"An investment in robotics pays off faster than people expect"

B&R's Machine-Centric Robotics solution is shaking up the automation market. For the first time ever, OEMs have a one-stop shop for machine automation and robotics. But what do they actually stand to gain from integrating robots into their machines? We sat down with robotics specialist Sebastian Brandstetter to find out.

Brandstetter: I see three main advantages. First, robots make machines more flexible. Second, a robot can often be the simplest way to accomplish certain tasks. Third, robots can do work that would be too hazardous, strenuous or monotonous for human laborers.

Brandstetter: The amount of automation in manufacturing has clearly grown dramatically over the past three decades. Yet, there are still plenty of machines and plants where human workers are required for certain steps in the process. Imagine a sheet metal bending machine, for example: you still see workers inserting the sheets into the brake and turning them as needed until all the bends have been made. It's a very demanding job, and one that is increasingly hard to find qualified workers to perform.

Brandstetter: Exactly right. But not only that: In addition to inserting the sheets, the robot can also serve as an additional motion control axis in the bending process. Not to mention the fact that a fully automated bending machine can run 24 hours a day.

Brandstetter: It's not that simple. The movements of the bending machine and the movements of the robot are tightly intertwined. To get quality bending results, the axes need to be exchanging data constantly. The only real way to do that is to have the robotics application as an integral part of the machine – so you have only one controller and only one control application.

Brandstetter: If you look at a typical production machine, it's designed to create a specific product, or even a specific model of a specific product. Sometimes there are complex mechanical systems in place to do things like move products from one level of the machine to the next. If anything about the product changes – its size, its shape or its weight – these systems all need to be adjusted, replaced or even completely redesigned. But a robot doesn't care about all that. It just quickly recalculates its path and is ready to go.

Brandstetter: I wouldn't take it quite that far. But, I do think an investment in robotics pays off in many more cases than people expect. That includes cases where operator safety is at stake.

Brandstetter: Think about something with a lot of fast-moving parts, like a bottling line. Any bottles that are defective or have fallen over need to be removed from the line very quickly. If you want to have a human operator do that, you have to slow the line down to a safe speed so they can open the safety gate. But if you have a robot do it, the machine can continue along uninterrupted at full speed.

Brandstetter: Quite the opposite, in fact. Integrated robots actually reduce a machine's footprint by performing manipulations that would otherwise require complex – and therefore large – mechanical systems. What's more, B&R's integrated solution also does away with the dedicated robotics control cabinet, and the robots can be installed horizontally or upside down. And for machine builders who combine robotics with an intelligent track system, there is even greater potential for optimization.

Brandstetter: The shuttles on the track system can each be controlled independently and synchronized to the movement of the robot with microsecond precision. Processing steps can be performed while the shuttles are in motion and adapted for different products without any changes to the hardware. You get more output from a machine that takes up less floorspace.

Brandstetter: They can offer their customers a whole new breed of machine: a machine that adapts automatically to new products – even ones that didn't exist when the machine was first built. They can deliver on one of the most pressing consumer expectations: individualized products at mass production prices.