MT Magazine January/February 2023

FEATURE STORY

AUTOMATION ISSUE

28

do best. A key concept behind the cobot is to work in close proximity to humans to help with those tasks. We’ve found, however, that in some instances, there is a gap between the conceivable and the actual, and it is important to be aware of this when considering the implementation of the technology. This tech is good – when done right. Implementation design can make all the difference. Design for Collaboration It is important to consider “collaborative workspaces” rather than just the robot arms. In this scenario, a work area is set up with an array of sensors. The robot – be it a cobot or a more traditional six-axis arm – is within the matrix created by the sensors. The robot can operate at optimal speeds until a human enters the area; at which point, the robot slows down in order to provide the necessary levels of safety. The collaborative workspace is also configured such that it accommodates things like heavy parts and sharp end effectors. There is another benefit to this setup that goes beyond the tasks being performed by the robot and the worker. The sensors can collect data about the operation. Consequently, there can be improvements made to the process. Or it could be that there are some quality issues that the sensors discern, which can then be used to quarantine the parts. The operation can be adjusted so those problems don’t occur again. Realize that sensors are getting not only more powerful so that they can actually perform analysis at the edge, but they are quite inexpensive, especially in the context of the information that they can provide for overall process improvement.

(notably ISO/TS 15066:2016) to protect human workers in these interactions. The cobots are fitted with a sensor suite and are either lightweight or even padded to minimize any harm that could result from an unintended intersection between the worker and the cobot. If you consider the history of industrial robots, you’ll recognize that their initial purpose was to do the work that was less desirable – working in diecasting operations or feeding stamping presses, for example. It is almost inconceivable that applications like these would revert back to manual operation. With time, robots have become far more capable, such as performing electronics assembly at a rate and with accuracy that couldn’t otherwise be done; advances in servos, sensors, and end-effectors have added dexterity to their abilities. But there are still numerous tasks that human workers with accuracy that couldn’t otherwise be done; advances in servos, sensors, and end effectors have added dexterity to their abilities. With time, robots have become far more capable, such as performing electronics assembly at a rate and