Automation blog

Mobile robots smarten up Toyota’s new parts centre

28. april 2020 Intelligent robots and sophisticated design are helping Toyota to achieve a higher level of efficiency at its new warehouse in Sydney, Australia. 

Cobot and flexible production - Future-proofing SMEs?

17. marts 2020 Many countries in Europe, such as the UK and Germany are likely to experience serious labour shortages over the coming decade, especially in relation to technical specialists. At the same time, product lifecycles are becoming shorter. Despite this, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) might be reluctant to invest in additional automation. However, collaborative robots (cobots) are easy to set up and offer a quick and cost-effective solution. They can increase the flexibility, quality and speed of production and enable companies to respond rapidly to changing market conditions. Omron’s TM series of cobots are a good example of this versatility.

ŠKODA AUTO uses LD mobile robot at Vrchlabí plant

17. marts 2020 The autonomous robot contributes to the continuous improvement of work safety in Vrchlabí and helps to minimise work risks. It recognises people crossing its path as well as other vehicles and stationary obstacles.

Safety in collaborative applications

10. februar 2020 Collaborative robots can be used in a wide range of industrial applications. Thanks to various integral safety features, they can work safely with or near people. In addition, they can easily adapt to changing needs. This results in increased productivity, especially in repetitive tasks, enabling manufacturers to reap the benefits of a high return on their investment. However, for a cobot application to be successful, it must incorporate safety considerations based on comprehensive risk assessments. So, what are the industry safety standards and solutions that will enable a company to gain the maximum value from cobots within a collaborative workspace?

The factory of the future: people and machines working together in harmony

20. januar 2020 Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming the efficiency of industrial production, through stronger interactions between man and machine that can boost productivity. A new, promising model for ‘factory harmony’ is based on intelligent, integrated and interactive design for tomorrow's manufacturing processes.

Humans and machine collaborate to meet today’s challenges

23. december 2019 In Shanghai, labour costs are increasing by 7% every year. With growing shortages in manpower, it is becoming more and more difficult to hire factory operators. On the other hand, companies must consider return on investment and equipment effectiveness when adopting automation solutions in the factory.

Three pillars of successful cobot deployment: safety, quality and flexibility from a single source

4. november 2019 The use of collaborative robots is expected to increase rapidly in the next years to meet the needs of flexible production lines. To ensure that manufacturing layouts can be easily adapted to changing customer requirements, we recommend teaming up mobile robots and cobots. In addition, companies must consider integrated software apps and vision technology, as well as ensure support and risk assessment.

Agile and clever tailor-made mobile robotics

4. november 2019 Major German automotive group optimizes efficiency and innovation leadership in material handling with Omron LD mobile robots and a conveyor attachment from cts GmbH.Automobile production and assembly line production have always been closely linked. It was not until Henry Ford began using conveyor belts in his factories in 1913 that the car was able to conquer the world as a mass-produced product. Today, a working day without assembly lines is inconceivable at the BMW factories. The group relies on innovative transport and logistics to increase efficiency and flexibility, to better link work processes, as well as to relieve employees from repetitive and time-consuming tasks. These concepts include Omron LD mobile robots for material transport that deliver a particularly high return on investment (ROI). These autonomous mobile robots are equipped with a conveyor tower - a height-adjustable load handling device, developed by system integrator cts GmbH. The interaction between employees and transport robots at BMW impressively demonstrates how factory harmony can be implemented in the factory of the future.

Top tips for choosing a mobile robot

16. oktober 2019 In an age of short product lifecycles and an increasing demand for customised solutions, if you’re a manufacturer, you need to be very agile to remain competitive. For instance, you might need to make products down to a lot size of one as simply and cost-efficiently as in mass production; or to change or update your production line at short notice. One key solution is a greater co-operation between people and machinery, leading to improved efficiency and more flexibility in the design of the production line.

Autonomous bin picking with a collaborative mobile robot

16. oktober 2019 Our TM collaborative robot provides a unique solution to easily automate applications such as picking and packing that, traditionally performed by humans, have been challenging to automate. As part of the TM series launch, we also released a mobile-compatible model, which seamlessly integrates into Omron’s LD series autonomous mobile robot. Combined with a 3D vision camera mounted directly onto the collaborative robot, this enables for example e-commerce companies to automate more complex tasks. This includes pick and place of various items onto a tray or container, as well as connecting production processes with the autonomous mobile robots for flexible manufacturing and materials handling.

The power of collaboration between machines, people and teams

1. oktober 2019 With today’s rapid advances in technology, the manufacturing sector needs to be increasingly agile, ready to adapt to changing demands. Production lines must be more flexible, so that they can cope with shorter production runs, more varied products and tight deadlines. So how can manufacturers address these challenges? The solution lies in more advanced, interconnected and intelligent systems that can be programmed to handle a range of tasks.

Mobile robots speed production at new ‘smart factory’

26. september 2019 Showcasing flexible production in real life, a new ‘Smart Factory’ in Norway uses a variety of robots in a system developed and implemented by system integrator Intek Engineering.