Nidec strengthens innovative capacity thanks to mobile robots

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To keep production processes lean and stocks low, the automotive supplier, NIDEC GPM Group, relies on the autonomous mobile robots from Mobile Industrial Robots: at its location in the Thuringian municipality of Auengrund, three MiR100 robots, equipped with the MiRHook towing system, transport material and empty containers between the warehouse and assembly lines. The freed-up human resources can be converted into productive time. Such innovative capacity is a prerequisite for NIDEC to remain competitive.

For about 70 years, the current NIDEC GPM Group has been developing innovative pump solutions for the automotive industry. The manufacturer, based in the Thuringian municipality of Auengrund, is considered a technology leader and continues to set new standards in the field of pump technology. Taken over three years ago by the Japanese NIDEC Group, the former family-owned company now wants to successfully establish itself on the market as e-mobility progresses in order to remain competitive in the long term. Above all, a strong focus on research and development is crucial for this. Of the 1,200 employees at the German location, one in ten is already employed in this area today. In order to use the existing capacities as efficiently as possible, NIDEC GPM has increasingly relied on the Lean principle since the acquisition to avoid wasting resources and to maximise performance.

FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION SOLUTION FOR INTRALOGISTICS: SOUGHT-AFTER AND FOUND 

The company increasingly incorporates state-of-the-art robotics solutions on its production lines. In light of this, it seemed only logical to automate internal material flow as well. Those responsible went in search of a driverless transport system that could manage without structural changes to the infrastructure and could be implemented quickly. Finally, at a trade fair, they came across the autonomous mobile transport robots from Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR). “The robots immediately won us over with their great flexibility,” recalls Andreas Vogt, Deputy Production Manager and Lean Expert at NIDEC GPM. Equipped with sophisticated sensor technology and safety algorithms, the agile MiR robots manouvre independently and safely – also in the vicinity of their human colleagues. They recognise obstacles such as objects or employees from a distance and always move around them or make a safety stop. As a result, there is no need for magnetic strips or rails – exactly what the people responsible for the plant in Auengrund had been looking for.

MiR alla Nidec

WELL EQUIPPED WITH MIRHOOK

After a brief test phase, the decision to acquire robots from MiR was soon made. In close collaboration with the local system integrator, the company successively introduced three MiR100s with the MiRHook towing system in two different production areas. Thanks to their uncomplicated commissioning process, NIDEC GPM was able to quickly integrate them into the current processes. Before their first mission, the robots first travelled all over the factory floor and mapped out their future working environment. For this the robots rely on a powerful laser scanner. On this basis, the mobile robots can get their bearings later on and independently find the fastest way to the destination. Finally, the hook enables them to grip carts and shelf trolleys ideally and move up to 300 kilos per journey. They autonomously navigate between storage and assembly areas, transporting oil pump lids, water pump bearings and drive shafts to where they are needed.

MiR alla Nidec

11 km of travel saved per robot on a daily basis

Franz Scheibe, Team Leader for Assembly, programs the mobile robots for their daily tasks. For this he uses the fleet management software MiR Fleet, which is incorporated in all three robots. “A typical journey looks like this: when the robot is summoned by an employee, it starts from its waiting position in the ‘supermarket’, which is the area where all our parts are in stock. Then it hooks up to the appropriately loaded cart, which it recognises by a QR code, and sets off”. When driving, the robot beeps so that the employees hear it despite the machine noise and do not accidentally run it over.

“With the material in the cargo area, the robot then moves to the assembly line where the respective parts are needed”, continues Scheibe. “It uncouples the full cart and takes an empty one back in return. It transports the empty cart back to the warehouse before returning to its waiting position in the ‘supermarket’”. On the way, the robots also independently cross a lock gate, which opens in contact with a magnetic loop in the ground. On average, each robot covers eleven kilometres a day – a distance that the employees now do not have to walk. Scheibe sums up as follows: “Imagine this: we have the robots operating around the clock, five days a week. This saves our employees a lot of walking and thus a lot of work time”.

mir robots keep stocks low

In one production area of the Thuringian plant, a mobile robot supplies the employees with material at an almost fully automated plant. Two robots are in use in another area, where they supply ten assembly lines there with components. This used to be done by a logistician, says Andreas Vogt. “In those days, there was usually too much material on the assembly lines – and that is of course an unnecessary cost”. Today, the robots supply the employees at the machines with exactly the amount of material they need at the right moment. For NIDEC GPM foreman Johannes Otto, the impact on everyday working life is clearly noticeable: “We have much less material in the production area than before. This saves a lot of space”. Fully in keeping with the Lean principle, NIDEC GPM can optimise its stock and keep storage costs low.

Nevertheless, some employees initially had doubts about their new robot colleagues, says Johannes Otto. “At first, even I had a bit of a concern about it. But then I quickly realised: this is progress and helps us in our daily work. That’s a good thing”. The robots are only relieving employees of repetitive transportation tasks. Add to that the fact they’re easy to handle – and the misgivings quickly disappeared. “The robots are really super intuitive to use”, says Franz Scheibe. “My colleagues quickly learned to generate new orders and get supplies”. They use a web-based interface that can be accessed via a tablet, mobile or computer.

