Robot brings nuts

Setting the course for tomorrow

"We want to position our production for the future and significantly increase efficiency in the process. Our goal is to achieve a capacity of more than 20,000 robots per year here in Augsburg. We can only achieve this if we redesign the processes in robot assembly according to the latest lean methods," says Andreas Ostermann von Roth, Executive Vice President Operations at Kuka Roboter, explaining why the production line, which is around 140 meters long, was built with a strong focus on automation.

Nuts and bolts "just in sequence"

The delivery of assembly material "just-in-sequence" (JIS) was a key component of this. Kuka has developed a whole range of solutions for this - from manually movable lightweight robots to fully autonomous systems. New applications are already opening up in logistics and especially in modern warehousing. This means that both materials and robots can always be exactly where they are needed most.

Kuka uses the KMR iiwa in its own production. A Kanban solution is implemented in the assembly of the Kuka KR Quantec. The KMR iiwa handles the distribution of screws, sealing rings, nuts and small parts. Würth delivers the ordered Kanban boxes to the central storage rack.

At regular intervals, the KMR iiwa sensitively checks the individual shelves and removes the delivered boxes containing the small parts.

At regular intervals, the KMR iiwa sensitively checks the individual shelves and removes the delivered boxes containing the small parts. The lightweight robot holds the box up to a QR code scanner mounted on the platform, scans it and thus recognizes the individual target position of each box. The autonomously moving platform then transports the containers through the production hall and automatically delivers them to the workstation.

"This just-in-sequence delivery is part of our new logistics concept in the production of our own robots," explains Sebastian Bodenmüller, Head of Robot Assembly at Kuka Roboter GmbH. Two key points are taken into account to guarantee maximum efficiency: The KMR iiwa does not travel unnecessary distances and does not need a break.

Mobile robot quickly accepted as a colleague

With the integrated Kuka.NavigationSolution in conjunction with safety laser scanners, the KMR iiwa is able to recognize obstacles in its path at an early stage and thus navigate safely and autonomously through production. A key feature of the KMR iiwa is its ability to share a common path with people and logistics trains. No special safeguarding or further processing of the routes is necessary.

"Our employees quickly accepted the KMR iiwa as a fully-fledged employee and colleague. They appreciate the advantages of this intelligent and mobile assistant," says Sebastian Bodenmüller, summing up the robotic colleague's first few weeks of use. It primarily takes on monotonous tasks that are not ergonomic for humans. It works independently of break times and is ready for action when it is needed. The possible areas of application of the KMR iiwa are not yet exhausted with pure logistics tasks. Loading different industrial machines is just as conceivable as working directly with one or more employees in a shared or common workspace.

Navigates around any obstacle

The platform of the KMR iiwa can be moved precisely in any direction from a standing position using the specially developed omniMove Mecanum wheels. The robot and vehicle are operated together with the Kuka Sunrise multi-kinematics-capable controller, which significantly simplifies operation and use in practice. Additional environment scanners on the vehicle enable obstacles to be detected. The Li-Ion batteries used supply the vehicle and robot directly with power. With the SLAM navigation software developed by Kuka, the KMR iiwa moves safely, completely autonomously and without cable connections.

Industry 4.0 already implemented

With increasing automation in its own production, Kuka is setting the course for the future. "While Industry 4.0 is still being discussed in many places, we have already started. Investments in automation such as the KMR iiwa ensure our long-term success," says Andreas Ostermann from Roth, describing the reasons for using the mobile robot.

"In future, we will be able to respond much more flexibly to customers and market requirements with solutions like these," he says, looking ahead.

Ulrike Kröhling

Contact:

Kuka Roboter GmbH 86165 Augsburg Phone: 08 21 / 7 97-40 00 E-Mail: