fsdrobotics Archives - FSD Robotics, a Radwell company

In today’s industrial landscape, adding capacity to robotic welding processes is crucial to optimizing operations that can effectively manage and fulfill the uptick in consumer product variety – sometimes regardless of product volume. To gain the flexibility and capability needed for this, a growing number of manufacturers are implementing collaborative welding robots. A style of flexible automation that can be easily deployed or redeployed on demand, collaborative welding offers some attractive benefits to manufacturers such as:

Quick & Easy to Teach

Collaborative robots, like the Hanwha HCR-12, allow someone familiar with the welding process to hand guide the robot, manually moving the arm and torch through a program path to weld a part. This easy-to-use feature enables manufacturers to train someone unfamiliar with robotics how to use a robot in a matter of minutes, as opposed to hours or days.

Safe

While it is true that a collaborative robot enables a human to safely work with or in close proximity to robots, manufacturers must take the proper precautions. There are already risks associated with any kind of welding including arc flash, weld spatter, hot parts, sharp wire and working with a high current of electricity, regardless of the robot or human manipulation. Keep in mind, collaborative welding is only as safe as all precautions taken while using the hanwha cobot in a welding environment. For this reason, personal protective equipment (PPE) and training is still required, as determined by a thorough risk assessment of the robot, end-of-arm tooling, the workpiece and the robot work area.

Easy to Relocate

Unlike some larger and heavier industrial welding robots that weigh around 150 kg, collaborative robots such as the HCR-12 – weighing in at just 53 kg.

Cobots can even be reinstalled elsewhere within the factory as production needs change. An ideal use for a robot of this nature would be a factory or job shop that already has welding tables set up for humans, where the collaborative robot could easily be wheeled up to help supplement manual labor.

Accommodates High-Mix, Low-Volume Production

The fact that these robots are easy to teach makes them well-suited for high-mix, low-volume production runs. Instead of spending an hour or more programming for a part that only requires a quantity of 50, the person programming an easy-to-use collaborative robot may only need a few minutes before the robot is up and running, allowing for fast changeover. The use of robotic welding for fast-paced production in low quantities also helps to reduce cycle time and maintain quality, while possibly freeing a human worker to perform other value-added tasks or complex welds that sometimes are more suited for a skilled welder rather than a robot.

Lowers Cost per Part

If manual workers are redeployed to other operational duties such as custom welding, there is the opportunity to lower cost per part. If a collaborative robot is running simultaneously while a skilled welder is working on another task, there is great potential to get the average dollar per part down over time, especially after return on investment (ROI) has been achieved.

Welds Longer Continuous Seams

Quality in today’s marketplace is essential, especially for high-mix, low-volume production runs. The use of collaborative welding robots enables the ability to create a longer, continuous weld seam. A skilled welder can only weld about a two-foot seam in a continuous motion, while a cobot can make up to a four-foot seam. This is helpful with long parts, as there can be fewer starts and stops, producing a higher quality weld. This type of part would also typically require a larger welding cell with a lot of dedicated floor space, where a collaborative robot can be pushed into place at the part’s current location.

Other Collaborative Welding Robot Applications

A huge advantage of collaborative robots is the versatility that they can provide. Aside from welding, cobots can also be used for other applications in a welding environment such as loading/unloading a spot ped welder, loading/unloading a standard welding workcell, part and weld seam inspection, post-weld part placing into containers, and part picking and placing.

Is a Collaborative Robot Right for Your Welding Application?

If you’re interested in learning more about adding capacity to your robotic welding processes, Contact us for more information and demos!

Source: https://www.motoman.com/en-us/about/y-blog/collaborative-welding-benefits

There are still many people who wonder what a cobot is . Well, cobots are collaborative robots that serve to automate industrial processes , whether they are repetitive, manual processes or that endanger people.

Many companies are already betting on the use of collaborative robots in industrial processes. They provide precision and optimization to the processes, resulting in higher quality and productivity production chains.

They are the new generation of robots, which were born to work together with the operators, with the idea of being able to adapt them to different work processes with great ease.

These are completely safe robots for humans, since they are designed for this purpose, working side by side together with human personnel , they are even capable of interacting with them. However, the label of collaborative is not only given by security. It is also about ease of use, adaptability and accessibility. They can be programmed for different functions very easily, there is no need for special training or high qualification to be able to take charge of programming a cobot. They are provided with a very intuitive interface, with which any operator can move without any problem.

Cobots can carry out almost any type of work , thanks to the full range of collaborative accessories that can be provided. Normally they will be used to perform those tasks that are more repetitive and therefore heavier and monotonous to be performed by the operators. In addition, they can perform tasks that can pose a health risk, or those that require extreme temperatures or with sharp or toxic parts for humans.

Their design is light and compact, so they can be easily adapted to any production center, working even in tight spaces.

Five immediate advantages of Hanwha HCR Cobots for your business

Flexibility

The low weight of the cobots, will allow you to move them very easily to be able to integrate them into new processes. So you can automate any task within your company. Even if a quick change is required or when we talk about small batches.

Simple to configure

It is so easy to use, that even mounting an entire arm for the first time can be done without difficulty. Assembling the entire arm and programming it for a simple task will take less than an hour.

Programming

The cobot is provided with a 3d interface, with which any operator without any programming experience can quickly program the robotic arm. It is as simple as moving the arm to the desired points or touching the arrows on the touch screen tablet. The whole process is intuitive, fast and simple.

Security

You can incorporate cobots in your company without creating fenced spaces or security protections, after a risk assessment. They are equipped with a series of devices that make them safe for operators.

Amortization

If you think that automation is an expensive process and that it is not within the reach of anyone, perhaps it is time to rethink it. Cobots are amortized in a short period of time. It is because, thanks to its design, it is possible to do without other costs associated with automation, such as the large infrastructure of traditional robots, security fences, etc.

Cobots can automate virtually everything

Thanks to the flexibility of cobots and the wide range of accessories they have, we can say that cobots can automate almost any industrial process. They are economical even in the assembly of small batches, since it is a highly adaptable robotic arm. It can do: painting, labeling, screwing, packaging, molding, injection, polishing …

Packaging and palletizing

Let the cobot do the work and all shipments will always be properly packaged and taped.

Laboratory analysis

You can increase the degree of objectivity in tests and analyzes with the help of a cobot.

Injection molding

Cobots can be used in all polymer production tasks, with great precision.

Screwing

You will improve the quality and precision of the products, if the cobot is in charge of always making the same movement with the same degree of force and speed.

Gluing and welding

The cobot will bring high quality to the gluing and welding processes by injecting material, as well as perform welds with great precision.

Polishing

The cobots polish and sand even curved and irregular surfaces, with a constant and adjustable force to obtain a perfect result.

Mounting

Cobots can effortlessly assemble a wide variety of materials, such as wood, plastics and metals. Resulting in a perfect precision assembly. Improving the result of the entire process, increasing quality and speed.

Machinery supervision

Cobots can carry out machinery monitoring functions, easily adapting within the production line.

QA

Cobots are provided with a camera that can be used to review and identify faulty parts within a production chain. Increasing the quality of the product, and avoiding shipping and packaging.

Pick and Place

Cobots can take care of all the applications that are required in the pick and place. In this way, the cycles will be faster, increasing the quality and productivity in the process.

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Why Weld With a Hanwha Cobot?