MiR alla Nidec

MORE RESOURCES FOR R&D

With MiR technology, NIDEC GPM has found a cost-effective way to automate its internal material flow. The acquisition of two more robots is already in the planning stage. Currently, the MiR100 frees up the resources of one full-time employee. Amongst other things, this eases the burden and contributes to a greater focus on productive work time. In addition, resources are pooled in the area of research and development. This is an important aspect, as NIDEC GPM soon wants to offer its customers technological solutions and advantages with regard to electrically driven pumps “The area of R&D is the basis on which we can develop our sustainable and innovative technologies”, explains Andreas Vogt. “By automating intralogistics with mobile robots, we are also keeping pace with innovative solutions in production”. With this approach, the company is laying the foundation for remaining competitive in the automotive market of the future.

MiR robots are working at Visteon to improve productivity

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A fleet of seven autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) from Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) works around the clock to optimize the transportation of raw materials to its production and storage lines while improving the work environment.

As the only Tier 1 supplier exclusively dedicated to cabin electronics, and with the broadest product portfolio in this segment, Visteon is in an unrivaled position to meet the needs of automobile manufacturers of smart digital cabins for electric and automatic vehicles. The company’s mission is to guarantee that drivers and passengers can interact easily, efficiently and safely with a vehicle’s sophisticated technology. To stay competitive in a fast-changing market, Visteon is constantly looking automate its workflow. For example, Visteon faced numerous challenges with its internal logistics as its employees manually transported raw materials from the warehouse to the production lines and returned with finished products. This undermined productivity increased the risk of physical injuries and slowed transportation times.

SIGNIFICANT TIME SAVINGS WITH AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION

To overcome these challenges, the company looked for an automated, traceable, autonomous, flexible and scalable solution that could work through three continuous shifts and could automatically link the warehouse area with the production. Moreover, Visteon needed a system that could support the personnel operating inside the facilities, since their work was negatively affected by the manual processes that resulted in long transportation times and physical risks associated with pushing heavy carts.

Visteon decided to implement a fleet of seven MiR100 robots from Mobile Industrial Robots, the global market leader of AMRs. With these collaborative robots, Visteon aimed to improve and expand the autonomy of the company’s internal logistics, facilitate the remote control of the mobile robots, while being able to trace the delivery of material and overall increase increase staff productivity.

Six of the mobile robots are now constantly on the move between the warehouse and production, while one robot automatically picks up and delivers electronic component reels to and from the SMT machines. Visteon can constantly monitor the AMRs, which increases the efficiency of the internal material transportation.

“With the addition of innovative MiR technologies, we’ve improved the functioning and operability of the production plant by connecting our production and storage areas to transport our products and raw materials,” said Arturo Robledo Ulloa, plant manager, Visteon Reynosa. “In addition, these robots enable our workers to be more productive as they focus on tasks that provide greater value for the company.”

One MIR100 robot can deliver materials to three production lines singlehandedly, and and this automated and autonomous transportation has significantly increased the factory’s productivity. “All of our robots are working three shifts a day, so the robots have hugely increased our capacity,” Ulloa added.

USER-FRIENDLY FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SUPPORTS TRACEABILITY AND SIMPLIFICATION OF PROCESSES 

Visteon’s operational team is responsible for assembling and reviewing plant activity. They record the finished products and coordinate the transportation. The entire operation is coordinated from the monitoring center, tracking the mobile robots through the user-friendly management software, MiR Fleet.

“The communication the robots use is very simple,” said Julián Méndez Guerrero, Automatization Engineer of Visteon. “With MiR Fleet, we can keep accurate track of all the robots and their tasks from one command screen at all times. The robots can even communicate with each other to guarantee the most efficient delivery routes.”

Via MiR Fleet, all robotic information is concentrated in a single system, which simplifies the internal transportation and the work with the robots. The real-time monitoring enables Visteon to keep track of their components and ensure on-time deliveries of the right materials from the warehouse to production.

IMPROVED WORK ENVIRONMENT THANKS TO COLLABORATIVE AND SAFE OPERATION

At Visteon, the mobile robots are contributing to a better work environment by taking over the heavy lifting from the employees and saving them many steps – and wasted time – each day. The robots drive completely autonomously and avoid all obstacles on their routes, including people and other robots. The robots are therefore able to navigate in the same workspace as the employees. Fortunately, due to the tasks that the robots have taken over, Visteon’s employees have come to see the robots as their colleagues.

MiR is an open source system that allows customers to develop solutions that are customized for their needs. Consequently, Visteon developed its own interface for the robots, one that allows employees to summon a robot with a single push on a button at the kiosk lines, making the robots especially easy to work with for the employees.

 

 

Process automation comes from Sicily

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Even in Sicily there are examples of companies specialized in process automation. An example comes from ‘Controllogic’. We see several examples of systems built with the integration of Hyundai Robots, distributed in Italy by K.L.A.IN.robotics. The company, realizing the potential of the island, has also recently opened its own office in Catania.

Controllogic is a sicilian company specialized in the automation of industrial processes. Its daily goal is to study the process and make the operational flow safe, standardized, fast and repeatable. This is achieved both through the use of PLC and HMI of the latest generation, such as in the design of ultrasonic nougat cutting systems, control of mixing and pasteurization processes of food products and the revamping of obsolete machines, but also and especially through the use of industrial robots (anthropomorphic and collaborative). The use of the robot aims to achieve important goals in the current approach of the industrial process.

Controllogic has, for example, automated the loading of an incinerator of infected sanitary and medical waste equipments, potentially dangerous for the operator, through the use of a Hyundai robot that feeds, in total autonomy, the incinerator to which operators are no longer exposed. The Hyundai robot is distributed in Italy by K.L.A.IN.Robotics that, in a better perspective, has recently opened an office in Sicily and particularly in Catania.

