Surface Finishing
Sanding, polishing and de-burring operations are one of the dirtiest, dull and dangerous jobs that an operator can undertake.
How a Collaborative Robot Assistant Can Help
The particles created from material removal often require an operator to wear heavy PPE which can limit movement, require regular breaks and make for an unpleasant environment.
Similarly, the vibrations often associated with this kind of power tool can also introduce an operator to higher fatigue and a much higher chance of obtaining a repetitive strain injury (RSI).
Combining these factors, it’s not uncommon to see manufacturers struggling to get skilled personnel to undertake these tasks all day long.
With the ability to deploy quickly, a collaborative robot could be the answer to improving these environments and actually increasing throughput. With 5-click programming and adaptive force-torque technologies, it's extremely quick to teach a new part and let the Cobot do most of the work for you.
This means the robot can be deployed in even low-volume, high-variety environments.
Universal Robot Example
Let’s look at an example involving a hardwood solid door which is produced in medium to low volume. In this scenario, a fixed automation process is too costly to implement.
Traditionally, this would be all hand-sanded by an operator, meaning you either have a slow throughput or a high volume of staff required. The staff would be required to wear heavy PPE and take frequent breaks.
The theory of deploying a Universal Robot with a sander in this situation is to let the robot do 95% of the work while still utilising the operator’s skill to finish and perform quality assurance checks. Ultimately, this would increase throughput by up to 300% as the operator can focus on the last 5% of the process.
Key Reasons to Deploy Cobot Sanding Solutions:
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Reduced operator RSI risk
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Less staff required
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Increased throughout
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Increased efficiencies
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100% of operator time spent adding value
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Quick setup for low-medium volume runs
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Flexibility in your investment
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Automatic pad changing
Expand your work envelope with a customized range extender
Extend the range of your cobot, with a plug & play, pinch-point-free 7th-axis from Vention. Customise your range extender by choosing from three types of linear actuators and three design configurations. Vention's robot range extenders also come with a MachineMotion V2 controller, enabling intuitive and code-free deployment.
