Cobots

Collaborative robots

At AWL, we believe that cobot technology is a game changer for the next decade. In the metal processing and automotive industries as well as in services and the medical sector. A cobot can work well with a human counterpart, whereby the safety aspect is one of the great advantages compared with an industrial robot. In addition, a cobot is easy to program.

Collaborative automation enables people and robots to contribute their own unique and strong points. People offer process knowledge, insight and flexibility, while robots deliver inexhaustible endurance for repetitive tasks. For the manufacturing industry, this mix makes it interesting to apply cobot automation to small batches with great variation.

‘‘The collaboration between people and robots is becoming increasingly important because, in many industries, production has shifted from large batches with little variation to low volumes with great variation. More variation means more human intervention.”

Welding cobot

Ease of programming

By using a cobot for small series of repetitive welding tasks, companies can benefit from the precision of robots and their repetitiveness on the one hand, and from the ease of operation of the cobot on the one hand. In other words, the welding employee should be able to program the robot for a new task himself without the interference of a robot programmer. The cobot welding station, which AWL also uses in its welding department, makes this possible. The quality of the product depends only on the seniority of the welder teaching the product to the cobot, after which all products are made consistently with the same quality.

With the newly developed cobot welding cell, AWL has something unique in the market. It combines the experience of AWL as a machine builder with the ease of use and low-cost solution of a cobot. Let us surprise you with the Return on Investment of this solution.

Welding with a cobot

Pick & place

Repetitive tasks

Machine operators work in various workplaces where they load or unload products in a machine or pick orders from a conveyor. By combining a cobot with vision technology, this repetitive task can be taken over from the operator. The advantage of this is that the cobot can be used flexibly with different machines and occupies just a little floor space. This pick and place solution with a cobot also gives you a more reliable quantitative result.

Autonomous nut-welding station

Collaborative operations

Focusing on the AWL welding station, it can be interesting to add a cobot to the operator’s side, as a co-worker that aids in preparing products for the primary process. For example, nut welding is often manual work which must be carried out by an operator in addition to other work. By having this task taken over by a cobot, the cycle times of the AWL welding station are under less pressure, and the quality of nut welding improves because it does not depend on the firm hand of an operator.

What can AWL do for you?

Together with you, we can build the physical concepts for the integration of cobots in your plant. One of the concepts that we build is automating different jobs in your “part rack’’, such as labeling, engraving, or nut-welding. Another physical concept that we can build is making the optimal working environment for your hand-welder by using the co-welder. Or do you want to get started with the cobot welding cell right away? AWL brings the solution, from concept to final delivery, to your factory as a turnkey project.