Safety for the operator, high quality for the consumer and increased quality standards of the final product: these are the finals goals that every day we achieve through the latest technologies in industrial automation.

to dispose sanitary waste

Still in the field of sanitary waste disposal, Controllogic was involved in the design of a system built by a Hyundai robot programmed to manage the containers of human biological fluids. The cycle of the robot includes: the suction of liquid waste from the containers, the convoy of this waste to a chemical equalization plant, the washing and internal sanitization of the containers with ozonated water, to allow the reuse of the same materials and subsequent positioning of the empties in two parking platforms.

Controllogic has elaborated the packaging process of preserves making the flow totally autonomous, from the sealing phase to the palletizing phase thanks to the use of Hyundai and Denso robots, making sure that the food material is not exposed to the operator, increasing food safety to the benefit of the end user.

other examples of processes

A fully automated process created by Controllogic is a system of spraying gels and resins on steel surfaces used for the construction of refrigerated trailers. The process, automated through a Hyundai robot, makes the spraying system uniform and guarantees a high and always repeatable quality standard, moreover it does not expose the operator to the vapors of chemicals potentially harmful to health.

Other examples of automated processes in these years are different. One concerns the palletizing of bags of inert material by using robots that control the packaging machine upstream of the process and the roller conveyor with platform storage downstream of the working cycle. Another example is the automation of the packaging of coffee stirrers by two Hyundai robots. The process consists at first of a robot that takes care to pick up the coffee stirrers and deliver them on the conveyor belt towards the collection and counting cups. The processing cycle continues with a second Hyundai robot that takes care of the pallet pick-up from one of the two cups of collection and deposit in a vertical packaging machine.

A third example is an integrated automation system that uses a robot for palletizing boxes full of 8 and 12 bricks, consisting of 250 ml, 500 ml, 750 ml and 1,000 ml. In this case, the robot picks the boxes up deposit them on the pallet to form the layer layout automatically.

There are other examples: an automatic dispenser system of “stick” surprises to be inserted in food containers in the packaging line, or a system designed to handle food-grade cutting dies. In the last case, the robot cycle provides to pick-up the die-cut packs and then place them and store them on the packaging machine.

 

RMO, September 2020

3 MiR1000 optimize warehouse logistics at Icm

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Use robots where it makes sense, and people to do higher-value tasks. That’s the philosophy behind the design of the entire logistics flow of wholesale company ICM. The company’s Odense high-rise warehouse operates with manned trucks that move along narrow aisles formed by racks that reach 12 m high, removing or placing pallets in position in the racks. MiR robots deliver pallets in a steady stream to the ends of the aisles. Experienced logistics personnel in the warehouse receiving area solve complex tasks, while ensuring the robots take care of the internal transport tasks. The automated pallet transport setup has saved 40 hours a week. Time that the personnel can now spend on more complex and higher-value activities.

The high-tech warehouse with its myriad of pallet transport operations running from 07:00-22:00, is located in Odense. Tonnes of goods arrive at the ICM logistics centre every year on a total of 31,000 pallets. The ICM staff manage 100,000 orders a year, most of these next-day deliveries. ICM is one of Scandinavia’s leading suppliers of personal protective and technical equipment and work environment solutions.

Space is limited. Customers are impatient. Competition is fierce. This means that time, personnel and space must be utilised optimally.

“Thanks to an investment in three mobile MiR1000 robots, three employees now save several hours each on daily activities. They no longer have to spend time manually moving pallets from a stacker to the aisles in the high-rise warehouse.” Instead, they can place the pallets on special MiR racks, from which the robots collect the pallets and transport them to the aisles inside the high-rise warehouse. The MiR robots leave the pallets at the end the aisles to be collected by high-reach trucks that place them in the relevant racks.

“The high-reach truck operators automatically report when they have taken a pallet from a rack, so I can just press a button on the tablet screen and send one more MiR robot on a mission. This way the robots ensure the high-reach trucks are always supplied with pallets”, says Jesper Lorenzen, Warehouse Assistant and responsible for goods reception at ICM A/S.

MOBILE ROBOTS COLLABORATE WITH PEOPLE AND TRUCKS AND SAVE 40 HOURS A WEEK

The high-reach truck operators use a map on a tablet in the truck to see at all times where the small robots are, and the mobile robots make themselves noticeable using audio signals and lights in the busiest areas. This means that there is a close collaboration between the trucks and the robots and in a company with constant internal traffic, communication between vehicles is vital to avoid different machines blocking each other’s path.

ICM has made a dedicated route for the mobile robots, freeing space for other traffic in the logistics centre. Previously, space was very cramped because of the many operations with manual stackers on the main traffic routes, which have now been replaced by the MiR robots. MiR’s fleet management software, MiR Fleet, also ensures that the tasks are distributed between the mobile robots, so that it is the robot that can carry out the task in the shortest time that is chosen, and it also ensures that the three mobile robots automatically move to a charging station and charge up between tasks, so that downtime is optimised.

Overall, the mobile robots have saved approximately 40 hours a week at ICM, time that the staff previously spent on internal transport, moving goods between the receiving area and the positioning areas. These employees can now focus on higher value activities, i.e. planning and optimisation: Assessing, handling and prioritising the pallets and the contents is a complicated task that requires insight and experience because many parameters must be taken into consideration. Therefore, these tasks must be solved by people.

“The robots have saved time, which we can now use to optimise the warehouse and fine-tune flow. We have become used to the new technology and have learned to work in a completely different way. The more we apply it, the more time we save through automation using mobile robots” says Jesper Lorenzen.

USER-FRIENDLY ROBOTS MAKE THE JOB MORE ATTRACTIVE

Logistics at the high-rise warehouse now proceed smoothly, using a modern mix of employees, mobile robots and trucks. ICM’s setup consists of three mobile robots, four manned high-reach trucks, 10 manual stackers and 26 dedicated employees.

The mobile robots have not just increased efficiency at ICM. According to Brian Brandt, Warehouse Manager at ICM, they have also improved the working environment. He sees many positive perspectives on investing in technology that both increases capacity and job satisfaction.

“It’s just so much fun working with mobile robots. Being able to move something from A to B without even touching it, that’s really cool. The design of the MiR robots is so simple and user-friendly that I could take a new colleague in from off the street, and they would also think they’re logical to use,” says Brian Brandt and smiles as he observes a MiR1000 robot moving past, carrying a 600 kg load of cleaning cloths on a pallet.

IMPROVED WORK ENVIRONMENT THANKS TO AMRS

Søren Jepsen, Supply Chain Director at ICM A/S, explains that devising the optimal workflow for the entire flow of traffic and transport of goods in the logistics centre has been a learning process.

“Our warehouse uses the chaotic storage principle, managed by a warehouse management system. We must be geared to be able to drop everything in order to be able to deliver within 24 hours to our customers in Denmark. This means it’s about using our resources shrewdly. We’re investing in new technology in order to safeguard our staff and to attract new, talented people,” says Søren Jepsen.

At ICM, the management sees clear potential in automating more processes. Right now, it is the flow from the good receiving area to the storage aisles, but in the long term, ICM will also automate transport from picking to the delivery of goods and get even more benefit from the robots.

ICM A/S was established in 1946 and since then it has growth through organic growth and the acquisition of companies related to safety and hygiene. It has an annual turnover of approximately DKK 400 million.

 

MiR at ICM

Publitec online, 29 Giugno 2020

Storage robots will be a part of the new multi-house at Billund Airport

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Billund Airport are experiencing a strong increase in the number of passengers. The airport is therefore expanding the terminal with a new multi-house, and Tax-free will be engaging in a close collaboration with storage robots.

THE GROWTH IS CONTINUING AND BILLUND AIRPORT IS EXPANDING

Billund Airport are doing well. A significant increase in the number of travelers have been characterizing the last couple of years. 2018 was another record year, where Billund Airport could publish a growth of 3,9%in passenger numbers. 3,5 million people had chosen to travel through the airport during the year.

billund airport order fulfillment

Billund Airport are therefore focusing particularly on capacity. That is why they are expanding with a 6.650 square meter large building at the passenger terminal. The extra building is a prerequisite for the airport to continue the growth, which has been characteristic for the last several years. The new multi-house is to improve a long line of work processes and provide an ideal utilization of space. For this reason, the new multi-house will be containing storage robots.

STORAGE ROBOTS WILL RESULT IN A COMPACT WAREHOUSE

There will be a direct access between the multi-house of four floors and the current terminal, containing Billund Airport’s Tax-free shop. The storage robots from EffiMat will be fulfilling a storage function, but also provide fast picking for the customers in Tax-free. The storage robot, the EffiMat, can also be defined as a “vertical lift module” but is 4-5 times faster than the traditional lifts on the market. As Billund Airport have experienced an increase in passengers during the last couple of years, the square meters of the new multi-house must be cleverly utilized.

A clever utilization is possible due to the storage robots, which will operate vertically and utilize the height of the warehouse. An EffiMat® will reduce waste of space, the picking speed will be improved, and the employees will be provided with good ergonomic working conditions.

Magazzino verticale EffimatMagazzino verticale Effimat

 

EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT OF WORK PROCESSES AND A HIGH LEVEL OF PRECISION

By utilizing EffiMat® to handle storage and picking, Billund Airport will experience additional significant advantages, which will improve the efficiency of work processes and secure a fast and precise delivery to the Tax–free shop. The warehouse used to be situated in the old terminal and valuable time were spent on internal transport. The new multi-house enables that warehouse and Tax–free will be situated in the same place and available on the ground-floor for storage and on the second floor for picking.

The EffiMat® will be installed in the area around the multi-house, where the goods for Tax-free will be delivered to in the future. The goods will be delivered directly to the storage robots and the warehouse. The employees in Tax–free on the second floor can pick directly from the storage robots. An interface between the ERP-system of the airport and the EffiMat® registers real-time when an item has been bought in the shop and the EffiMat® then ensures to pick the correct item and deliver it to be refilled in the Tax–free shop. This integration ensures that the item is always ready and available for a fast and correct delivery.

By integrating the storage robot as part of the work processes in the multi-house, Billund Airport are securing an ideal utilization of their capacity, along with efficient work processes and the airport will be well equipped for continuing their growth and their line of record years.

The new buildings are expected to be done by the end of 2019.

MiR robots at Bossard Smart Factory

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Company: Bossard
Sector: Elementi di fissaggio
MiR products: MiR100
Company location: Cina
Website: https://www.bossard.com/

Which processes in the production slow down the efficiency? If you ask Bossard, a global leader in the fastener sector, they may tell you that the answer is internal logistics. Therefore, Bossard is focusing on, Smart Factory Logistics, which is one of three core businesses at Bossard, is using two MiR100 mobile robots due to the robots’ features as safety, flexibility and user-friendliness. The robots are used to transport materials between warehouse, lab and workstations, adding new values for the intralogistics focusing on “Last Mile Management”.

