AS-Schneider ensures a high degree of automation to make manufacturing more productive. Now the valve specialist is setting its sights on assembly. The use of collaborative robots (cobots) is also intended to automate this more strongly. To achieve this goal, AS-Schneider is cooperating with the Fraunhofer Institute Austria. Many work steps in the assembly are currently still carried out manually. A high number of variants and changing quantities preclude complete automation. However, the idea is that simple, monotonous, and repetitive tasks can be transferred to a collaborative robot. This would relieve employees and shorten lead times.
The use of cobots offers a whole range of advantages from the company’s point of view. The units are relatively small and can be easily integrated into processes. They are also mobile and can be used at different workplaces. Collaborative robots do not require a safety fence and can therefore be installed in a space-saving manner. Even an employee without programming knowledge can operate a cobot. In addition, the cobot is capable of learning. It can be trained to perform several simple tasks, such as gripping and feeding.
To identify possible areas of application in the assembly, a series of workshops were held together with Austria Fraunhofer Research GmbH. The project partners analyzed the suitability of workstations for human-robot collaboration. They estimated cobot work scopes, determined process times, and made economic efficiency calculations.
