by Gary Mintchell | Sep 11, 2024 | Automation, Robots
I teased about the renewal of Rethink Robotics a couple of weeks ago. This post details some of their announcements from IMTS.
Rethink Robotics Unveils Two New AMRs
With a renewed vision that aims to seamlessly integrate advanced robotics into manufacturing and logistics environments, Rethink Robotics announces the Rethink Ryder line of AMRs. Two models are available on the Rethink Ryder AMR platform. The light-duty MRE 550 model handles payloads of up to 550 kg (1212 pounds), and the heavy-duty MRE 1400 model handles payloads of up to 1400 kg (3086 pounds). Both robots come with an integrated lift function.
Seven New Cobots
The Reacher cobot line includes seven new cobot models (RE 07, 09, 13, 16, 21, 30, and 30L), handling payloads ranging from 7 to 30 kg (15–66 pounds).
RE cobots offer highest precision with ± 0.03 mm pose repeatability — suitable for even the most demanding tasks. Depending on the model, maximum speed ranges from 120 to 200 degrees per second. Reacher cobots feature collision detection to ensure workplace safety and a user-friendly, intuitive interface that feels natural and is easy to use.
Rethink Robotics’ Reacher line comes with connectivity to a wide range of accessories, such as grippers, vision systems, rails, and other end-of-arm and peripheral tools.
Detachable Mobile Manipulator Robot
Unveiling the Rethink Riser MMR. Combining a Rethink Ryder AMR with a Rethink Reacher cobot and a portable battery box allows mobile manipulation to be performed at new levels of efficiency.
The Rethink Reacher and Rethink Ryder, components of the Rethink Riser, each have their own battery packs, requiring separate charging. The Rethink Reacher offers an 22-hour uptime. The Rethink Ryder can be charged in two ways: manually or wirelessly through inductive charging. Each Ryder comes equipped with three or four battery units based on its size. If higher uptime is required, customers can request up to two additional battery units per Ryder.
The control box that comes with Reacher is a compact and integrated unit designed to manage and control the robot’s operations. This control box houses the essential electronics, including the robot’s processor, power supply, and communication interfaces. It serves as the central hub for executing commands, processing sensor data, and coordinating the robot’s movements. The Rethink Riser’s control box is added as an attachment onto the Ryder so it can fully move along with it in combination with the Reacher cobot arm.
by Gary Mintchell | Sep 11, 2024 | Automation, Robots
More robotics news emanating from IMTS, the International Manufacturing Technology Show. This from Olis Robotics who provides remote monitoring, diagnostics, and debugging across complete industrial cells thanks to PLC functionality built into the company’s flagship solution.
This sounds like the dream of 20 years ago and M2M, or machine-to-machine, technology. The problem was, and has been, reluctance of the final customer to allow third parties access to their often-proprietary operating algorithms. Not to mention security risks. But the idea of helping both OEM and user remains intriguing.
Olis provides video and telemetry-based diagnostics for industrial cells, enabling technicians to diagnose the root cause of downtime events, such as a robot failure. Immediate access to diagnostic data enables the robotic cell to be debugged quickly and remotely, slashing manufacturer downtime while empowering integrators to take on more business.
Using Olis software, users can monitor and set alerts for pre-defined runtime parameters through the PLC, including I/Os, registers, and custom tags. Common uses for PLC tags include measuring Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), monitoring cycle times, and fault detection.
For integrators, the new PLC capabilities enhance their ability to debug a system before shipping, and their ability to successfully monitor the system after deployment and remotely monitor and debug entire industrial cells.
For end users, this means reduced downtime costs –not just in cases of robot failure, but across the entire cell. The new functionality can even be used to maintain and improve standards in production throughput. For example, in an application involving a robot inserting bolts into a part, users could create an alert that indicates when the feeder is running low on bolts. The PLC can then send Olis an alert informing the operator that it’s time to refill the feeder.
by Gary Mintchell | Sep 11, 2024 | Automation, Robots
I am writing this from Phoenix while attending the annual meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. That doesn’t prevent reporting on the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS). Most of the news I’ve seen on the “automation” side concerns robotics and autonomous mobile vehicles. This news comes from Kawasaki.
Perhaps the most intriguing of their announcements concerns the shortage of skilled workforce—an educational robot platform said to be a fraction of the cost of others. Named Astorino, it equips students with the foundational skills needed for modern manufacturing.