MiR100

With Industry 4.0 era, numerous industrial manufacturers actively participate in the vast automation production revolution. When automatic management and efficiency upgrading gradually become rigid needs, diversified human-machine collaboration scenarios emerge up, which enables greater values generated by collaborative robots as a solution on productivity advancement to be seen.

The Smart Factory Logistics solution practiced by Bossard, one of biggest names in global fastener industry, forms up and defines its “Proven Productivity” ecosystem together with Product Solutions and Assembly Technology Expert. Meanwhile, Bossard’s technology integration power has been proven again. Its “Last Mile Management” solution takes internal logistics as a practical and effective aspect to improve, in combination with MiR’s advanced mobile robotics technologies to upgrade and iterate.

The two MiR100 robots at Bossard Shanghai Logistics Centre rely on its outstanding security, flexibility and system adaptability, and gain definite recognition from both European and Chinese teams. With the help of the robots solution, a brand new outlook that workers are collaborating with mobile robots opens up, helping address pain points and bottlenecks that water spider model is not available enough in modern flexible production before. At the meanwhile, MiR also highlight how important intelligent intralogistics is through connecting to other operation system efficiently.

HIGH SECURITY OPENS UP A NEW COMPLEXION FOR HUMAN-MACHINE COLLABORATION

Security is the cornerstone of collaborative robot invention, and also the origin of developing mobile robotics.

An ancient poetry is saying “only when standing on the top of the highest mountain, you see others are small”. Following the highest and most stringent security standards worldwide, MiR mobile robots therefore have an outstanding safety performance throughout the industry. There are two MiR100 robots that back up the intralogistics of the Bossard Shanghai Logistics Centre, as the name suggests, they can move heavy loads of up to 100 kilograms in manufacturing or warehousing.

In fact, the Chinese and European teams both consider MiR has remarkable promise and potential just as a Chinese saying of “Great minds think alike” said. Introduced by Ellick Qin, Smart Factory Logistics Manager at Bossard Fastening Solutions (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, the European team finally selected a MiR mobile robot that strictly meets European industrial safety production standards in July 2018. Almost at same time, the Chinese team came across the MiR’s autonomous mobile robot solution at an industry exhibition in Chengdu. The cooperation has matched up ever since. After a three-month internal test in Europe, the MiR robot project was officially launched at the end of 2018 in Bossard Shanghai Logistics Centre.

Security has long been the hallmark of MiR mobile robots. With the world-class advanced navigation and sensor technologies, MiR robots can run accurate analysis and judgment for obstacles ahead in different application scenarios. For example, in Bossard Shanghai Logistics Centre, MiR robots enable to automatically identify passing workers, forklifts and other devices, with each other to keep the safe distance under dynamic circumstance, to proactively evade obstacles, while doing real-time prediction to movement feasibility and adaptively adjusting operation routes.

HIGH FLEXIBILITY MATCHES FLEXIBLE REQUIREMENTS OF MODERN MANUFACTURING

Mobile robots based on reliable safety are highly expected to meet actual production requirements, to deal with internal logistics bottlenecks, optimize work processes, save related operating costs, and create the human-machine collaboration scenarios that both sides perform their respective roles. The flexibility of MiR robot makes it a truly efficient internal logistics solution.

Externally, MiR robot is a good hand in assisting flexible production. There is no need to invest heavily in laying tracks up front like AGV robots. The deployment flexibility saves customers a lot of time, manpower and fixed costs. In addition, MiR robot is easy to operate and program. With a friendly user interface, MiR robot can quickly and flexibly respond to transportation requirements of different batches, which highly matches market requirements for flexible production and customized service in the era of Industry 4.0.

Internally, MiR robot is a wonderful hand for optimizing daily management. MiR robots can flexibly handle sample picking, sample delivery and replenishment for long distance, multi-point and high frequency requests in Bossard.

At present, the two MiR100 robots serving in Bossard factory play different roles: one robot stationed in the exhibition hall, presenting more like an ambassador of the enterprise, showing the operation mode of “Last Mile Management” to customers; Moreover, it presents in large-scale industry exhibitions and seminar activities, to introduce the most advanced internal logistics solutions to the industry.

The other robot is dedicated to fulfilling tasks. It is always going back and forth between the warehouse and the laboratory, to perform the work of sample delivery and sampling with full energy. At the same time, it assists distribution of receiving and delivering supplementary materials between warehouse to various stations.

HIGH ADAPTABILITY TO CONNECT VARIOUS OPERATING SYSTEMS SEAMLESSLY

Bossard offers a full range of high-quality fasteners products for its various clients in precision manufacturing, engineering machinery, construction, transportation systems. Based on the characteristics of fasteners products, which includes various types, low individual value, relatively high hidden costs on assembly and transportation logistics, Bossard provides its intelligent internal logistics solutions “Last Mile Management” to its customers, in order to achieve the intelligent internal logistic optimization, from storage to replenishment.

Another reason that MiR robot can shine is that its excellent adaptability perfectly matches various systems of Bossard. “From the recommendation of MiR robot, to the completion of installation, debugging and personnel training, the whole application process took only a week, which shows the strong adaptability to different systems of MiR robot,” Ellick Qin said.

In line with different sensor storage systems from customer side, information including fasteners inventory is managed by Bossard’s cloud-based operation system, then can be fed back in real-time way to ARIMS backstage with strong data analysis, to achieve full/semi-automatic replenishment demand at production station.

