How machine builders (OEMs) and integrators drive efficiency in a future world of robots
The rise of industrial robots
Growing demand for smart machines, including smart robots, is driven by the desire to increase productivity and quality, customize on-demand production, increase cost savings, and reduce time-to- market. Industrial robots play a key role in the future of smart manufacturing and smart factories. Machine builders (OEMs) can create additional value by equipping machines with automation and digitization, enabling both machines and robots to be more connected and data-driven. Getting there requires using emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and robotics to help your end customers migrate more quickly to smart factories. Industrial robotics is not new. What is new is the emergence of collaborative robots (cobots) and a level of Industry 4.0 agility and connectivity that eases programming and integration at a more affordable price. While industrial robot costs are decreasing, a practical approach to understanding the full value is evaluating their total cost of ownership (TCO)–savings in operator wages, maintenance, and energy consumption.
Six trends driving robot and cobot growth
1. Robotic drive efficiencies – Robots impact several operational areas: Manufacture higher volumes of quality goods over shorter periods while operating 24/7 without fatigue. Produce consistent output with little variability over a given production batch. Designed to handle repetitive and tedious tasks and are not prone to errors or distractions, maintaining high quality and Overall equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Improve workplace health and safety by performing well in harsh environments and handling riskier operator tasks involving heavy weights to reduce accidents and injuries.
2. Labour shortages – The obstacle of insufficient operator staff to meet business demands can be augmented with robotics. This can also help solve automation challenges while offering existing workers the prospect of learning new skills and transitioning from repetitive manual work to more supervisory roles.
3. Global pandemic – Supply chain disruptions, workplace isolation restrictions, and a renewed focus on resilience have accelerated businesses’ adoption of robotic technologies. Regardless of on-site plant workers, some robotics operations can continue to function with remote management and guidance.
4. Digitisation and Industry 4.0 – Breakthroughs in software driven digitisation enhance speed, flexibility, and operations quality. Mass customisation is achievable while reducing costs and timeto-
market. Advancements like AI, ML, the internet of things (IoT), digital twin, and big data are now more tightly integrated with robots. As manufacturers transition from Industry 4.0 to 5.0, humancentric solutions cobots will become the norm to reach new levels of efficiency and enable more personalised autonomous manufacturing through enterprise social networks.
5. Lower cost and increased ease of use – Robotic systems are becoming more affordable with ease of use driving interest in cobots. Now, anyone can use a mobile phone or tablet interface to program a cobot, greatly simplifying human-robot interactions.
6. Ease of integration and interoperability – From an engineering perspective, advancements in computing power, open software development techniques, and networking technologies have allowed faster assembly, installation, integration, and maintenance of robots. A centralised architecture with one programming platform using open standards makes it much easier for automation systems, machines, and robots to work together. The introduction of cobots also extends that connectivity to operators directly interfacing with the robots.
Benefits of robotics
Economic, human, and environmental factors
As interest in robots and cobots continues to accelerate, machine builders (OEMs) and integrators can position themselves to meet the demand with forward-thinking solutions that account for end-user requirements. Those requirements generally fall into three broad categories: economic, social, and environmental – the three pillars of sustainability.
Manufacturers across essential industries like Semiconductors, Logistics, and Consumer Packaged goods recognise that integrating machines with robots and cobots results in faster cycle times, higher yields, reduced work-in-progress, greater flexibility, and lower costs. For example, across many sites, end-of-theline products are still hand-packed. This manual approach is inefficient for both labour costs and throughput. In some instances, these organisations could not output more products even if they had more workers, with footprint restrictions limiting their ability to expand. Robotic solutions address this challenge by enabling faster production in a limited space without adding more people.
Robot/machine hybrid solutions can offer a more sustainable approach to production. They can be designed as ecoefficient and agile, reducing raw material waste and energy use over an entire lifecycle, further creating a competitive advantage. Improving industrial production and efficiency with advanced automation and robots—or what we now call Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies— creates smarter operations and stronger business outcomes and could help preserve the planet.
Manufacturers must consider human factors when introducing robotics. Robots are designed to relieve physically demanding, monotonous, and repetitive tasks, such as press feeding and machine tending. They also minimise workplace injuries and discomfort concerns and limit human exposure to hazardous operations and harsh working environments. Human operators can instead devote more time to tasks that add higher business value, using real-time data-driven feedback to optimise efficiency across deeply integrated operations.
Typical industrial robotics applications
In many manufacturing processes, industrial robots are indispensable in applications that require high endurance and volume, speed, and precision. Some typical machinery applications of robots include:
Packaging
As an important part of the packaging manufacturing process, industrial robots will help to achieve the strong emerging demand for sustainable and recyclable packaging. Robots are especially useful for automated tasks in packaging applications (e.g., load and unload, palletising/ depalletising). advantages: Production speed and consistency, workers can refocus on added-value tasks.
Assembly Machinery
Robots assemble quickly and accurately, converting small parts into larger units and eliminating tedious tasks. Advantages: Greater overall flexibility, shorter product lifecycles, higher throughput and quality, and reduced floor space.
Material Working
Applications range from simple bending machines or presses to multi-axis material working machines. Industrial robots are ideal in this industry due to their high precision and efficiency. Advantages: High precision, reduced human error, and increased safety.
Conveying Equipment & Machinery
Complete solutions far beyond basic technologies, from logic, motion, and drive controllers to cartesian, and delta picker solutions. Examples include moving, packing, and selecting goods and transferring parts from one piece of equipment to another.
Advantages: Reduced labour and faster output speed.
