Autotech Invests In Robot Simulation Service

Autotech is investing more than GBP150,000 to launch a robot simulation service for its clients. The company has purchased Tecnomatix Robcad software to provide a service that will prove robot solutions fully before delivery to site. Autotech is already a solution partner with Siemens, which supplies the Technomatix Robcad software. Andrew Robinson, Autotech's managing director, said: 'We have been providing Automod and Robot Studio simulation for some time, allowing us to test PLC code and develop robot paths prior to onsite work.

'The Technomatix software products will allow us to prove entire integrated systems and generate fully optimised robot paths and PLC code,' he added. The scalable Robcad workcell simulation tool will allow Autotech to develop, simulate, optimise, validate and offline-programme multi-device robotic and automated manufacturing processes. These include spot welding, arc welding, laserjet and waterjet cutting, drilling, riveting and painting.

Mark Demers, simulations manager at Autotech, said: 'The benefits of comprehensive simulation are clear. 'Development time will be shorter, quality will be improved, manufacturing costs lower and costly design errors will be eradicated,' he added. Autotech has already secured its first order for the simulation service. FFT EDAG Produktionssysteme and Co, a plant supplier to the car industry headquartered in Fulda, Germany, has awarded Autotech the contract to provide Robcad simulation, robot programming and PLC development for the complete body-sides production lines for the small Land Rover - based on the LRX concept vehicle - which will be manufactured at the Halewood plant.

The project will ensure that all robot programmes are fully simulated and optimised prior to implementation at Halewood, providing a link between computer-aided design and the production environment. This contract follows Autotech's implementation of the complete body shop for the new Jaguar XJ at Castle Bromwich last year, which features more than 200 robots and 100 PLC systems.

TM And Tattile To Deliver Robot Vision Solution

TM Robotics has formed a partnership with Italian vision specialist Tattile to provide a complete robot vision solution. The partnership will mean that end users and integrators of Toshiba Machine industrial robots, provided by TM Robotics, will have the option of using Tattile's proprietary vision processors, cameras and software as part of a single integrated whole.

The vision systems provided by Tattile offer plug-and-play functionality and connectivity with the entire range of Toshiba Machine Scara, Cartesian and six-axis robots. Robot programming is conducted via a series of dedicated commands.

Toshiba Machine's newest range of controllers, the TS3000 and TS3100, offer Ethernet connectivity, which makes it simple to share vision from a single camera across multiple robots, reducing maintenance overheads and installation costs while increasing efficiency. Tattile designs and manufactures digital cameras, embedded vision systems and intelligent cameras for industrial, security, traffic and railway applications.

The company specialises in Giga Ethernet cameras, with nearly 20 models available. These include monochrome and colour options, with in-camera image pre-processing (FPGA) and jpeg compression as options. Tattile also manufactures a line of smart cameras (XP EmbeddedR) and embedded analyser systems.

Reynolds Fits LPRS Easy-Radio In Interviewer Robot

LPRS Easy-Radio modules have proved to be a vital component in a humanoid robot used to interview musicians at concerts. Reynolds customised the robot to allow it to perform motions, dance routines, handshakes and gestures, and mounted a camera into its head to give a direct feed of the interview in progress. The robot's chariot uses a four-wheel drive robot platform with a customised shell to make it resemble an armchair. Another camera is mounted on the chariot so it can back off from the humanoid and record interviews from a second viewpoint.

The biggest design issue was the audio interaction between the robot and the interviewee. A method was required to remotely play back more than 200 words and phrases accurately and quickly to make the interviews run smoothly. Nothing existed off the shelf, so Reynolds undertook a custom design employing an MP3 playback unit, amplifier and speaker located in the chariot that would produce the humanoid's voice.

An RS232 input stream operates the unit, and a modified USB keyboard outputs the required instruction data stream to remotely provide the words and phrases. Reynolds decided to use an LPRS Easy-Radio to transmit the data over RF to the receiver in the chariot.

A spokesperson from Reynolds said: 'The LPRS Easy-Radio modules were a breath of fresh air and could be put directly into the data stream, with no extra circuitry or software tweaks required. 'The modules worked flawlessly out of the box and as an added bonus were slim enough to fit directly into the back of the keyboard unit. 'The robot could now speak to any guest directly and any phrase or saying could be accessed at the touch of a button. 'The modules worked quickly enough to allow multiple phrases and names to be strung together.

Dragon Runner Robot Supports Military Troops

Qinetiq has been awarded a contract to supply almost 100 Dragon Runner robots, associated spares and technical services to support of current military operations in Afghanistan. Dragon Runner is a small, rugged robot that weighs between 10-20kg depending on the chosen configuration. It can be carried by a soldier in a backpack and is robust enough to operate in rough terrain to help protect troops.