Named after the popular open-source Arduino platform and development partner ASTOR, Astorino leverages Kawasaki Robotics’ extensive technology expertise, including hardware, firmware, control system, application software and training. The platform also supplies STL files so students can rapidly print 3D replacement parts for 99% of the robot. It weighs in at 12 kg and is powered by 110 Vac.
At the core of Astorino is a 1kg payload, 6-axis robot with a structure and programming environment nearly identical to that of a Kawasaki industrial robot. It includes a built-in control system; dedicated firmware and software; Modbus TCP and USB/Ethernet communication, and safety functions such as E-Stop and safety brakes. Motor control uses three signals (pulse/direction/enable) and steel gears reduce backlash to <5 arcmin. The robot is flexible and can also be paired with multiple options such as three kinds of grippers, a 24V IO module, a cube feeder with optical sensors and external sensors.
The base price is just $5000.
Now, we turn to industrial-grade robots introduced at the show.
CL Series
Developed in partnership with NEURA Robotics, the CL Series cobots offer industrial scale performance and speed paired with maximum protection without compromising the safety and flexibility advantages of human/robot collaboration. The CL Series cobots can operate without protective covers in crowded and harsh environments. Operating in Zero Gravity (Zero G), the CL Series cobots requires only light guidance and precise adjustments by hand to create highly efficient solutions for applications such as machine tending and welding.
Robotic Machine Tending Shelf System
This turnkey, no code, easy-to-set-up robotic machine tending solution using a modular shelf system for part feeding was developed in partnership with Hurco, a developer of CNC machining equipment. The demo features a Kawasaki RS013N robot, 16 workpieces—four fixtured to pallets and 12 held in 5th Axis LiteVises and a Hurco VM15Di CNC machine that is all operated using Hurco’s WinMax CNC Controls. The system was designed to keep up with customer demand for high-mix, low-volume parts manufacturing without the need to learn how to program a robot. Ultimately, machinists receive a safe solution that can handle a range of part sizes and volumes and can expand capacity to meet highly specific application needs.
Welding Robots
New models featured at IMTS include the BA013N and BA013L with built-in intelligence, real-time path modification, and adaptive arc welding and RTPM capabilities to help manufacturers improve quality and meet production goals.
Robofin
Developed in partnership with AMT and NEFF Automation, this versatile robotic material removal solution solves various finishing needs. RoboFin can handle diverse materials and surface types, increase abrasive life up to 3X, and provide unrivaled precision and consistency to deliver the same high-quality output every time.
K-Positioners
These positioners enable robots to easily manipulate workpiece position to ensure the welding torch is positioned at the optimal angle and distance for consistent, high-quality welds. By automating workpiece movement, positioners speed up the welding process, reducing overall cycle times while at the same time reducing the need for reworking.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 30, 2024 | Automation, Robots
Speaking of robotics and collaborative robotics—my last post mentioned Universal Robots. The company is alive and well as a part of a conglomerate since 2017. UR leaps on the AI bandwagon at IMTS announcing an AI-powered machine tending solution. This enables faster batch changeovers by eliminating the need for fixtures.
Universal Robots (UR) recently surveyed 1,200 manufacturers across North America and Europe about their use of technology and future investment plans, over 50% of the respondents indicated they are now using AI and machine learning in their production processes.
So, AI isn’t just hype, they conclude.
“AI isn’t just hype,” says Ujjwal Kumar, Group President of Teradyne Robotics, parent company of Universal Robots. “We’re seeing significant interest in physical AI. By adding high-performance compute hardware to our control systems and investing in targeted software upgrades, we’re establishing UR as the preferred robotics platform for developing and deploying AI applications.”
The company will show a machine-tending application with new AI-based perception capabilities running on NVIDIA Jetson and Isaac acceleration libraries integrated into UR’s new PolyScope X platform. This combination enables dynamic path planning, ensuring the robot takes the most effective, collision-free paths in and out of the machine without requiring extensive user configuration.
Service has become an important strategy for mature companies. Not surprising, UR has launched the enhanced UR Care Service Plans that now offer preventive field service, onsite break-fix, dedicated remote support and secure cloud connectivity-based cobot service/performance monitoring through UR Connect.
The company will also showcase its extensive partner ecosystem.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 30, 2024 | Automation, Robots
Remember the cute and ground-breaking collaborative robots that pioneered the space—Baxter and Sawyer? I wrote about Rethink Robotics in March and November of 2015. The company closed in 2018 0r 2019 and many employees wound up at Universal Robotics. The company’s assets wound up in Germany at the HAHN group.
