Robot Technology

Automated handling, palletising and processing

More and more operations in the industry are taken over by robots. This can be anything from vision controlled pick’n’place tasks to item handling, processing and palletising. A lot of robot solutions are installed, as part of improving work environments, to perform gruelling processes such as one-sided repetitive routines and heavy lifts.

A robot solution does not need to be manned and does not need breaks. Therefore, one of the gains is an increase in machine time and thus a larger throughput. Moreover, robots excel by performing routines with a large amount of uniformity and precision, which is why they often are introduced to increase quality. Automated tool changes mean that it is advantageous for robots to perform jobs where item types vary or when producing small series. Flexibility is therefore the deciding factor when deciding between a special machine or a robot cell.

Collaborative robots

Today more and more operators work together with robots. Collaborative robots give businesses of all sizes the opportunity to enjoy the advantages of robot automation without the larger expense of traditional robotic solutions. Employees now have free hands to take care of more complex tasks while the robot performs the tasks that are more repetitive and wearing for their human colleagues. Collaborative automation is quicker to implement, more effective and contributes to a larger market competitiveness.

The robot is no longer confined behind a safety fence. It is now a flexible component to be reprogrammed and swiftly moved to different posts in the production hall to perform new tasks as needed. Of course, safety must be taken into consideration in the collaborative solution when robots and humans share the same workplace. This can be done by mounting an active safety system such as scanners that pick up when an employee gets too close and makes the robot slow down or stop completely.

Mobile robots

Autoguided vehicles are substituting humans more and more today when it comes to internal transport tasks. These robots can eliminate simple transport tasks and optimise the internal transport and product flow. Mobile robots can be programmed to run alone or in larger groups by one controller which, among other things, distributes the tasks and controls right of way. The human employee can now spend time performing more demanding tasks.

To avoid accidents in the workplace, mobile robots are equipped with sensors and lasers to ensure that they steer around obstacles or stop if required. In this way mobile robots can be integrated safely in production and other industries.