The automotive industry has been using industrial robots for more than half a century since General Motors first adopted UNIMATE in the early 1960s. During the transition period, a large number of robots were used in the auto sector. has experienced strong growth. Robotic technology has also improved with lower cost, more flexible, collaborative systems that have helped complement and replace bulky and inflexible traditional robots.
Using robots allows automakers and auto parts manufacturers to speed up production, reduce costs, improve quality, and protect workers from hazards. Collaborative robots (or “cobots”) have created new possibilities for automakers, including the ability to deploy robotic arms near workers without the need for fences. Cobots allow manufacturers to free workers from tedious, dirty and dangerous jobs – plus, the robotic arm is available 365 days, 24/7.
WHERE IS INDUSTRIAL ROBOT USE?
There are very few industries that are not reaping the benefits of automation. Since the first automotive robot entered the production line at GM, countless other factories and warehouses have adopted robotic technology. Industrial robots include the pharmaceutical, general manufacturing, medical and agricultural sectors. Universal Robots cobots are flexible platforms that can be deployed on multiple tasks in multiple environments. The only limits are the payload, safety compliance and your imagination.
WHAT ROOTS INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS RESPONSIBLE?
Applications of robots in manufacturing include a wide range of jobs from material handling; select & set; appraisal for assembly; Packing & unloading pallets and finishing. Robots are designed to perform repetitive tasks and free workers from strenuous physical work. Robots can be equipped with machine vision and artificial intelligence systems that allow them to react to a variety of situations and provide feedback on system performance in real time.
COBOT IN CAR MANUFACTURING
Some of the pressing problems faced by automotive assembly lines include the risk of injury, slow lead times, and end-product quality problems. These problems can be solved by deploying an automated robot.
For example, the UR10 cobot is used by Continental in Spain, a leader in the automotive sector to perform tasks that handle and activate printed circuit boards and components during production.
The UR10 cobots have enabled Ford’s Romanian manufacturing plant to deliver faster throughput, while freeing workers from repetitive tasks.
Almost any physical task involved in assembling a vehicle can be handled by the robotic arm. There are also plenty of opportunities for robots to demonstrate their capabilities as in tasks that require decision making, such as performing pass/fail quality checks to ensure the final product. full quality.
WHAT ARE THE 6 KEY APPLICATIONS OF COBOT IN CAR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY?
Let’s take a look at some examples of cobots in car manufacturing. There are six main types of applications including assembly, painting, welding, machine maintenance, material removal, polishing, and quality control. Before robotic arms appeared, manufacturers needed another robot to perform each of these tasks. Today, an autonomous robot from Universal Robots can perform all of these tasks simply by mounting the appropriate terminal from the UR+ platform.
Assemble
Cobots play an important role in many car manufacturing plants, including assembly. Automated robots can handle repetitive tasks on a production line, such as mounting door handles and wipers, helping workers focus on other more valuable tasks. Higher payload cobots, such as the UR16e (16kg / 35.3lb payload) can handle larger, bulkier objects such as wheels, doors, and engine covers.
Lear Corporation uses compact, flexible UR5 con cobots to assist in the assembly of car seats. The UR5 robotic arms are small (Ø 149 mm), allowing them to operate in tight spaces, where they can perform tasks such as assembling car seats and support frames. At Lear, the UR5 cobot completes screwdriving 8,500 times per day, which optimizes the company’s production time. Lear deployed its first UR robotic arm in 2017 – now, the company has 38 UR robots at its factory in China to perform car seat screw tightening, electrical testing, picking & placing and other important processes.
Paint
Paint robots have become an integral part of robotic car manufacturing. The robot delivers consistent paint performance and round-the-clock operation that no other worker can match. Moreover, car paint is toxic and dangerous to humans. Tasks like spraying a perfectly uniform coat of paint over a large surface are best handled by the robotic arm. The robot’s accuracy and efficiency in painting tasks also reduces production costs over time as less paint is wasted and there are no human errors.
Welding robot
Welding is another dangerous and time-consuming job that is extremely suitable for cobots. Cobot can do arc, TIG, laser, MIG, ultrasonic, plasma and spot welding, as well as brazing and brazing. The UR+ platform provides all the hardware and software you need to get started with automotive welding applications. For example, the Olympus UR welding system is a low-cost welding solution perfectly suited for small auto parts manufacturers.
This welding cobot is easily programmed with the URCap software on your UR handpiece.
Machine care
Caring for machines is one of the ideal tasks for robotic collaborative automation. Dull, often dirty and sometimes dangerous work, it’s no surprise that in recent years, machine care has emerged as one of the most popular uses of cobots.
Ceiling mounted UR10s assist humans with assembly and machine maintenance tasks at Bajaj Auto in India.
India’s Bajaj Auto is one of the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturers and the first company in India to deploy robots in manufacturing plants. Since then, Bajaj Auto has deployed 100 cobots in its production facilities to assist workers with assembly and machine maintenance tasks. The company sought to improve the standardization of their two-wheelers and speed up production.
Robots remove and polish materials
Material removal and parts polishing is one of the key processes in the vehicle manufacturing process. These processes also include cleaning automotive parts with metal die trimming or polishing for a smooth and smooth finish. Like many other auto manufacturing tasks, these tasks are repetitive and sometimes dangerous, creating ideal conditions for the robot to show off its capabilities. Material removal jobs include grinding, sanding, turning, sanding, routing and drilling.
Robotiq’s Finishing Kits are an example of hardware and software packages that provide everything a manufacturer needs to get started with surface finishing, sanding, and tool exterior finishing. The kit includes Robotiq’s Finishing Copilot software, designed for intuitive programming of finishing applications, regardless of the end user’s robotics level of expertise.
UR robots are built to work flexibly with workers, making them extremely suitable for workrooms and production facilities where safety and space are a priority.
Check quality
The quality control process can make the difference between a successful manufacturing operation and a failure, which is costly, labor intensive. Automated robots are used by the automotive industry to ensure product quality. UR+ offers a wide range of hardware and software specifically designed to help you automate your automotive quality inspection tasks, including aesthetic optical inspection and measurement systems.
Indian auto parts maker Craft and Technik Industries (CATI) have deployed cobots for CNC machine maintenance and inspection applications, helping to increase production and reduce rejects to zero. It’s time for SMEs to automate – robotics is no longer the prerogative of large-scale industries,” said CATI CEO Prashant Shantaram Umbrani. Since implementing the cobot, CATI has managed to achieve a “zero-fault” production environment and increased production by 20%.
Coprehensive Logistics, an Ohio-based manufacturer that assembles engines, has deployed a CCTV-equipped UR10 robotic arm to help with inspection tasks. The implementation allows this Ohio-based contract manufacturer to achieve 100% quality in the assembly process of automotive engines.
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