Wether it's robotics, simulation, or even virtual reality, factories are gradually becoming digitised in order to increase efficiency and gear up to Industry 4.0. Whilst divisive in terms of their effect on skilled labour, these technologies are designed to increase productivity, reduce time to market and hand-over tedious or potentially dangerous jobs to artificially intelligent platforms.
One of those technologies, and a big focus at IMTS this year, is collaborative robots, or "cobots", designed to work together with humans on the factory floor.
Here, we have Sawyer (shown above), a wide-eyed, software-driven, multi-axis cobot equipped with sensitive torque sensors and embedded vision system, and could be your next new co-worker. Created by Boston-based Rethink Robotics, these almost friendly-looking robots are engineered to be safe, easy-to-use and help manufacturers to automate dull, dangerous and dirty tasks, while achieving greater productivity and quality. Sawyer is already being deployed in indsutrial environments for CNC machine tending, PCB handling, packing, quality inspection and beyond.
I spoke to Jim Lawton, COO at Rethink Robotics, about the importance and challenges of deploying cobots and advanced automation in the manufacturing world.
You joined Rethink Robotics in 2013, what are some of the key trends you’ve seen in the industry over the last five years?
The most important trend that Rethink Robotics works to overcome is the labor shortage that manufacturers across the world are facing. There aren’t enough workers coming into the industry who are trained to perform certain tasks, and it’s also hard to retain skilled workers due to the repetitive, tedious tasks that must be added to their workload. Cobots offer a solution to these issues by automating more tasks that workers don’t have time to do, are not interested in doing or those that pose a higher risk for injury.
Another broad trend that has emerged over the last five years is the transformation of automation from just the traditional kind of industrial robots - large, machine robots that perform dangerous tasks in isolation or cages, to cobots that work side-by-side with humans. The goal has always been to automate more tasks to drive efficiency, speed and cost savings, but the way of using robots to reach that goal has shifted from robot/human segregation to robot/human collaboration.
We’ve seen robotics traditionally used for repetitive tasks like picking and placing but we’re now seeing them inside machines and working with humans – what kind of roles/functions are these technologies now playing?
AM and CNC machines require human tending, and often times this involves very repetitive tasks that many workers don’t enjoy doing. This can lead to human error, quality control issues, injuries and high turnover rates. In addition, skilled factory workers are often left waiting idly by machines with long cycle times, which is a waste of labor and money. Collaborative robots (cobots) can perform the monotonous tasks that skilled workers spend a lot of time on, freeing them to focus on more valuable, meaningful work. Cobots are a cost effective automation tool for AM and CNC machine tending that significantly improves processes and employee satisfaction.
What is different about Rethink Robotics cobots compared to other machines in the market?
Many industrial robots in the market are not safe to work alongside humans without the use of guarding or other safety devices. In addition, they can be hard to program, complicated to use, and costly over time. Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer cobot is designed to work next to and with humans. Sawyer is easy to program and can be trained and on the job in a matter of hours. Another major differentiator at Rethink is that our team is made up of manufacturing veterans who understand the specific needs of our customers and can relate to the challenges of day-to-day operations. With that, our team can quickly help identify the right task for Sawyer and ensure that the cobot deployment and integration is successful. We’ve had customers see a positive ROI in four months or less.
There is hesitation industry around the effects of automation on skilled labour – what do you say to those concerned about “robots taking over jobs”?
Globally, manufacturers are struggling to fill jobs on the factory floor because there is a staggering shortage of laborers who are interested. And the problem will persist – Thomas Lee, head of Fundstrat Global Advisors, predicts a shortage of 8.2 million workers through 2027. Cobots aren’t taking over jobs – they are doing the jobs that many people aren’t signing up to do.
For those who are employed in traditional manufacturing roles, cobots are making their jobs better to fight the overwhelming turnover rates. Because cobots can complete the repetitive, tedious tasks that skilled workers often get stuck working on, companies can start redesigning jobs to take advantage of their employees’ skills. As a result, people can engage in valuable, rewarding work and cobots can automate the undesirable jobs that often burn employees out.
More recently, the additive manufacturing (AM) world has embraced robotics in some cases to automate workflows and deliver new processes - what advantages do these technologies bring?
Cobots, humans and other technology such as 3D printing solutions work together to create a better product in a more efficient way. To compliment and enable 3D printing solutions, cobots can help perform tasks surrounding the 3D printing, resulting in greater automation and streamlining more of the additive manufacturing process.
U.S. CNC machine shop and custom manufacturer, Fitzpatrick Manufacturing recently deployed a Sawyer cobot – what was the process and how has that changed their operations?
Fitzpatrick Manufacturing deployed our Sawyer cobot to increase operational efficiency and counterbalance a tight labor market. A company that takes an interest in their employee’s happiness, they looked to Sawyer to help workers do their jobs better and give them opportunities for more rewarding work.
To do this, Sawyer helps hone parts that become components for the motion control industry, which requires precise tolerance and repetitive action. Sawyer identifies which part to run first – short versus long – and loads it into the honing machine. When the first part is finished, Sawyer removes it, loads a second part into the machine and places the first part in the wash station. From there, Sawyer dries the part at the air blow station before packaging it in a box for shipment. With 400 spots on the pin board to process, Sawyer can package between 280 and 300 before a human worker needs to intervene. This process could take five to eight hours, which allows Sawyer to run overnight, lights out, and have all the parts ready to go when workers arrive back at the facility.
Are traditional manufacturing businesses receptive to this kind of technology? Is there a significant learning curve?
Traditional manufacturing businesses are receptive to cobots because they are experiencing the same pain points as the industry as a whole: a significant labor shortage, employee turnover, and utilizing skilled workers to do tedious tasks when they could be doing more valuable work. These companies’ workers are receptive to cobots as well, because they enable them to shift away from the tasks they dislike to the tasks that help develop them more as a professional.
We talk a lot about the concept of the "factory of the future" – will robotics be an integral part of that?
Robotics will certainly play an integral part in the factory of the future, especially robots that are able to work side-by-side with humans. Between the amount that can get done, at the speed it can get done, without the need to add extra workers, cobots are key to creating an efficient, cost-effective factory that retains skilled workers and produces higher quality products. Industrial robots were a great start that improved manufacturing practices, but cobots will add this power to the skills of human workers and create a collaborative potential that companies will want to take advantage of.
