36 n ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING February 2024 www.drivesncontrols.com advanced automation systems are far simpler and more adaptable than previous iterations, and easily capable of being programmed by inhouse sta . Myth #6: Any automation system will soon become obsolete Robot technology and tasks, such as pick, turn and place, have been around for decades. What has changed is the control software and tools that can be attached to them. Robotic tools will last at least as long as ordinary tools but deliver far more value throughout their lifespan. At Fanuc, our operating software is supported by automatic upgrades, including to cybersecurity processes. We will continue to upgrade, support and repair our products for as long as the customer wishes to use them. Myth #7: Automation is prohibitively expensive The key is only to buy equipment that you need, and to focus on the total cost of ownership, rather than the initial purchase price. By dealing with experienced automation suppliers, manufacturers can ensure that their systems are not overspecied, and that they will deliver a good return-on-investment over the planned lifespan of the installation. The UK government is encouraging the purchase of capital equipment with annual investment allowances that enable machinery costing up to £1m to be o set against prots in a single year. And the rise in corporation tax means that tax reliefs are now even more valuable. In addition, banks and nance companies o er a range of nancing packages, including leasing, that can spread costs by o setting them against taxable revenues. n What does a good vision system look like? Combining robots with vision systems pushes the boundaries of industrial automation, helping to improve speed, performance and accuracy. Benedict Yelf, machine vision and automation engineer at Optimal Industrial Automation, looks at factors to consider when developing robot applications with vision functions. Robots are continuing to transform shop oors worldwide, allowing companies to create ever more e cient industrial environments to satisfy increasingly ambitious market demands. Robots can oer a wealth of benets to their users, conducting repetitive tasks for prolonged periods with high reproducibility and speed. At the same time, they are helping to improve the well-being of operators, taking on potentially harmful tasks such as handling heavy items, or operating in hazardous areas. While robots can complement automated machines and lines, even the most advanced models have limited spatial awareness and lack a level of cognition about their surroundings. This limits their potential, especially in areas where precision is required or the environment changes around them. Applications such as pick-andplace in the pharmaceuticals industry, or processes with a tight tolerances such as drilling in the aerospace industry, are traditionally di cult to implement and can benet from robot vision. Thanks to the latest developments in this eld, it is possible to create extremely powerful and versatile applications which not only improve robot applications, but also expand their potential uses, supporting more processes with highly exible setups. The most common pick-andplace systems include visionenabled robots that sort, load, pack, assemble or discard items. They can also be used for gluing and dispensing, for in-process quality checks, and for scanning and code-reading. Because the latest robot and vision systems are easier than ever to integrate with other hardware, such as sensors and PLCs, they allow the seemingly impossible to be turned into reality. You can see this when looking at the rise of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). These can navigate around factory oors, moving products and inventory, reacting to the world around them. A key aspect when looking to adopt vision-enabled robotic systems is dening the most suitable components. In addition to the usual factors such as budget, payload, processing rates, space available and types of gripper, other factors need to be considered, including illumination and ambient lighting, image processing speeds, the properties of the objects that are to be assessed by the vision system, as well as the compatibility of the various machine components. It is important to look for a vision system that can identify reliably the items that the robot needs to interact with, while bearing in mind its impact on the total investment. When handling elements that dier greatly in terms of colour and/or shape, suitable technologies can vary widely in complexity. You might need to change lighting angles or use advanced options such as a multi-coloured ring lights, to enhance the optical spectrum that the system can detect. This can result in more accurate colour descriptions, resolution and contrast, as well as reducing image noise. Systems can also incorporate UV and IR LEDs, expanding detection beyond the visible spectrum. In eect, users can benet from vision tools with access to more than a thousand times the number of colours that standard cameras can detect, while oering three times the level of resolution. Of course, the benets of more detailed imaging need to be balanced against the processing power required. Other important aspects to consider include identifying the ideal camera height and the need for calibration. If the eld-of-view is not scaled correctly, the robot may not be able to locate or position the right item, leading to poor results, reworks and, ultimately, higher costs. It is fundamental to ensure proper lighting and backgrounds while systems are operating. This can be more challenging than expected if the machine is exposed – even partially – to ambient light, which can change throughout the day. Similarly, the presence of forklifts or other equipment using articial lighting near vision-enabled robots could aect the vision system. Finally, the integration of vision systems, robots and other elements needs to be seamless to achieve reliable operations. This makes it essential to talk to experienced automation system integrators. Machine vision systems can allow the seemingly impossible to be turned into reality Dierent robot technologies can be combined to achieve the required performance
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=