Automation blog
ŠKODA AUTO uses LD mobile robot at Vrchlabí plant
March 17, 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
February 10, 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?
Green is key: sustainability in battery manufacturing for E-mobility
February 05, 2020 Today, sustainability is no longer a niche topic, but something that companies are integrating into their business strategies. Not only are sustainability practices necessary to answer the changing demands of consumers, the marketplace and governments, they are also increasingly being seen as a competitive strength. That’s because sustainability practices reduce energy consumption and waste, and also help companies use their resources more efficiently. They even help companies optimize their manufacturing agility and enable them to respond to fluctuating demand and the growing need for personalization. And finally, sustainability can play an important role in acquiring and retaining customers, as well in developing new market opportunities.
The factory of the future: people and machines working together in harmony
January 20, 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
December 23, 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.
How industrial companies are catching up in the AI race
December 16, 2019 Artificial intelligence (AI) is achieving breakthroughs in the industrial sector. McKinsey recently forecasted that the global market for AI-based services, software and hardware will grow by up to 25% annually and will be worth around US$130 billion by 2025. But AI also represents a major challenge for industries in Europe, which are lagging behind the US and China. So, how can we start putting AI into action? Predictive maintenance is one area that demonstrates its advantages and potential.
IoT security for manufacturers
December 11, 2019 The Internet of Things (IoT) is a recent concept, involving the connection of devices that incorporate electronics, software or sensors, with the aim of collecting and exchanging data.
Six challenges for brand protection
November 19, 2019 Brand protection is an important topic for any business. But as industrial companies invest in new technology, such as smart robotics, artificial intelligence and vision systems, are they aware of the key challenges that could affect their brand?
Three pillars of successful cobot deployment: safety, quality and flexibility from a single source
November 04, 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
November 04, 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.
Smart machines: laying the golden egg?
October 16, 2019 Greater manufacturing efficiency: it’s the golden egg we’re all looking for. But it’s getting increasingly hard to find. The solution could be smarter automation, which involves lots and lots of data (‘big data’) and data collection and data-driven modelling. The smart machine then uses the models to automatically adjust its own behaviour (i.e. machine learning).
Legacy of machine vision
October 16, 2019 Did you know that for more than 40 years, Omron has developed vision sensing technologies for factory automation, surveillance and transport systems, and more recently for facial recognition and image processing for mobile phones, and even driver monitoring for autonomous driving?
Top tips for choosing a mobile robot
October 16, 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
October 16, 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
October 01, 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’
September 26, 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.
The future of flexible production - combining the power of mobile robots and cobots
September 19, 2019 Consumer trends are changing and product life cycles are becoming shorter and shorter. As a result, manufacturers increasingly have to accommodate individual customer needs. To remain profitable, they need to have flexible production lines that can cope with rapid product changes, individual modifications and small lot sizes. Collaborative robots can help them to achieve their goals, especially if they can be used in a mobile environment – i.e. combined with mobile robotics.
Collaborative robots: forging a new future
September 16, 2019 In today’s ever-changing world, manufacturers are facing increasingly heavy demands. Factories worldwide are having to produce a high mix, low volume of products to meet customer needs, whilst also dealing with shorter product life cycles and shortages of labour. To remain competitive, manufacturers must be sufficiently agile to cope with rapid changes in lines and layouts.
Expect the unexpected: Prepare, Prevent & Predict
February 25, 2019 Sudden stops on a production line can cost a fortune. Avoiding unexpected stops and reducing scheduled downtime are key components to boost OEE. It sounds simple, but requires interpretation of the right, often complex, data. Artificial intelligence can optionally be deployed to interpret the collected relevant device and machine data real-time. Our solutions assist you to actively steer your operations to optimize the schedule for maintenance activities, and minimize maintenance and support costs.