The variant selected by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is equipped with a manipulator arm to assist with the disarming of improvised explosive devices, but the Dragon Runner platform can also be configured for a variety of other reconnaissance and surveillance operations. The robot is also able to operate in sewers, drainpipes, caves and courtyards. Already being deployed, the Dragon Runner has the ability to send video footage back to the operator at a safe distance, thereby enabling troops to assess a situation prior to moving forward or entering a structure, potentially safeguarding lives.

The robot is particularly suited to operational environments similar to those experienced in Afghanistan, where the road system has been ravaged by almost continuous fighting since the late 1970s and where many troop movements are conducted either on foot or by helicopter. The use of robots also has significant benefits in Afghanistan, where the United Nations estimates that 200,000 people have been disabled by landmines and other explosive remnants.

Qinetiq's initial contract with the UK MoD includes the supply of replacement parts and the provision of support throughout the operational life of the systems. This is an essential part of a UK-based maintenance and support plan that has been carefully designed to enable the UK MoD to return battle-damaged robots to active duty as quickly as possible. Dragon Runner was originally developed by Automatika, a US company acquired by Qinetiq North America.

The robot has since has been further developed as a result of UK and US military user input and it can travel at speeds of around 5mph, travel over rough terrain, as well as climb stairs and open doors. The basic chassis is 20cm wide, 7.5cm tall and 23cm in length and can be easily adapted in the field with various accessories and a manipulator arm to be mission specific. In addition to IED identification and defeat, other functions include perimeter security, checkpoint security and the inspection of suspect vehicles.

Adept Handling Robot Showcased At Food Expo

Adept Technology has announced that its USDA-accepted robot for high-speed food handling will be showcased at the Worldwide Food Expo in Chicago, Illinois on 28-31 October, 2009. The Quattro s650HS is said to be the only USDA-accepted parallel robot available for food processing. It is also available with an optional fixed platform addressing high-payload applications.

The Quattro line is designed for high-speed manufacturing, packaging, material handling and assembly applications. It features a four-arm kinematic, enabling higher speeds and faster accelerations. The Quattro is suitable for flexible packaging, material handling, kitting and assembly applications where performance is of paramount consideration.

Fanuc Robot Handles Special Brick Variants

Wienerberger UK has engineered an automated system for handling special brick variants in partnership with Fanuc Robotics UK. The system uses a Fanuc Robotics M710-iC six axes robot to pick up green bricks from an input conveyor and positions them onto a ceramic pallet where they remain until fired.

Bricks are handled separately with a 'suits-all' vacuum gripper solution, a vision system and bespoke palletising software. Single or double bricks enter the system on a conveyor and their precise position is identified by a vision system using Fanuc Robotics IR-Vision integrated software. The M710-iC robot is fitted with a single vacuum gripper that orientates itself to information fed by the vision system and picks up the brick.

The control panel has PC and Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) that allow the shape to be drawn, edited and dimensions to be input. From this information the software defines where the gripper locates the brick, where to place the brick and how to orientate each layer to complete a 950 x 950 x 1,000mm pallet. A robot has been used to draw the sander across each layer as it is completed.

The level of sand dispensed is controlled by the speed, height and tilt of the dispenser as the robot passes it over the bricks. The ceramic pallet is positioned on a rotary table that removes the pallet to an unloading area and positions a new pallet so that uninterrupted production can continue.

Adept Presents Quattro S650H Robot

Adept Technology will be demonstrating the Adept Quattro S650H robot for solar manufacturing at the Taiwan International Photovoltaic Forum and Exhibition in Taipei, from 7-9 October. The technology will be shown in a solar wafer handling system, designed by the company's partner Castec International, on booth 1359. Castec will be demonstrating the high-speed system using the Quattro S650H robot with integrated vision guidance and inspection.

'Castec's turnkey automation solutions, incorporating Adept's robotics and control products, are designed to increase throughput, minimise breakage and reduce scrap,' said Rush LaSelle, director of global sales and marketing. The demonstration system will feature the Adept Quattro robot, which is a parallel robot (or 'delta robot') that features a four-arm rotational platform designed for maximum speed and maximum acceleration across the entire work envelope.

The embedded amplifiers and compact controls in the Adept Quattro parallel robot make installation easy and enable reduced workspace. Adeptsight is a stand-alone vision guidance and inspection package that runs on a PC and comes complete with all the necessary hardware and accessories.

The software includes a powerful framework that can be used to develop customised vision guidance and inspection applications. Its graphical interface is said to allow the user to develop robust and accurate vision applications. The Taiwan International Photovoltaic Forum and Exhibition will be held from 7-9 October 2009 at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall, Area A.

MPS 32 Tool Changer Adds 40mm To Robot Arm

The MPS 32 from Staubli's connectors division provides efficient and secure tool changes for all types of robot arms, reducing the need for investment in additional robots. Its compact size minimises any loss of daylight and adds 40mm to the robot arm. Increasing the utilisation and productivity of automated manufacturing cells frequently requires several operations to be completed by robots, all within the production cycle time.

