5 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATING PICK AND PLACE ROBOTS INTO YOUR MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Using “Pick-and-place” to automate material pick and place tasks offers many significant benefits, such as greater efficiency and productivity, greater safety, and better quality control. However, successfully integrating robot pickers requires careful research, planning and preparation. This article will discuss the essential elements to ensure your product picker robot material pick and place automation project is successful.

Why Use Pick and Place Robots?

Pick and place robots are replacing manual labor in a wide variety of applications, such as assembly, inspection, warehousing, collaborative robots and packaging. These robots can efficiently pick up parts or products and place them in precise locations, offering numerous benefits over manual labor, including:

• Improved quality control: Pick and place robots equipped with vision systems are more accurate and precise than human workers, and they are better able to detect small flaws in inspection applications.expand_more
• Enhanced worker safety: Repetitive motion injuries do not affect robots, which can help to reduce workplace accidents and injuries.expand_more
• Increased speed: Pick and place robots can operate at much faster speeds than humans, which can lead to higher throughput and efficiency.expand_more
• Greater consistency and accuracy: Robots can perform tasks with a high degree of consistency and accuracy, which can help to reduce errors and improve product quality.

Installation of industrial product pick and place robots (Source: Internet)

Important things to consider when implementing product pick and place robots

For industrial businesses, always seeking to boost productivity, cut costs, and enhance profits, these and other benefits associated with automating pick and place applications using robots will have a positive financial impact. However, the best results will be achieved when pick and place robots are thoughtfully deployed. Here are 5 essential pointers for integrating pick and place robot automation:

Choose the right process

Selecting the appropriate process is one of the most crucial aspects of successful pick and place robot automation implementation. To do this, examine current production activities to identify areas that will benefit the most. For example, areas where bottlenecks frequently occur, employee safety is a concern, or where there is a need to increase throughput.

Once the application has been chosen, analyze the technical specifications of the pick and place operation. This includes determining cycle times, robot payload capacities, as well as any space limitations or other challenges that may be encountered. As a result, the most suitable pick and place robot solution can be selected and designed to meet these requirements.

Additionally, keep in mind that it is advisable to start with a small, straightforward project. It is not necessary or advisable to automate the entire operation all at once, especially for the most complex tasks. Instead, selecting a smaller, less involved application will make it easier to measure the effectiveness and convince senior management to invest further in pick and place robot projects in the future. By demonstrating early improvements, you can gain support from both leadership and employees, paving the way for larger robot projects later on.

The process is easier when integrating pick and place robots into production (Source: Internet)

Setting Project Goals

To ensure that there are quantifiable benefits in the pick and place robot integration project, clear goals must be established. While reducing labor costs, improving productivity, eliminating injuries, and enhancing quality control are all good project goals, there may be other key metrics to consider depending on your specific business.

Identify Metrics Early: It is essential to identify the metrics from the early planning stages. Because changing expectations and goals after project implementation will be costly and difficult. In addition, determining the expected return on investment (ROI) at this stage is also important. It will help you plan an appropriate budget for the project.

Research and Choose Equipment

Selecting the right robot and accessories is critical for successful pick and place robot implementation. There are many different types of robots used in pick and place operations, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, these factors need to be considered to choose the most suitable robot for each specific application.

For example, using a high-speed robot for an application that requires high precision but slow speed will not be effective. Conversely, using the same high-speed robot for an application that requires higher throughput will make more sense.

In addition, other important factors to consider include:

• Workspace Limitations: The size and layout of the workspace will affect the type of robot you can use.
• Required Speed, Accuracy, and Payload: The robot must meet the processing speed, accuracy when picking and placing products, as well as the weight of the product.
• Vision System: Determine whether a camera system is needed for the robot to identify and locate products.
• Gripping Tools: The type of gripper at the end of the robot needs to be compatible with the shape and size of the product you want to manipulate.

By using the appropriate equipment, optimal results can be achieved (Source: Internet)

Planning and Preparation for Pick and Place Robot Integration

Integrating a new pick and place robot into your production line requires meticulous preparation of both infrastructure and technical aspects. It involves more than simply placing the robot within the workspace; it may necessitate structural and electrical modifications. Moreover, ensure the pick and place robot is compatible and operates seamlessly with existing production equipment.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to plan and prepare for integration:

• List of devices to connect to the robot: Identify all systems and equipment the pick and place robot needs to interact with to execute the process.
• Determine connection and control parameters: Develop a detailed plan for how the robot communicates and controls other devices on the production line.
• Evaluate internal technical capabilities: Assess whether your technical team has the necessary skills to connect and program the robot or if external experts are required.
• Safety assessment: Conduct a risk assessment to determine if additional safety measures are needed to protect workers when operating the pick and place robot.
• Employee training: Plan training for operators and maintenance personnel to ensure safe and efficient use of the pick and place robot. Budget for these training activities.
• Prepare the infrastructure: Modifications to the workspace may be necessary to accommodate the robot’s position and operation. This includes clearing obstacles and providing the necessary power supply and signal transmission.

Seeking Expert Assistance

After initiating your project planning, you might realize that it’s more complex than you initially thought and professional help is needed. Robotnext can assist you in defining the ideal process, setting project goals, and selecting the most suitable pick-and-place robot for your task. They can also provide a checklist for project preparation and support for programming and interface-related inquiries. If you are interested in pick-and-place robots or want to learn more about improving your production efficiency, contact Robotnext today for a consultation. Hotline: 0909 914 837.

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