Cobots: Efficient production, even with a shortage of skilled labour

Are robots job killers or do they help to future-proof small and medium-sized companies? A serious labour shortage is expected in Germany in the coming decade, especially for technical specialists. At the same time, product life cycles are shortening. For smaller and medium-sized companies in particular, however, the hurdle of investing in additional automation is high. Cooperating and easy-to-set-up robots (cobots) offer a fast and cost-effective solution for increasing flexibility, quality and speed of production and responding to changing market requirements.

Cobots have drastically lowered the barrier to automating manual processes: these robot technologies are much easier to access and can be used directly alongside employees in existing processes. Their versatile functions and capabilities allow them to be used for multiple applications and to be moved around the factory at different times of the day.

Cobots: helpers for simple, repetitive tasks

In the medical industry, for example, the requirements for unique device identification (UDI) are leading to a significant increase in demand for part labelling solutions. One option here is laser marking. Traditionally and manually, an employee would place the parts individually in the marking machine, wait until the marking process is complete and then remove the parts. However, as tasks like this do not require any special skills, cobots are a good alternative.

When a cobot approaches a laser marker of this type, it searches for an orientation or reference point that provides an understanding of the 3D space. It can look at the laser marker screen or the indicator lights to determine the status. When the machine is ready, the robot opens the laser marker door to insert the components and monitor the operator's visual cues. Once the process is complete, the cobot opens the door again, removes the components and places them on the rack. The way the robot works is similar to that of a human operator, as it understands the visual instructions for opening doors and pressing buttons.

Cobots improve inspection and control processes

Parts inspection is a repetitive task in the manufacture of medical devices. For human workers, it can be very difficult to concentrate on the same part for hours on end, constantly having to find scratches or other defects. But this is essential for precise and reliable production. A part is therefore often checked several times and by different employees to ensure that all errors and inaccuracies are actually recorded.

Cobots can be used in various ways for such inspection tasks. Firstly, the robot's built-in camera or a third-party camera on the robot arm can be used to view parts from different angles and in different lighting conditions to ensure they do not have any defects. Alternatively, a cobot can pick up the part, hold it in front of a fixed camera and move it around to look for defects. In contrast to human workers, a cobot can concentrate on the same task for many hours at the same speed and equally well. Today, machine vision makes it possible to automate parts of the visual inspection process. This relieves the burden on companies, which today also have a problem with a lack of skilled personnel.

Solving the shortage of skilled labour with the help of collaborative robots

The shortage of skilled labour is much more than just a lack of employees in production. Highly qualified specialists are currently not only very difficult to find, but often also very expensive. With a little training, employees who work with the cobots and who best understand the production requirements can take care of programming changes.

One of the biggest problems associated with the shortage of skilled workers is optimising the use of existing employees. If they only transport raw materials from one production area to another or move unfinished products between different stations, they cannot focus on more valuable tasks. This means that these workers do not add any real value to the device being manufactured. If a cobot takes on these tasks instead, manufacturers can relieve their team: employees can concentrate on tasks that require special skills and human intervention.

Autonomous mobile robots: Safe transport of heavy loads

Another option is the use of autonomous mobile robots (AMR). These self-propelled mobile robots can transport raw materials from the warehouse to the production line, move parts between work cells and deliver finished products to the packaging and labelling areas. As they have an internal map of the production line, they do not have to follow a predetermined route. Instead, they can guide themselves independently to a specific location in order to complete time-critical transports.

AMRs are available in various sizes. They transport quite low payloads such as 60 kg, but also 1500 kg and more. They are considered collaborative because they work together with and around people and do not require special lanes. So whenever a person is pushing a trolley through a production line, there is an opportunity to use AMR instead, making better use of the employee's skills. He or she can take on a task that requires critical thinking or interpersonal skills.

Cobots make it possible to reduce the number of employees in small work areas. The latter can perform less redundant tasks that require greater dexterity or mental flexibility. The cobots are not only easy to operate, they are also relatively easy to handle.

According to Omron Elektronik GmbH, Langenfeld, it only takes around a week of training to enable operators to fine-tune picking points and product sizes. If you can also use the knowledge of the person who used to work in the cell to ensure that the cobot cell runs optimally, you can utilise information that would otherwise only be possible through practical experience. (su)

Article from "medizin & technik" from 21 June 2023