DIGITALISATION
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND AUTOMATION ARE THE NEXT WAVE OF INNOVATIONS by James McKew, Regional Director Asia-Pacific, Universal Robots Cobots prove their value in manufacturing. Since the introduction of robots on the General Motors line in the early 1960s, the world has seen a revolution in automated manufacturing. Today, there are myriad applications for industrial robots across many industries, which has led to major growth in the robotics sector. According to Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority, the country has 658 industrial robots per 10,000 workers, as of 2019, marking the second-highest robot density in the world. As Singapore remains AsiaPacific's most innovative nation, its Government will spend around SGD 24 billion over the next three years to help businesses build an innovation ecosystem. While the entire industrial robot sector has seen growth over time, the most exciting and fastest-growing segment belongs to collaboration robots (cobots). Now, automation and cobots are highly utilised and these technological solutions have become popular among manufacturers.
WHAT ARE THE TECHNOLOGIES USED FOR AUTOMATION? The success of the automation industry is dependent on a variety of hardware and software technologies. While machines are capable of completing a number of tasks in businesses or on factory floors, they need to be combined with the correct software and end-effectors, in order to be truly effective. Here are three types of automation in use today. Robotics Traditional industrial robots are large machines that require safety fencing or caging. Expensive to purchase and operate, these traditional robots are difficult to program and tend to be geared towards a single purpose. No surprise then, that the industrial sector is increasingly interested in cobots automating manufacturing. Cobots are smaller and more flexible than traditional industrial robots. Cobots can be deployed alongside human employees on a variety of tasks, from machine tending and quality inspection to packaging and palletising. Modelling and simulation Using technology and automation effectively requires planning and an understanding of the final product. Manufacturers rely on modelling and simulation to gain a better perspective of how their products should function. This makes it simpler to adapt and change designs, plan for potential issues, and visualise the outcome. 18
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER April 2021
Mr James McKew
Simulation software is widely used when deploying traditional industrial robots, driven by the high cost and low flexibility of traditional robotics systems. While cobots can be modelled in simulation software, for the vast majority of cobot deployments, this step simply is not necessary - instead of spending hours modelling the application, cobot users can simply choose an appropriate end-effector, perform a safety assessment and then move the cobot into position to test its performance. Computer vision Computer vision technology can be used across many industries to help guide robots and inspect products. Computer vision is incredibly accurate and can be used to identify even the smallest imperfections. Vision systems and sensors can also be used for part location and metrology applications. OnRobot Eyes, for example is a vision system with a 2.5D camera that can be mounted on a Universal Robots cobot wrist, or externally. Eyes provides rapid, one-picture calibration and part recognition, and programming is intuitive and fast through URCap software that runs on the Universal Robots teach pendant.
WHY IS AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGY SO ATTRACTIVE TO MANUFACTURERS? There are many aspects of manufacturing that can be improved by the introduction of technology and automation. Solving labour shortages Labour shortages pose a very real threat to the success of manufacturing industries. Some areas of the world are seeing their current workforce reach retirement age without the presence of younger workers to take over their roles. This has important consequences, as there are not enough people to fill the hours needed for effective production. Additionally, older workers may not be able to complete strenuous, repetitive, or fine-motor tasks as effectively as they used to. Automation can solve these problems. In areas where there is simply not enough human labour available, for example, manufacturers can deploy a cobot. And because cobots and humans can safely occupy the same workspace, cobots enable companies supplement the capabilities of existing staff. Instead of replacing human workers, cobots can take over the repetitive and dangerous