When MiR100 receives task orders from ARIMS, it can cooperate with ARIMS system online to customize its route for selecting goods efficiently in warehouse and assembly storage area. It can also make real-time adjustment based on practical circumstances. When it comes to the replenishment stage of the production station, MiR100 can also seamlessly cooperate with ARIMS system, to carry materials and participate in the water spider operation, so as to recycle replenishment for production stations efficiently and accurately.

In addition, due to the complexity of working environment, the high adaptability of MiR robot shows its outstanding advantages in various operation situation of Bossard Shanghai Logistics Centre, such as involving rolling doors, elevators, access control system and other elements in operation. In the near future, Bossard plans to build a new industrial park covering an area of around 3700m2 in Tianjin. The internal logistics requirements will be more diversified and complex at that time. It is believed that MiR robot’s advanced adaptive ability will definitely play a more important role.

As the application of cooperative robots in many fields continues to expand and deepen, more dull, repetitive, or high-risk mechanical operations will be handed over to safe and flexible cooperative robots to complete. But the value of human will not be replaced. On contrary, human worker can take more higher value task of using human wisdom after liberation of basic work. With the efforts of MiR robot, efficiency of internal logistics will be further motivated, which sets Bossard as a role model of improving internal logistics. The further man-machine cooperation mode created by industry 4.0 can retake the efficiency eaten by nonlean manufacturing, and thus is worthy of the entire industrial industry expecting.

Greater productivity for packaging of lipstick – Progea Leonardo

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Progea Leonardo, in partnership with K.L.A.I.N. Robotics, launches a new lipstick packaging system. This can be possible using the anthropomorphic robot “DENSO” mod. VS6577 that it ensures a 70 pieces/min flow, increasing the productivity of their work by 110%.

In Progea Leonardo, a young and innovative reality that has been working for years in the field of special machines and mechanical equipment (in particular they follow the entire design phase, up to the realization of the machinery itself) they like challenges. Above all, they love overcoming them. Exactly how it recently happened with the new lipstick packaging system, created in partnership with K.L.A.I.N. Robotics. The system, design for a renowned Italian cosmetic company, can reach 70 pieces/per minute and it was design to provide high standards and maximum precision.

Among all the fields where it operates, the cosmetic one is very fascinating and it’s the reason that, in the last four years, Progea Leonardo started to produce machines to compact make-up powder, or to handle finished products such as lipsticks and mascaras, and volumetric dosing for creams and liquids. Research, design and automation are the key components that support Progea Leonardo and its growth and that led to the meeting with K.L.A.I.N. Robotics, a company that distributes robots for the factory automation and mechatronics components for over 20 years. “During our technological scouting we had the chance to meet all the innovatives solutions that K.L.A.I.N. Robotics had to offer, with its highly specialized team – Angelo Giarola said, the Technical Engineer in Progea Leonardo. What we appreciate the most in this collaboration with K.L.A.I.N. Robotics is to have found a company, that just like us, is moved by great passion and positive energy”. Thanks to the use of the Robot Denso VS6577, it is possible to increase the productivity by 110%, in fact from an initial request of 60 pieces/min, the machine is now able to guarantee 70 pieces/min.

LIPSTICK PACKAGING 

For packaging operations, they use the A19020 machine, designed to replace the operator upstream of the lipstick packaging line. Designed and built in a single load-bearing structure, the machine is divided into 3 distinct areas, load ‘A’, pick and place ‘B’, empty thermoformed unload ‘C’; all these areas are controlled independently by a PLC Safety.

Lipstick packaging machine with Denso Robot

 

The first area ‘A’ is dedicated to the loading area of the lipsticks trays where an operator places inside a trolley made of 13 shelves two thermoformed plates containing 110 lipsticks each. Obviously in order to guarantee a continuous efficiency to the machine and to avoid waste of time, more carts were built to allow operators to fill these ‘buffers’ while the machine is working. The second area ‘B’ is the work place with: an anthropomorphic robot Denso VS6577 with a controlled vacuum tool with two independent sockets, a mechanical rotating table with 4 position which is used to place the robot in the area from the buffer to the empty thermoformed unload position. In the same ‘B’ area, there is a small independent pneumatic station that is referred as ‘the accordion’ because of its movement and also, a precision chain belt with porters dedicated to the storage of the product upstream of the packaging and labeling line. In the end, we have the unload area ‘C’, where a small warehouse and a pneumatic 4 axis pick & place are positioned, that it has the task of picking up from the rotating table the empty thermoformed and put it in the empty discharge area. Tops, it can reach the amount kept in 4 trays. Why was it chosen to divide the machine in 3 different areas? Because in this way, the production of the line is not penalized, and it’s always ensured at least one pick up and one delivery from the anthropomorphic robot without the need to re-equip the auxiliaries every time the doors for extraction and insertion open or for the manual emptying of thermoformed. This was the winning move that allowed to fulfill the client’s requests, increasing the production times by 10% more than what they were used to with manual operations.

HOW IT WORKS 

The following is a brief description of how the machine works, beginning from its ignition. The activation from an operator is possible by turning the 400 Vac general switch on, placed on the electrical panel. Electrically started, the auxiliaries that operate the 24 Vdc circuits are activated by the control panel that – in turn – also put into action the 6 bar compressed air utilities in the various pneumatic cylinders. At this point you must zero the electrical axes of the machine, vertical loading axis of the trolley area ‘A’, horizontal loading axis of full thermoformed trays from the trolley on the table area ‘B’ and you need to make sure that the robot is in its home position.

