tend to have buffer space and physical defenses to keep humans isolated from automation hazards. Comparatively, a properly created area for collaborative robots will typically be “ fence-less ” and not necessitate additional space between automation and human workspaces. This use of collaborative robots takes up less valuable real estate in an industrial environment. Another benefit of collaborative robots is to produce truly collaborative processes where automation and humans work not only alongside but actually with each other. Start thinking about an assembly area these days where a human may do many jobs to get parts, fit them together, and test function. With collaborative robots we can split these tasks to assign repetitive dull tasks to automation and have the humans allocated to tasks that are more dexterous or those that need decision making.
How are your customers using collaborative robots?
We have executed collaborative robots in a range of applications for our customers. Really the range of applications is wide, particularly as different industries get introduced to the technology. Many of the systems have concentrated on testing applications, pick and place material handling, and packaging handling -- driven by finding chance in traditionally manual workspaces. There are still some constraints that can be a roadblock. For example, collaborative robots have inherent speed restrictions that may affect the productivity of using this type of automation. The devices commonly have payload and accuracy limitations that can affect capability for a task. And there are some tasks that require non-collaborative tools to complete. But these are all pretty acknowledged difficulties that many companies are wanting to offer options for.
What do you think are the most encouraging innovations approaching in collaborative robots?
Most of the development that I think will have widespread impact has to do with application of the technology. When collaborative robots were first circulated people were aroused but still insecure of how to truly execute them. As use situations become available they quickly become followed around an industry. One example of this is tire handling, which often comes about in a quite manual workspace but is very cumbersome for actual manual activity. Spacious collaborative robots are now common place in automotive plants for this process. Another area of development is collaborative robot tooling. Several companies are operating to offer this type of design solution to companies that want to implement collaborative robots so that they can recognize the most benefit from the “ fence-less ” capability.Finding remedies like these can have exponential impact. Once a company or industry has some understanding of how to implement the technology then they will use that same methodology to replicate the value over and over again.
Are today’s safety standards for collaborative robots sufficient?
There has been a lot of emphasis over the last many years to deal with collaborative robots and collaborative technology in general, so it is moving forward. There still tends to be a basic lack of transparency/understanding of how safety reviews and risks checks are carried out. And this surely gets more complicated with a collaborative system. The lack of consistent global standards is also a challenge as we deal with corporations that work in different countries but want to create continuous automation processes. Collaborative robots have assisted to open some doors to industries and customer segments that are new to robot automation. This is a great thing but it also means that there are people with less experience in these criteria who need assistance walking through some of these considerations.
This ariticle is originally posted on Tronserve.com
AMT was established 30 years ago as an engineering services team and has improved over the last three decades to become a full-scale automation solution provider. Our capabilities present the potential to indulge with our consumers at every level in their manufacturing process from front-end contacting, through concept and design, and build and field start-up. We are often concentrated in robotic automation but our engineers are experienced in many areas of automation technology to allow the solution to best fit the wants of the customer.
How do you determine a collaborative robot in your discussions with customers?
Robots that have been identified as “collaborative” are those products that have been specially fashioned to exclusively interact with humans without the use of additional safety equipment and components. This is usually through the use of force limited joints and special safety sensors. Other standard industrial robots can be manufactured into a collaborative workspace but they need other elements as part of that system in order to make a secure working environment for humans.
Are there areas of human-robot-interaction that do not fall under your definition of a collaborative robot?
There surely are. For the purposes of industrial safety research there have been four types of collaborative systems characterized by how the components of that system work together. Collaborative robots fall into just one of these types of systems. These varied ways of monitoring space and tasks allow work areas to be designed with the method best suited for the particular process and functionality. In fact, some systems may still involve standard industrial robots but not the specific collaborative robot models.
What are the most frequent misconceptions customers have about collaborative robots?
I would say the most common misconceptions have to do with how collaborative robots affect safety criteria for a work space. There are some customers that may see these types of robots as a means to quickly eliminate safety issues that they are seeing with implementing traditional automation. It is true that a collaborative robot is manufactured to work without additional physical guarding like fencing. But the robot is never a lone component in a system. For example some end of arm tools may not be right with working in close distance to a human no matter of being mounted to a collaborative robot. So collaborative robots can have some benefit in this aspect but may not relieve all such fears. All parts of a system need to be examined as part of a risk examination procedure.
What are the biggest benefits of collaborative robots that you have noticed?
There are some benefits of employing collaborative robots when the application and process are a good fit. One of the most talked about is floor space. Standard industrial robots tend to have buffer space and physical defenses to keep humans isolated from automation hazards. Comparatively, a properly created area for collaborative robots will typically be “ fence-less ” and not necessitate additional space between automation and human workspaces. This use of collaborative robots takes up less valuable real estate in an industrial environment. Another benefit of collaborative robots is to produce truly collaborative processes where automation and humans work not only alongside but actually with each other. Start thinking about an assembly area these days where a human may do many jobs to get parts, fit them together, and test function. With collaborative robots we can split these tasks to assign repetitive dull tasks to automation and have the humans allocated to tasks that are more dexterous or those that need decision making.
How are your customers using collaborative robots?
We have executed collaborative robots in a range of applications for our customers. Really the range of applications is wide, particularly as different industries get introduced to the technology. Many of the systems have concentrated on testing applications, pick and place material handling, and packaging handling -- driven by finding chance in traditionally manual workspaces. There are still some constraints that can be a roadblock. For example, collaborative robots have inherent speed restrictions that may affect the productivity of using this type of automation. The devices commonly have payload and accuracy limitations that can affect capability for a task. And there are some tasks that require non-collaborative tools to complete. But these are all pretty acknowledged difficulties that many companies are wanting to offer options for.
What do you think are the most encouraging innovations approaching in collaborative robots?
Most of the development that I think will have widespread impact has to do with application of the technology. When collaborative robots were first circulated people were aroused but still insecure of how to truly execute them. As use situations become available they quickly become followed around an industry. One example of this is tire handling, which often comes about in a quite manual workspace but is very cumbersome for actual manual activity. Spacious collaborative robots are now common place in automotive plants for this process. Another area of development is collaborative robot tooling. Several companies are operating to offer this type of design solution to companies that want to implement collaborative robots so that they can recognize the most benefit from the “ fence-less ” capability.Finding remedies like these can have exponential impact. Once a company or industry has some understanding of how to implement the technology then they will use that same methodology to replicate the value over and over again.
Are today’s safety standards for collaborative robots sufficient?
There has been a lot of emphasis over the last many years to deal with collaborative robots and collaborative technology in general, so it is moving forward. There still tends to be a basic lack of transparency/understanding of how safety reviews and risks checks are carried out. And this surely gets more complicated with a collaborative system. The lack of consistent global standards is also a challenge as we deal with corporations that work in different countries but want to create continuous automation processes. Collaborative robots have assisted to open some doors to industries and customer segments that are new to robot automation. This is a great thing but it also means that there are people with less experience in these criteria who need assistance walking through some of these considerations.
This ariticle is originally posted on Tronserve.com