Automation Custom-fit robot solutions ensure fast parts flow in production

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Production solutions with robotic automation are on the rise: With their help, a fast and low-manpower flow of parts can be established within a site — thus reducing unit production costs and increasing production reliability and quality. In this example, Emag links pick-up machine technology with highly individual robot solutions designed within the requirements of the workpiece and the production process. What are important details?

According to the “World Robotics 2022” report of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), there are now around 3.5 million robots in use in industrial production worldwide. Europe is the second largest robot market in the world. Current examples from Emag show why this is so: The specialists combine their high-performance machines with completely different robot cells — and thus not only ensure highly efficient processes for loading and unloading the machines, but also integrate additional stations for quality assurance, labeling, cleaning and much more. What is the overarching objective at Emag when robots are used? “The focus is always on the requirements of the workpiece and the associated production process,” explains Jürgen Maier, Head of the Business Unit Turning at Emag. “Decisive questions here are, for example, what batch sizes are to be produced in a given period of time and how autonomously the solution should operate. In any case, we are very flexible and adapt in many ways to the existing production environment or space conditions.”

With conveyors, palletizers or drawers

A look at the details shows just how different Emag's robotic solutions are: Parts can be fed, for example, using infeed and outfeed belts, palletizers, drawers or bin picking. With the help of these systems, the robot operates itself when it picks up or finishes placing new components. Each solution has different strengths and basic conditions. For example, belt or hinge conveyors are an ideal option when the flow of parts needs to be smooth from an upstream production solution to the Emag machine. The robot can then simply pick up the components from the belt and deposit them again later, with the belts arranged in different ways — depending on the space situation or the desired flow of parts. Pneumatic stoppers ensure that the components are separated. It is also possible to detect the workpiece alignment on the belt using a camera. A highly flexible alternative to this are so-called bin picking systems (reach into the box). Here, the workpieces are in a chaotic position, with the robot arm not only picking the components with the aid of a 3D sensor system, but also correctly recognizing and aligning them and feeding them to the next processing step. The system can be used flexibly and configured for many applications.