CONTROL & AUTOMATION
INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY
EU AUTOMATION
COBOTS AND THE FUTURE
OF MAINTENANCE
Unplanned downtime is one of the biggest problems in
manufacturing. Recent research by the Enterprise Strategy Group
(ESG) estimates that downtime can cost manufacturers anywhere
between $30,000 and $50,000 an hour. The question is, how much
can manufacturers reduce this figure with new technology? Here,
Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director at obsolete industrial parts
supplier EU Automation explains how collaborative robots can
improve maintenance to cut this figure.
Machine breakdown can incur serious costs for manufacturers. It
can prevent production, delay orders and raise labour costs.
To reduce the risk of downtime, manufacturers are introducing
more intelligent technology to the factory floor. Automated
equipment, for example can increase productivity, accuracy and
flexibility. However, manufacturers need to consider how they
maintain new technology, for the benefits to be long term.
ENTER THE COBOT
Collaborative robots (cobots) can work alongside humans to
complete tasks. Traditionally, industrial robots were large, caged
machines that humans could not interact with as they were heavy,
unaware of their surroundings and posed a safety risk.
Unlike their heavier counterparts, cobots are easy to program and
can work alongside people. They also come equipped with safety
features that mean they stop or slow down when a human is
nearby, which reduces the risk of a collision or safety threat.
Businesses ranging from small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to
large industrial companies are purchasing cobots to improve their
workflows.
COBOTS AND MAINTENANCE
Most cobots are not designed with maintenance capabilities
in mind. However, in-built functions mean that they can help
technicians to reduce the risk of unplanned downtime.
Collaborative robots are built to complete complex tasks normally
performed by humans to increase accuracy and reduce fatigue.
This means that technicians can use cobots to complete intricate
maintenance tasks in a hazardous environment, for example, when
a machine excessively overheats.
RETROFITTING
Small and medium manufacturing companies can see the benefits
from a cobot’s versatility. Collaborative robots can be programmed
and reprogrammed quickly, so they can be used for a variety of
functions, with a quick and easy change in between.
Manufacturers can take advantage of this flexibility to place a
collaborative robot at the most suitable point in the assembly
line, to ensure it has the greatest impact on the business. SMEs
should look to collaborative robots particularly for smaller tasks,
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as this means it can be added to current infrastructure rather than
replacing the entire system.
ROBOTS GO MOBILE
British online supermarket Ocado is using collaborative robots to
improve its maintenance processes. The company collaborated
with manufacturers to build the ARMAR-6 prototype, an
autonomous, humanoid robot that can help engineers reduce
time spent on maintenance in the factory. The ARMAR-6 uses a
three-camera system to detect and recognise humans and objects,
speech recognition to understand commands and hands with
grippers to pick up objects.
“The ambition is that the robot will be able to decide what the
technician’s intentions are and chip-in as appropriate at the
right point in time,” explains Graham Deacon, robotics research
team leader at Ocado Technology. This will assist technicians in
maintaining the automated warehouses the company relies on to
complete orders.”
THE FUTURE
Robots like the ARMAR-6 are changing how we interact with
machinery. In the future, this relationship has the potential to grow
even more. Artificial intelligence and machine learning allows
robots to learn as they work and make their own decisions.
As cobots experience more, they will be able to recognise and
anticipate issues, alerting humans of any potential breakdowns.
Employees or robots could then carry out maintenance on the
machine before it impacts production.
In future, it may be possible to program a cobot to independently
complete maintenance tasks across the factory floor. As they are
lightweight and cage-free, manufacturers could mount a cobot
onto an automated guided vehicle (AGV), so it can freely move
around the factory without disrupting human workers.
More technology in the factory could just mean more machines
that are at risk of breakdown. However, the growing capabilities of
automated technologies such as collaborative robots can improve
maintenance processes to ultimately optimise productivity. One
day, a robot may be able to fix itself.
About EU Automation:
EU Automation stocks and sells new, used, refurbished and
obsolete industrial automation spares. Its global network of
preferred partner warehouses, and wholly owned distribution
centers, enables it to offer a unique service within the
automation industry, spanning the entire globe. It provides
worldwide express delivery on all products meaning it can
supply any part, to any destination, at very short notice.
For more information visit www.euautomation.com