The International Manufacturing Technology Show, will bring people and automation closer together – literally – with exhibits highlighting the benefits of collaborative robots, or “cobots.”
suppliers enthusiastically support the
Smartforce Student Summit at IMTS 2018.
“Automation suppliers have made tremendous leaps with software, control and sensor technology that enable quantifying what the robot ‘feels.’ If it feels anything out of the ordinary, it will stop before exerting too much force,” says Mike Cicco, President & CEO, FANUC America Corporation and a Board Member of AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and produces IMTS. “Where robots previously operated in restricted areas, we can now bring people and automation together to improve assembly operations.”
As cobot examples, consider a situation where a robot bin picks a heavy ball screw and holds it while an operator inserts bearings or an electronics assembly where a human performs the complicated chore of routing cables through a chassis and a robot performs repetitive tasks, such as driving screws.
“Collaborative robots, mobile robots, IIoT-enabled systems, AI and automation careers will be some of the dominant automation trends at IMTS 2018,” says Tim Shinbara, VP – Technology, AMT.
Cicco believes that machine tool owners and managers attending IMTS should explore collaborative and mobile robots, and that’s true for both high-volume and low- to medium-volume operations. He envisions a work cell where the robot could tend the CNC, such as for loading and unloading on long part runs. The cobot could function without requiring additional guarding and the operators could go about their routine without safety concerns.
“Early attempts to use cameras on robots would have been deemed ‘science projects’ instead of the basis for future commercial products,” says Cicco. “That has changed very rapidly. Today, industry puts robotic 3D bin picking and 3D inspection systems into use every day to increase productivity.”
Contrary to consumer media reports that claim robots will take over the world, robots are actually taking over dull, repetitive, and dangerous tasks to free scarce human resources to focus on other, typically more fulfilling jobs.
Students can experience automation first-hand at the Smartforce Student Summit. In partnership with leading education institutions and advanced technology companies, the Smartforce Student Summit has hands-on challenges for students and Learning Labs for teachers as well as advanced students.
IMTS
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