Robots and automation — a chance to make things better

It is likely there will be a growing trend towards the adoption of robotic automation as skills and labour shortages increase.

The world is changing fast. In the last three years alone, we have seen an unprecedented combination of events, from the COVID-19 pandemic through to global conflict and supply chain disruptions that have shaken traditional business models and led businesses to look for new ways to improve their resilience against future shocks.

Automation and robotics present significant scope for boosting productivity in manufacturing and logistics applications. Offering the potential for faster, consistent and more efficient production with less waste, robots provide companies with the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions, making them especially well-suited to addressing many of the current challenges facing the Australian economy, including the growing shortage of skilled and available labour.

New technologies, new possibilities

As robotic hardware, software and AI technologies increasingly combine, new possibilities are opening for deploying robots in manufacturing applications. Today’s robotic solutions can be used to achieve highly automated end-to-end manufacturing, with options encompassing everything from low payload cobots and fast picking delta robots through to modular solutions and complete cells for handling multiple operations. Examples of tasks that can be handled robotically include parts storage and retrieval, machine tending, welding, finishing and painting, quality inspection and logistics functions such as storage and retrieval, picking and sorting. The development of smart AGVs and mobile robots (AMRs) is also helping to boost efficiency, enabling the seamless transfer of parts or sub-assemblies between different production stations and ensuring that they are delivered where they need to be, on time and without error.

Globally, the benefits that this joined up approach to production can bring is seeing a steady growth in the adoption of robotics and automation outside of their traditional automotive stronghold, with a variety of industries, including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, electronics, logistics and construction looking for ways to integrate robots into their operations.

Tackling SME concerns

Innovations such as cobots with simplified programming and user interfaces are also helping to address many of the concerns around complexity and affordability that have deterred small and medium-sized companies from investing in robotic automation, providing them with an easy and scalable path for learning how to integrate robotic automation into their operations.

The global market for collaborative robots is estimated to be worth US$12.30 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 50%, according to research firm Markets and Markets. One key driver for growth is the development of collaborative robots for workplaces outside large manufacturing environments. While robotic automation technology has evolved to meet the growing demands for high-volume industrial production, it has also led to the creation of smaller collaborative robots that are designed to fit easily into existing production lines to increase productivity while working safely alongside people.

The inherent qualities of collaborative robots such as the ability to mount them on tables, walls and ceilings, and their easy-to-install and program features make them ideal automation solutions for smaller manufacturers. With their smaller size and reduced need for peripheral equipment, collaborative robots are also much less costly to install, making them much more affordable to purchase and deploy.

Cobots provide the opportunity for inexperienced users to tackle the ‘low hanging fruit’ of simpler applications, with the experience gained enabling them to develop their understanding of what can be achieved with more complex set-ups.

Taking the pain out of change

The growing availability of tools such as digital twins, VR and AR, and offline programming and simulation software is also helping companies to find ways to optimise robot performance by enabling them to develop and test different configurations to find the best solution for their requirements.

The ability to model and refine robotic processes to find the optimum configuration is particularly beneficial for industries subject to rapid changes in consumer demands, such as the food and beverage and logistics industries. In these industries especially, requirements can change quickly due to shifting consumer demands, requiring production or handling lines to be adapted to accommodate new products or packages.

Robots and people: the best of both worlds

With the ability to handle an expanding range of tasks and work consistently around the clock, robots provide an ideal solution for enhancing working environments and productivity. Ongoing developments in robotic usability, performance and capabilities including vision, force control and path following have helped to broaden the applicability of robots across a range of tasks and applications, enabling them to be used to fill gaps in workforces caused by skills shortages. In many cases, this can enable companies to make better use of their existing skilled workforces by using robots either to take over lower value or dirty and more dangerous tasks or else to provide additional, much needed production capacity.

An agricultural equipment manufacturer, for example, introduced a robot to handle complex welding operations for a hedge-cutting attachment, enabling its experienced welding team to be deployed onto other lower volume, niche products. The resulting improvements, which included a 66% reduction in production times, helped the company to expand its production capacity, with extra products able to be handled by the robot and the manual workers being used for fast turnaround tasks and those which are too large for the cell to handle.

Another example is an Italian company that specialises in the production of high-end handles, knobs and trimmings for consumer and professional appliances including ovens, refrigerators, cooktops, stoves and microwaves. The company was facing increased competition that required improved manufacturing productivity and a greater range of options for customers in lots ranging from very few parts to thousands. At the same time, it wanted to continue its people focus by using automation to enhance jobs rather than replacing them.

To achieve this, the company installed a robotic cell incorporating a collaborative robot. The cell was designed and engineered anthropometrically around the operator, so all activities in the installation are ergonomically managed. A simplified touch screen interface was created, allowing workers without specialised robot programming skills to successfully operate the application and easily accommodate changes between products. The cell enables the company to combine the inherent adaptability and judgement of its human workers with the robot’s speed, dexterity and ability to consistently perform repetitive production tasks. Workers now have more of an interesting supervisory role for the application, while the robot performs jobs that are not ergonomically comfortable for people, such as tightening small screws at awkward angles in confined spaces.

Cobots enable factories to combine the inherent adaptability and judgement of its human workers with the robot’s speed, dexterity and ability to consistently perform repetitive production tasks.

Since installing the cell, the company has increased its throughput, with orders able to be processed more quickly. Improved worker performance achieved by delegating arduous and repetitive tasks to a robot has also meant that average productivity has increased by 20%.

Preparing for a robotic future

With many companies citing a shortage of expert robot operators as a key reason for not switching to robotic automation, there is a need to ensure that both current and future generations of workers can access the training they need to be able to use robots.

For this reason, robot manufacturers have devoted considerable effort to designing training programs aimed at all levels of ability, enabling operators to develop their skills from basic through to advanced levels. At the grassroots level, specific efforts have also gone into developing packages for schools, colleges, and universities, combining both robots and programming tools to equip students with the knowledge and experience needed to develop, build and maintain robotic solutions for manufacturing applications.

At the university level especially, this can also have the benefit of helping to identify new ways for robots to be used to deliver improvements or solve problems. University research, for example, was the starting point for a new flat panel display recycling solution that has been developed by an Irish start-up. The company’s solution combines robotic automation and AI to enable the sustainable dismantling of computer and TV flat panel displays, separating out harmful chemicals and valuable components for recovery and reuse rather than sending them to waste.

Innovating for the future, today

As skills and labour shortages encourage companies to look for new ways of manufacturing and distributing their products, it is likely there will be a growing trend towards the adoption of robotic automation as a way of shoring up their workforces. These possibilities are likely to expand as robot manufacturers and their partners work to develop enhanced software features such as cloud connectivity, artificial intelligence and machine learning that increase their functionalities and make them safer, more adaptable and flexible and easier to use.

Top image: ©iStockPhoto.com/JIRAROJ PRADITCHAROENKUL