Time has passed. The market blossomed and then consolidated. There will be some news at the upcoming IMTS in Chicago in a couple of weeks. I won’t be there deciding instead to go to a more deeply engineering conference.
Well, IMTS 2024 will witness the rebirth of rethink. The press release states:
Rethink Robotics returns to IMTS with a major company relaunch and rebranding. With a fresh identity and renewed vision, Rethink Robotics continues to push the boundaries of innovation, seamlessly integrating advanced robotics into the workplace.
Companies never tell you the weaknesses inherent in their products. They refer indirectly to them through touting their updates.
The new robots that will be unveiled at IMTS have been significantly upgraded with improved design, as well as more reliable and robust hardware, resulting in increased precision, speed, and reliability, making them far more capable for industrial applications.
Teasing (I have product information coming soon under embargo):
In addition to an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) and mobile manipulator (MMR) platform, Rethink Robotics will unveil a family of collaborative robots (cobots) designed to reliably handle a range of payloads from 6 to 30 kg. All these products are designed to be better, faster, and stronger than was previously possible across every technical performance indicator.
by Gary Mintchell | Aug 12, 2024 | Automation, Robots
One of the big days of the year at a manufacturing company where I worked was Physical Inventory Day. Almost 10 years of my career involved physical inventory—either supervising part of it or figuring out why we always had such shrinkage. Counting was a royal pain in the behind. Perhaps automation could have helped.
- New, true inventory counting service is an add-on to AIMS’ autonomous drone service.
- Enables warehouses to automate inventory counting with higher accuracy and increased efficiency than manual counting.
- AIMS boosts worker safety, productivity and reassignment from cycle counting to higher-value tasks.
Nokia announced August 5 the launch of the industry-first, true inventory counting capability for Nokia Autonomous Inventory Monitoring Service (AIMS), enabling warehouse operators to utilize autonomous drones to individually count items, such as eaches, cases or cartons, in any racked inventory location accurately and efficiently.
I have no real idea what Nokia means by “true.” It’s probably just a marketing word meaning something like “we count everything.”
Warehouse shrinkage can account for 3-5% of a company’s revenue and 25% of shrinkage is due to administrative errors. This combined with continued pressure to fulfill orders rapidly has pushed warehouse operators to a tipping point of futureproofing and automating operations to gain a business edge.
Top management awarded the task of the accuracy of the bills of material to me for several years. They figured that engineering must have missed something big in the BOM causing accounting to deduct a smaller amount of inventory for each product shipped. I walked through production areas, sent my team out to audit, walked through production with the production managers. All to no avail. I suspected the system from procurement through accounting. I still wonder about the problem 40 years later.
The new inventory counting capability adds to Nokia AIMS’ current features of finding misplaced and lost inventory, as well as empty bin detection. If a human worker can count inventory from the aisle, the Nokia AIMS drone can count it too. Identified inventory counts are then compared with warehouses’ existing WMS or ERP systems to identify any quantity mismatches.
One other problem for me was something almost untestable given the size of the problem—the inventory counters simply missed something or misidentified it. By the way, I find the statement about “if the human worker…then we can” not convincing. Why then invest in a solution that does the same thing?
Whereas typical cycle counts use the ABC method, where inventory is counted based on varying frequency, Nokia AIMS efficiently checks every location much more frequently, to ensure customers get a more accurate, reliable and complete picture of their inventory.
Of course, if the size of the facility is very large relative to the number of people able to count, then an automated system that you can trust becomes an excellent investment.
Nokia AIMS is delivered as a service in a complete solution comprising of drones, software and a cloud-based user interface. A Nokia AIMS drone can complete cycle counts approximately 7-10 times faster than human workers or around 300 inventory locations per hour. AIMS can provide customers with a 40% or greater ROI and deliver immediate value on the day it is launched.
Inventory counting capability is now available to customers in the United States. Existing Nokia AIMS customers will automatically gain access to this capability via a software update with no additional costs. New Nokia AIMS customers who sign up in 2024 will receive this capability for free, for one year.
About the company
Spun out from Nokia Bell Labs, Nokia AIMS reflects the deep heritage of utilizing emerging technology, such as AI and automation, to develop revolutionary technology advancements that are human by design and answer the industry’s biggest demands.
