In the BERR Manufacturing Review 2008, 65% of the businesses surveyed identified investment in innovation as a way of helping to protect themselves against competition from low wage economies. UK manufacturers have long struggled to compete against overseas producers capable of utilising cheap labour to manufacture low cost goods. With recent developments in vision guided robotic (VGR) technology, however, which increasingly places robots on a par with their human counterparts, this may be about to change.
VGR allows ‘blind’ robots to see, opening up a wealth of new production possibilities over and above the well-documented efficiencies associated with the deployment of robotic equipment. A VGR system typically comprises three core parts, namely the robot itself, the vision system and the bulk handling system, most usually a hopper or conveyor. In a conveyor-based application, the vision system, which may or may not be integrated into the robot, will check and determine the position of the parts or items being run down the conveyor. Using this data, the robot can react accordingly to select and handle items, in many cases setting its own priorities as to which items to handle first.
The capabilities of VGR lend themselves to virtually any industrial application requiring automated intelligent handling or processing of individual parts or components. Indeed, the benefits are already well proven in the automotive sector, where they are widely used for producing and assembling vehicle engine and body parts. Vision guided robots are also popular in the packaging and food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, where fast changeover between different product lines is critical to ensure desired levels of output and productivity.
What many manufacturers still fail to realise, is that calculating the return-on-investment of a robot system should consider more than just the basic cost of the system versus production and labour savings. By broadening the range of tasks that can be handled by robots, companies will gain more from their production lines and avoid incidences of repetitive strain injury among staff. Moreover, the inherent intelligence of a vision guided robot means it can quickly be adapted to handle different tasks without having to invest in additional equipment. Factoring in additional savings through reduced wastage and/or reduced ingredient consumption can materially reduce the payback time for a robotic system, a present a much more favourable cost-versus-benefits case to those holding the purse strings.
Implementation
Implementing VGR is one thing, obtaining the maximum benefit from it is another. The first thing is to ask yourself what you want to achieve. To get the most from your vision guided robot, you first need to know exactly how, where and why it will be used and how it will fit into your existing process. Consider what products it will need to handle and at what speed, as well as any other ways the robot could be deployed.
Once you have this clear in your mind, you will probably need to seek professional advice. Work with an experienced supplier or integrator who can help you ensure that your system is properly planned, commissioned and implemented. This will also help you to select the best vision guided robot product not just for your application, but also your abilities.
In parallel with all this, you will need to consider your staff – their retraining and how they will be employed on a robotic line. Developments in robotic control software have greatly simplified the way in which robots can be programmed and tested, opening up the training process to even those with little or no prior experience. This can often be an ideal way of redeploying manual operators displaced by a robot, ensuring that they are retained whilst also boosting their skills set.
As a means of cutting costs and maximising productivity and profitability, vision guided robots could provide the ideal solution for UK manufacturers looking for a way through the current economic storm. Their short payback, plus their ability to handle tasks only previously possible with a manual worker can help companies to operate a leaner, more profitable process with lower overheads and greater levels of productivity. The need for trained operators also provides opportunities for manual workers to hone their skills, and a better skilled workforce has to be a good thing for UK manufacturing.
ABB’s TrueView vision guided robotics system provides a fully integrated package combining an ABB robot, off-the-shelf hardware and eVisionFactory (eVF) software designed to enable easy programming and operation. Together, TrueView eliminates the historical challenges involved when attempting to combine disparate hardware, software and integration practices into a functional system, providing the ideal starting point for anyone new to implementing a vision guided robot into their process.
Nigel Platt is with ABB’s UK robotics business