Polishing robot against labor shortage

Machining surfaces requires precision and endurance to achieve optimal results. Collaborating lightweight robots, or cobots for short, can relieve humans of such strenuous tasks, freeing up valuable resources.

Robot-based automation has become an indispensable part of many industries, not least because of the shortage of labor in many places. This shortage will intensify in the coming years as the baby boomer generation gradually retires. Against this backdrop, the skilled trades also face major challenges - and at the same time are open to change. For example, a joint study [1] by Bitkom and the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) from 2022 shows that the skilled crafts sector in Germany is very open to fundamental changes that will become possible in the course of digitization. According to the survey, six percent of respondents were already using robots in their businesses in 2022, and a further eight percent were considering using them in the future. Conventional industrial robots, however, are generally too bulky for craft businesses, require very high investments, and do not have the sensitivity needed for sanding, polishing or painting, nor the adaptability that is becoming increasingly important.

Increasingly, companies are making the decision to use collaborative robots, so-called cobots, to relieve workers of repetitive, physically demanding and ergonomically unfavorable tasks. Compared to conventional industrial robots, cobots are also significantly smaller, lighter and can be integrated relatively quickly into ongoing production. After a successful risk assessment, they also offer the great advantage that man and machine can work in close proximity to each other. This means that the human can work alongside the cobot, but also look over the shoulder of his new colleague.

But the most important part is: Equipped with various sensors and cameras, the modern production assistants now work so sensitively that they can also be used for polishing. This is shown by the example of the Canadian company Paradigm Electronics.

Paradigm Electronics is a manufacturer of speakers and subwoofers. The "Midnight Cherry" color requires several coats of paint and careful polishing after each coat. However, the company lacked employees who could do the polishing. The company therefore decided to use a UR10 from Universal Robots. The cobot performs the necessary steps with the highest precision and consistent quality under the supervision of an employee - guaranteeing that the speakers are produced in the desired color. Paradigm was also able to increase its throughput by 50 percent. The robot's built-in force-torque sensors were particularly helpful. With the help of these, the maximum amount of force that can be applied to each part of the speaker can be precisely determined. If this function were not available, the surface could heat up and deform due to excessive pressure.

However, the use of cobots not only increases efficiency, but also employer attractiveness. For example, collaborative surface finishing applications give companies the flexibility to respond to an ever-changing order situation and help them remain competitive. The large network of partners behind the cobots is also working on new attachments and applications every day. Cobots can therefore assist in many other manufacturing steps. (OM-10/23)

Literature reference: [1]: ZDG with Bitkom, "The skilled trades in Germany are becoming more digital".