With the anthropomorphic robot Denso it has been possible to increase the productivity of 110%

Once the wipes are completed, we can prepare the machine load. The loading warehouse door is opened, you insert the tray with all the 26 thermoformed lipsticks, you block it with the lock bracket controlled by a sensor, you close the warehouse door and you push the light blue button to activate the auxiliaries of area ‘A’. Now, you go in front of the touch screen panel, you automatically place the ‘key’ on the mini pendant (of the robot Denso), and start the “start cycle” on the home page. The tray with the thermoformed begins to go vertically up ‘area A’ to position itself on the first tray. This operation will be repeated for 13 times. After that, the tray will be totally empty and ready to be replaced by another one full. When the tray is in the correct position, the loading axis extends itself up to stand directly under the first tray, a small pick & place lifts it from the cart, letting the axis-arm to return in a folded position under the table, delivering the tray full of ‘buffer’ of the rotating table. Once received the electronic consent of correct delivery, the board can rotate to place the thermoformed in the Robot delivery area. Once the correct presence of the tray is noted, the robot starts to pick the 11 lipsticks one at the time with the tool and to place them on the accordion station that takes care of enlarging the wheelbase among the lipsticks. Copying exactly the porters’ steps on the deliver conveyor belt. It’s in this phase that the Denso Robot picks them up with the vacuum tool, but in the second position they have the same space to the one in the pneumatic accordion station, and it ships the lipsticks on the conveyor belt with porters. Obviously, the delivery on the belt happens only if the downstream conveyor belt with porters is functioning and the PLC has confirmed the possible delivery in the cited area and controlled by photocells.

The application is highly performing, and it can handle up to three different types of lipsticks, with a simple quota change. About the management and the use of the new machine, Angelo Giarola said:” We plan to invest in the present and to use robots for various customized applications”. It is clear that the company, with a vision towards the satisfaction of all the market needs, aims to a constant growth, and it looks forward to becoming a strategic partner for development and innovation.

The application is highly performing, and it can handle up to three different types of lipsticks, with a simple quota change. About the management and the use of the new machine, Angelo Giarola said:” We plan to invest in the present and to use robots for various customized applications”. It is clear that the company, with a vision towards the satisfaction of all the market needs, aims to a constant growth, and it looks forward to becoming a strategic partner for development and innovation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“RMO”, Maggio 2020

 

Robot for the NEWICON pharmacy

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Company: NewIcon
Industry: Medica/Farmaceutica
Denso Robots used: VS-068A2 e VP-6242G
Company Location: Finlandia
Web site: www.NewIcon.fi
CHALLENGES

The manual retrieval of medications is a time-consuming task, requiring millions of man hours in hospitals and pharmacies each year. In Germany alone, pharmacies sell some 1.3 billion medication packages annually, or roughly 68.000 packages per pharmacy. Yet medication retrieval is also an error-prone process, for error rates as high as 15% have been reported by some studies. This is a pressing problem, because errors in filling prescriptions can endanger patient health.

To address these issues, the Finnish company NewIcon has developed automated, robot-assisted systems that make medication storage and retrieval safer, faster, and more efficient. DENSO robots lie at the heart of the solution.

THE SOLUTION 

Robot per lo stoccaggio e recupero di farmaci

Robot per lo stoccaggio e recupero di farmaci

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previously, NewIcon employed linear robots in its medication retrieval systems. Since 2010, however, the company has been using DENSO robots, which offer more axes for faster storage and retrieval as well as light-weight components in a compact housing. NewIcon also opted for DENSO because DENSO´s open architecture could be flexibly integrated with its existing software and machine vision system.

NewIcon offers two interlocking systems: a storage system for sorting and registering medications, and an input system for retrieving and delivering medications that have been stored. The DENSO VP-6242G is used in most applications, although the VS-068A2 is also employed when there is a need for faster speed and longer reach. The robots are controlled through an Ethercat bus connection. Robot programming is carried out in Visual Basic and C# using WINCAPS, DENSO´s offline programming, monitoring, and simulation software.

The information for picking and delivering a package can be manually entered by staff on a PC or communicated by scanning a barcode. In both cases, the control system directs the robot to grab the appropriate package and drop it into a container, which is then forwarded to a collection tray. When sorting packages, the robot performs scanning autonomously, without human interaction.

The robot arm is equipped with vacuum pumps and special suction cups to ensure reliable grip. The PC software knows the dimensions of all packages, enabling it to specify exact coordinates for robot pick-up.

BENEFITS

Robot per lo stoccaggio e recupero di farmaci

Robot per lo stoccaggio e recupero di farmaci

 

Thanks to the speed and precision of the robots, both systems boast extremely high reliability and efficiency levels. Generally, a robot can identify and retrieve 240 incoming packages per hour in pharmacies and up to 450 packages per hour in hospitals (60% faster than a human). These numbers can be increased by using multiple systems simultaneously. The times for retrieval depend in part on the solution chosen by the customer; typically, a robot needs 6–8 seconds to deliver an individual package, but with the option of multi-picking, this can be reduced to 3–4 seconds per package. Using multiple systems, efficiency can be further optimized, last but not least, DENSO robots guarantee a practically zero error rate (99.9%). This is extremely important in health care, as misfilled prescriptions can endanger patient health.

The feedback from staff working with the robots has been very positive. Staff members particularly value the reliability of the system. The aesthetic appeal of the white robot components is also regularly praised.

