Prepping for automation in the job shop

Mobile robots offer job shops flexibility that stationary robots cannot. A self-guided vehicle offers significant intelligence and can move the robot wherever it needs to go. Photo courtesy of Yaskawa Motoman

Automation and robotics are two big buzzwords taking the metalworking industry by storm. Manufacturers are leveraging the latest in automation technology to help improve productivity and compete in a global marketplace. And although many shops are moving full steam ahead with automation, some small machine shops remain hesitant.

"There’s still a very slow uptake in the job shop, particularly in the machine tool market," said Peter Fitzgerald, general manager, FANUC Canada, Mississauga, Ont. "Yet, the interest is growing. People in the job shop machine tool world are now starting to pay more attention to it and trying to understand how automation will help them."

Canadian job shops tend to look toward a more conservative approach to investment, often leaving them lagging behind their U.S. counterparts. However, many different investment options are available to job shops to make automation less daunting.

"I believe shops that opt for a more aggressive approach are going to have a better and more competitive position in the future," said Fitzgerald.

There are some common misconceptions that make it easy for machine shops to shy away from automation and stick with what they are comfortable with. The first misconception is that automation is too expensive. For many years industrial robots and automation did come with a significant sticker price, but today many price ranges are available to help shops break into the robotics market without breaking the bank.

"The next barrier that comes to mind for me is the skills gap. A lot of these small shops may not have the appropriately skilled workers to implement, execute, and support the technology," said Fitzgerald.

Finding skilled workers, especially those with an engineering background, may not be feasible for all shops. This is why robotics manufacturers have lowered this barrier by making automation easier to implement and operate on the shop floor. Not needing to have a dedicated person or automation champion can free up workers to perform more value-added tasks.

The third misconception is that job shops should know exactly what can be automated. With so many options available, it can be hard to know where to start. Shops can work directly with robotics manufacturers to determine where automation makes the most sense and where it will have the greatest impact.

"Industry is lowering the technology barrier dramatically for job shops," said Dean Elkins, segment leader—material handling, Yaskawa Motoman, Miamisburg, Ohio. "And much of that is because of ease-of-use tools that are very employable. It’s getting much easier even from a floor space investment perspective for smaller job shops to use robots today. And shops are able to set up workcells in a much more cost-effective fashion."

Elkins added that the vast majority of job shop automation is tied to machine tending. Incorporating a robot that is used for material transfer or bin picking applications can free up workers to be used in other areas of the shop. Also, this type of investment can help shops familiarize themselves with all the robots can do and make it easier to invest in other automation systems in the future.

The vast majority of job shop automation is tied to machine tending. Incorporating a robot that is used for material transfer or bin picking applications can free up workers to be used in other areas of the shop. Photo courtesy of KC Robotics.

Robot manufacturers have answered the call for ease-of-programming and ease-of-incorporation tools to make investing in automation less daunting. For job shops, focusing on faster changeover requirements is an essential productivity gain that makes automation all the more attractive.

"We are seeing a lot of robots on carts that allow for more portability, robots that are equipped with plug-and-play interfacing for different machines to bolster that portability, and we are even seeing easy-to-use vision systems for the recognition and orientation of parts," said Elkins. "All these areas are a great opportunity to incorporate automation. The robot industry is responding to these needs through the introduction of robots that fit the collaborative robot space very well."

COBOTS

The experts agree that investing in a collaborative robot (cobot) that interacts safely with humans is a good starting point for the job shop. These robots have a programming interface on a hand-held pendant, making them easy to program while being less intimidating for operators who aren’t used to working with robots.

"Job shops tend to have much shorter part runs and may require faster changeover," said Elkins. "When we talk about ease-of-use tools, it’s easy to think of the collaborative space and the hand-guiding aspect of teaching the robot."

In this way, collaborative power and force robots don’t require any engineering knowledge to operate. The operator can just hit a few buttons and guide the robot through the path sequencing needed. For shops with many part programs and an inexperienced programmer, the operator can get down to business a lot faster with a cobot.

"The cobot also can provide much simpler installation where you don’t need to rearrange floor space to accommodate the automation," said Fitzgerald. "It may be able to fit into the existing shop floor layout. I think the adoption curve can be quicker, and collaborative robots in one form or another are going to help open more doors. It could be a good first step into automation."

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS

Elkins noted that larger industrial robots are not as prolifically placed in the job shop market. For the most part, shops are opting for robots that are 25 kilograms in payload or less. However, not all job shops can play in this payload space. Some shops working with large, heavy workpieces may require an industrial robot. They often tend to be faster than their cobot counterparts. And with the price of these robots becoming more affordable as of late, more shops are looking at them as a viable option.

There is also the misconception that cobots are safer, less expensive, and easier to use.

According to Fitzgerald, this tends to be more of a perception than a reality, depending on the application. A cobot makes sense where floor space is limited and where a cage or fence may not fit. However, today’s industrial robots are shattering these misconceptions and certainly have their place on the shop floor.

"An industrial robot is a good option for machine tending applications, where a machine is outfitted with automation to load and unload parts," said Fitzgerald. "And to add more value, that robot would also be capable of other ancillary processes or downstream processes with the same parts. Industrial robots are also suited for sortation-type processes."

Robotics manufacturers have made automation easier to implement and operate on the shop floor. Simple packages allow robots to be easily linked to machine tools while simplifying setup and subsequent operation. Photo courtesy of FANUC

MOBILE ROBOTS

Beyond the two traditional robotic options, the market, especially those within the job shop space, is finding that flexibility is an essential feature of its automation needs. This is why more shops are looking for portable robots, whether that’s using a manual cart or self-guided vehicle.

"Today you also see various carts for the robot that allow for portability," said Elkins. "They could be docked to a machine tool for four hours and then moved to another one for four hours depending on where the work balance needs to be."

Larger-scale production shops have been using mobile robotics for years, especially self-guided vehicles. However, there is also a push for mobile options in the job shop space. According to Fitzgerald, self-guided vehicles have significant intelligence in controlling themselves. This could be a huge asset for a shop that has a limited workforce that cannot constantly monitor the robot. The self-guided vehicle can move the robot wherever it needs to go.

Choosing a singular robot that performs multiple tasks on the shop floor can be a good first step to help determine where additional automation might be best utilized. Maybe the robot is stationed primarily at one machine because of a high work load, leaving another machine without robotic assistance. This could indicate that it’s time to look at adding more automation.

SMART TECHNOLOGY

"The purchasing cost of robots, vision systems, gripper packages, and the related costs of putting systems together has become a lot more affordable because so many of these things are pre-engineered today," said Elkins. "For example, there are a number of end effectors or grippers available that easily communicate with robots through I/O-link. So that mitigates engineering costs as well."

With a shop that has much smaller batch runs, having a range of end effectors makes it easy for the robot to complete tasks with multiple part configurations. This is especially significant if the robot is moving from machine to machine and from batch to batch.

"There’s a terrific amount of technology available to a job shop," said Fitzgerald. "There are machine tending types of applications, which are fairly common and where robotics naturally fit. But there is also connected technology to help implement Industry 4.0 on the shop floor. When you look at the connectivity, there are many different tools that are out there and available to monitor, control, and communicate between machines on the shop floor. It’s not just robots, but they are certainly the first step for any small shop."

Associate Editor Lindsay Luminoso can be reached at lluminoso@canadianmetalworking.com.

FANUC Canada, www.fanucamerica.com

Yaskawa Motoman, www.motoman.com