Page 38 - MetalForming Magazine May 2022

time,” Waldmann says. “Precision also was important, not only for dropping the parts but for placing them in exact locations. The ActiNav system easily meets all of these requirements. The cobot isn’t the bottleneck on this line.”
The automation application, delivering a 15-sec. cycle time, proves an ideal fit for cobots, according to Parker.
“When switching from a robot to a cobot, you sacrifice payload capacity and speed,” he says. “This application lends itself very well to the cobot, being that we were giving up that speed factor as compared to using a robot. The stamped parts have a lot of sharp edges, which means that we must be careful how we sling the parts around, even though the UR system monitors the force being generated.”
To ensure the safety of associates, the application features open sur- rounding space with some hard guard- ing. Also, each part weighs only about 75 grams, with the cobot end effector only weighing 1 kg, according to Wald- mann—well within the cobot’s payload capacity.
“The reach is what defined the cobot size for this application,” Waldmann says. “We could have used a small robot, but we wanted a flexible system where an operator can go in and check on things, or work alongside the cobot if needed.”
ROI in Less than One Year
Immediately upon initial operation, ActiNav reduced labor requirements from four operators on the VCT line to three, with the freed operator moved to higher-precision tasks on another line. That provided a return on investment in less than a year. By automating the process, Schaeffler has eliminated downtime and labor underutilization, and boosted overall equipment effectiveness on the line, with production efficiency improving by seven percent over the first three months of operation.
The UR5e powering the ActiNav sys- tem joins dozens of other UR cobots in Schaeffler facilities around the world.
“We want to use modularity as much as possible,” Parker explains. “We don’t want to keep introducing learning curves—if we can find one best-fit solution, it will help us with many different applications.”
He and his team within SMB are looking to integrate the ActiNav bin- picking application in other assembly processes, while also seeking additional application opportunities for produc-
tion customers.
“Most importantly for us, we wanted
to find a system that was developed, that was working, and that we would not have to invest so many hours in to get it off the ground,” Parker concludes. “We can take this and plug it in some- where else. Because this system has worked so well, it’s made me optimistic about using it in other stations and in other areas.” MF