Page 27 - MetalForming November 2022

FABRICATION
Robots Cobots:
Shop-Floor Applications and ROI
From large OEMs and Tiers to Mom & Pop job shops, robotic automation has taken off. Find out where robots and cobots serve best on the shop floor and how best to determine payback.
Remember the old pressroom- automation argument for robots? These tireless movers could productively step in for repetitive tasks and jobs deemed tedious or monotonous for shop-floor personnel. Excellent reasons for sure. But events in recent years have only multiplied the arguments. The pandemic, pre- senting social-distancing aspects and adding to the already-urgent workforce shortage, offers a compelling case for robot automation. And, the techno- logical evolution surrounding vastly eased robot programming and the introduction of collaborative robots (cobots) provides an additional driver.
As a result and as the numbers show, robots and cobots have infiltrated man- ufacturing environments. For the third- straight quarter, robot sales in North America hit a record high, according to 2022 2Q report from the Association for Advancing Automation.
The 12,305 units sold in Q2 2022 represent 25 percent more than sold in the same period in 2021, and 6 per- cent more than sold in Q1 2022. Over- all, the North American robotics market
Robotic press tending is one of many applications for automation on the shop floor. Greater affordability along with easier installation, programming and maintainability make automation via robots a viable option for many manufacturers that previously dismissed this path.
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in 2022 is off to its best start ever, the report states, with the market growing 26 percent and 29 percent for units ordered and revenue, respectively, over 2021—even more impressive when considering that 2021 closed as the strongest year ever for North American robot sales.
Tips for First Timers
Greater affordability along with easier installation, programming and main- tainability make automation via robots a viable option for many manufacturers that previously dismissed this path. Initial planning for robot and cobot automation requires many considerations.
First and foremost, a production manager must ensure a safe work envi- ronment. If plans call for traditional industrial robots, consider safety fenc- ing and sensing devices along with robot software—better known as speed and separation monitoring—to prevent
contact with shop-floor personnel (bet- ter known as speed and separation monitoring). Cobots, which by design are limited in power and force, should be considered for tasks that must occur in proximity to humans. Keep in mind that cobots lack the speed, range and weight-carrying capabilities of tradi- tional industrial robots. That said, either type of robot proves highly effec- tive for part transfer and machine tend- ing, given proper safety protocols and compatibility with payload and speed requirements.
Standard industrial robots can oper- ate near workers as long as appropriate safety and sensing hardware is used. These robots typically represent the best choice when personnel only need to access a workcell infrequently—per- haps only every few hours to reload raw materials or check critical part fea- tures. Cobots, on the other hand, prove ideal for working alongside humans to