Currently, more than 70 systems, employing more than 100 DENSO robots, are being used in hospitals and pharmacies around the world. NewIcon has been extremely satisfied with the robots as well as DENSO´s close customer support.

NewIcon is already using DENSO robots in other areas; a DENSO VS-050A3 is currently being employed as an IV ICON antibiotic compounding robot – and the company promises “there is more to come.”

 

Working in synergy for high-speed assembly

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WORKING IN SYNERGY FOR HIGH-SPEED ASSEMBLY

With the collaboration of K.L.A.IN.robotics, ADAT created a system for the high-speed assembly of faucets. The machine can reach a flow of 40 pieces/min, even different from each other, thus ensuring flexibility and zeroing of set-up times.

The consultancy and technical service of K.L.A.IN.robotics are the driving force to create solid and lasting partnerships. Proof of this, it is the historic collaboration established with ADAT, a company specializing in the design and implementation of complete and integrated industrial automation solutions. Thanks to the support of K.L.A.IN.robotics, ADAT has created a system for the high-speed assembly of a faucet, developed for a Sicilian company that manufactures irrigation components. The machine is currently in production with a flow capable to reach 40 pieces / min, changing the format in a few seconds.

Since 1987, ADAT proposes itself as a partner for the industry, supplying automation systems tailored to every need. The company carries out all the project phases internally, starting from the problem analysis strategy, up to the delivery of the “turnkey” system. The activity of ADAT is based on the use of systems using robots or newly developed systems with dedicated mechanics, the management of axis controls regardless of PC or PLC, the use of the most varied types of sensors, as well as putting all this in communication with database for the acquisition of processing data rather than for the communication of results. Here is the role of K.L.A.IN.robotics, which is ready to offer its consolidated experience and offer the best solution in terms of efficiency and costs by applying cutting-edge quality components.

from disarranged components to a precise assembly

The machine is the result of the encounter of ADAT with a Sicilian company producing irrigation components and, specifically, plastic faucets. The first step in the project was to study the production system to create a machine that can flexibly cover the entire production.

The goal of the system was to process the high-speed assembly of the faucet, ensuring flexibility in the management of about one hundred different models and the zeroing of set-up time. The operation consists of feeding the basic components starting from the bulk, the valves, the bodies (about 100 different shapes and sizes) and the O-rings that must be mounted on the valve after being accurately lubricated. In addition to assembly, the system checks that all the processes take place correctly, managing the correct assembly of the O-Rings and the valve itself on the body via cameras. The challenge was successfully met thanks to the collaboration with the customer, optimizing the process through the use of different technologies provided by the network of ADAT partners, including K.L.A.IN.robotics.

TWO CAMERAS MONITOR THE WORK OF THE ROBOT

If feeding pieces with identical shape and size is not a problem, it is a whole different story when it comes to handling very different pieces, maintaining high positioning precision and with no need for mechanical format changes. ADAT needed a flexible vision guided robotic system that can be completely and easily programmed by the operator, so that the pieces fed in bulk were collected by a camera-driven robot.

The vision guided robotic system was completely developed by ADAT.

However, the know-how of KLAIN.robotics also came into play here, as they provided ADAT with a DENSO robot, which was then implemented with a flexible vision guided robotic system. This made it possible to manage hundreds of body models, in addition to guarantee future compatibility, given the extremely easy system programming in case of new pieces. A camera checks the correct assembly of the O-Rings, which cannot be verified after assembly, thus solving any non-compliance at the source. Moreover, a second camera analyzes the correct insertion of the valve on the body, avoiding the presence on the market of damaged or not conforming pieces.

Lavorare in sinergia per un assemblaggio ad alta velocità

 

Robhofeed for the robotic enslavement in the cosmetic field

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Successful partnerships bring benefits to all the contractors involved, thanks to the sharing of all the technical know-how and other skills. K.L.A.IN.robotics, leader in the distribution of robots for the Factory Automation and Mechatronic components on the Italian market, has always believed in collaborations.

One of them was established with DECA, company specialized in the creation of industrial vibrators and enslavement systems. This partnership has been going on for over 10 years and it has led to the creation of high-performance systems, reliable and customizable.

Versatility, therefore, in creating machinery that can operate efficiently on different items and details, rapidly changing the formats of the products to process and, at the same time, the ability to serve the most varied sectors, from cosmetics to automotive.

THE PROJECT WAS CREATED FOR THE COSMETICS INDUSTRY

“Our collaboration with K.L.A.IN.robotics started in 2010, when we built our first vision system. Since then, we have come a long way and so far, this partnership has given us positive results in every respect: from the quality of the proposed solutions, to the availability of technical and design assistance, up to the fast service”, Andrea De Capitani, CEO of DECA.

“Our desire is to fulfill the most particular and complex customer requests, facing the difficulties and being able to go beyond them, where others struggled to reach. With the help of K.L.A.IN.robotics we can state that we have achieved the goal”.

K.L.A.IN.robotics also provides technical advice and support, thus managing to select and propose the most beneficial and efficient products. The fruit of all this work is Robhofeed, the robotic enslavement machine designed for the customer Sorini & Migliavacca, international leader in the production of brushes and applicators in the cosmetic packaging sector.

The plant can process products that could not be handled with traditional systems, providing unprecedented versatility on various details, ensuring the possibility of having an instant format change, manageable and programmable from the panel.

Robhofeed therefore offers unoriented gripping solutions, removing any joints or machine downtimes, by the use of anthropomorphic or SCARA robots, guided by a vision system able to perfectly coordinate the robotic gripping.