Time to switch to robots

Increased competition, together with spiralling energy and raw material prices and a shortage of skilled workers are putting growing pressure on manufacturers to find new ways to reduce costs and improve their production processes.

Pioneering companies worldwide have already found a solution in the form of robotic automation, with benefits realised encompassing everything from improved productivity and reduced costs through to increased manufacturing flexibility and enhanced levels of worker motivation.

Putting the energy into change

In recent years, concern for the environment, initially just a fringe topic of interest to a small segment of society, has increasingly found its way onto the corporate agenda. One key reason for this is that reducing environmental impact can also often help to save costs, especially where energy is concerned.

The link between robotic automation and energy saving may not be immediately obvious – after all, robots consume energy in the same way as any item of plant equipment. However, a comparison between a typical non-automated plant and one using robotic automation can nevertheless reveal a number of areas for potentially substantial energy savings.

With no requirement for minimum lighting or heating levels, robots offer a great opportunity to cut energy bills. Current estimates point to a potential saving of 8% for every 1°C reduction in heating levels, while savings of up to 20% can be achieved by turning off unnecessary lighting. Robots also present massive opportunities to help save energy through longer-term productivity improvements. As a means of producing and handling hundreds of products quickly, repetitively and accurately, robotic automation has been proven to virtually eliminate product wastage.

Efficiency improvements can also have an impact. On-going developments in robotic technology have ensured greater precision in the way that products are manufactured and handled, reducing cycle times and increasing the number of products that can be processed within a given time.

Breaking down barriers

With many manufacturing companies suffering the impact of skills shortages, simplicity of operation of robotic equipment is also a major concern. There is a belief that operating a robot requires extensive programming knowledge and experience, with the associated problems of recruiting, training and/or retaining suitably qualified operators.

Such concerns have driven robot manufacturers to devote time and effort into driving down the complexity of their products. An example is ABB’s Machine Tending software, a controller-based programming, configuration and operation tool. It offers an intuitive and customisable graphical user interface offering easy production monitoring and control, together with automatic program and part selection. The simplicity of the tool means that the most common robot control tasks can be carried out by less skilled personnel.

Industrial robots are probably unique in being a 40 year old technology that is still commonly regarded as ‘disruptive’. Yet a look at any robot manufacturer’s web site will provide plenty of real-life evidence showing how robotic automation is bringing wide-ranging benefits across a full spectrum of end-user applications, irrespective of size or complexity.

With the ability to transform productivity, cut costs through reduced wastage and ensure improved levels of product quality and consistency, robots are almost certainly the next leap forward in industrial technology.