The end of arm tools required during the cycle can range from drilling or grinding heads to grippers or gauges. Additional operations usually require additional robots; but with the facility to quickly and automatically change the tools on a robot arm, the need for a second or even third robot is eliminated, reducing the capital investment required, improving payback and often reducing the overall cell footprint. Staubli's range of automatic tool changers are specifically designed for these types of applications and the introduction of the MPS 32 extends their benefits to installations using smaller, lighter-weight tooling in compact cells.

All are directly mountable on the robot flange and provide secure locking and unlocking. Staubli's tool changers now extend from 32kg right up to 630kg tool-weight capability and in many applications have performed successfully for more than one million connection cycles. The MPS 32 is a compact unit, measuring 63mm diameter and 40mm wide, and both robot-side and tool-side elements together weigh only 0.7kg. It can handle payloads up to 32kg, operating within a pressure range of 4.5-10.0 bar.

The locking unit is a double active, pneumatically actuated system that ensures secure retention of the tool; additional internal springs make certain that the tool is securely held by the changer even if the pressure drops. All systems required by the tools are connected automatically, employing the technology used in Staubli multi-coupling plates; fluid lines; signal connections such as required for actuators, sensors, bus systems or fibre optics; and power connections are automatically connected to the tool and disconnected without any loss of fluid or ingress of air into the circuits.

ABB Robot Achieves Improved Path Performance

ABB has launched its most compact multipurpose robot offering high accuracy even at high speeds. Weighing 400kg, the fourth-generation IRB 4600 features ABB's Quickmove and Truemove path technology as standard. This technology enables the IRB 4600 to achieve improved path performance of up to 50 per cent while typically reducing cycle times by as much as 30 per cent. The use of ABB's Truemove and Quickmove technology allows the robot to offer consistent path accuracy even at high speeds.

Truemove checks path accuracy by constantly comparing actual and programmed path positions. Quickmove minimises cycle time by automatically optimising acceleration to match the process conditions. The consistency ensured by the technology also eliminates the need for trimming or fixing to maintain a set path, making the IRB 4600 suitable for applications demanding high accuracy such as gluing or sealing. Truemove and Quickmove also eliminate the need for 'path tuning' to cope with changes in speed.

This is particularly beneficial for cutting and dispensing applications, when speeds and orientations often have to be fine tuned at the start of production in order to achieve the optimum quality process. The IRB 4600 has been designed to offer a compact and lightweight robot suitable for installation in the widest possible range of locations. Weight-saving features include an aluminium upper arm and the removal of the robot's parallel rod. Together, these features make the IRB 4600 suitable for use in confined areas or as part of multi-robot manufacturing cells, with installation possible in inverted, floor mounted, tilted or shelf-mounted configurations.

The removal of the parallel rod also allows the IRB 4600 to bend backwards, opening up a range of operating possibilities. The IRB 4600 is available in four versions. Two short-arm versions provide a reach of 2.05m for 45-60kg payloads, while two long-arm versions provide a reach of either 2.5m or 2.55m for payloads of 40kg or 20kg. The IRB 4600's suitability for manufacturing applications has been widely tested, including under harsh foundry conditions.

To maximise the IRB 4600's utility, ABB will be working with its partners to create dress packs for material handling, machine tending and arc welding. The IRB 4600 is the first in ABB's fourth-generation multipurpose robot range.

SCARA Robot Is Built For Speed

Epson has developed a SCARA robot - the RS Spider - that operates beyond the classic 'kidney-shaped' SCARA workspace and maximises work envelope usage. Instead of having to move around a fixed pedestal the RS3 351S has the ability to manoeuvre back under itself without constraint. As a result, the robot can reach every point of its entire circular workspace at particularly high speed.

The Epson RS3 351S (Spider) can move directly to any point within its expanded operating area taking the shortest possible route; by contrast the usual SCARA system has to circumvent its own stand. This innovation has reduced cycle times tremendously. With the new RS Spider, Epson has developed a new SCARA system class that requires minimum footprint.

The first model of this new product family is the Epson RS3-R351S, a robot with a 350mm arm length. In contrast to the standard SCARA system, the RS Spider's speed around the work envelope represents a possible cycle time reduction of more than 15 per cent, and, in comparison to the Cartesian robot, this rises to as much as 25 per cent. The Epson RS3-R351S is also available for Class 10 cleanroom and/or ISO 3 including ESD configuration (antistatic).

The RS3-R351S is controlled by the Epson RC 180 controller making it easy to integrate the robot into existing production lines and processes. Users can freely programme the RS Spider via the intuitive Epson RC+ development environment. The easy-to-use software control has a wide range of integrated options and interfaces such as Vision Guidance, .Net support, Profibus, Devicenet, EtherNet/IP and much more.