Metrology is the backbone of precision in manufacturing, yet its integration in automated robot cells has long been overlooked. While robots have revolutionised production processes, their setup and maintenance have paradoxically remained labour-intensive and prone to error.
Renishaw, a global leader in measurement and precision engineering, is addressing this gap with a new approach. Renishaw’s Kevyn Jonas, Director and General Manager, Industrial Automation, reveals how the company’s latest industrial automation products bring metrology solutions into the world of robot cells and robot processes.
Opportunities for change
The existing processes surrounding robot set-up and maintenance are largely manual. It’s a strange conundrum for an industry built on automation. Robotic automation cells are prone to inaccuracies over time due to wear and tear, environmental factors and complex operational demands. Without precise calibration and monitoring, these issues can lead to production errors, increased downtime and costly inefficiencies. At Renishaw, we decided to change that.
Our approach for developing products for the industrial automation market was grounded in addressing these fundamental challenges. We focused on issues relating to the manual set-up, calibration and maintenance of robots, aiming to enhance operational accuracy and repeatability.
Applying Renishaw’s experience to shop-floor robotics
To meet the needs of the market, we decided to offer two options: a portable product toolkit and permanently installed in-process products.
The toolkit products can be taken from job to job to speed up robot commissioning and ongoing verification. They include the RCS L-90 ballbar, which improves robot system accuracy, reduces deployment time and monitors robot health. The technology works with the coordinating software package, the RSC Software Suite, to intuitively guide users through a range of tests and simple routines. The RCS T-90 tri-ballbar is purchased as an add-on kit. This system uses a tripod configuration of three ballbars, which enables robot users to identify root causes of poor performance, with further comprehensive tests to capture critical robot information. Examples include remastering the joint offsets to calculated positions, running master-recovery routines and plotting 3D path performance.
Remastering joints is a good example of a crucial function of robotic testing — especially in high-precision, high-repetition tasks where robots are most commonly used. Enabling quick and accurate joint remastering allows manufacturers to swiftly correct any misalignment, eliminating the need for extensive manual adjustments or prolonged downtime. This ensures that robot performance remains consistent without disrupting production.
The RCS P-series of in-process products integrates a permanent Renishaw probing solution within a robot cell to apply in-process metrology. The RCS P-series uses probes and tool setters to enable cell auto-recovery, which minimises downtime and allows operations to resume at the touch of a button. Available in a variety of bundles, the RCS P-series enables users to customise their package to suit the needs of their robotic cell.
Development and history
Automation cells are designed to be operated with minimal intervention, but to truly run autonomously, a closed loop approach must be applied. This is the goal Renishaw set out to achieve.
It’s the application of our established and trusted technology that sets us apart from the competition. We have a long history of expertise in metrology and the automation of processes for physical automation. As such, we provide a holistic solution to widely recognised industrial automation problems. Our products offer a blend of portability and robustness that meets the high standards of precision and reliability expected by the industry.
In fact, the products complement our core manufacturing products, demonstrate the versatility of our approaches in related markets and showcase our commitment to innovation and quality.
Given our history of innovation and expertise in precision engineering, developing products for industrial automation was a natural fit. We’ve been using high levels of automation in our own manufacturing facilities for decades. We therefore have first-hand experience of the challenges faced by the sector. Historically, automation activities have required far less accuracy than high-precision manufacturing. However, the improvements that our RCS products are bringing to industrial automation cells are revealing new applications that could be automated successfully.
The market reception to this product line has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve seen a keen interest in the capabilities that our products offer, particularly in improving manufacturing efficiencies, raising production quality and automatically recovering from crashes without reprogramming. Testament to our success is the feedback from key industry players who recognise the transformative impact of our solutions.
The future of metrology in automation
Looking to the future, we’re dedicated to driving product innovation by continually engaging with end-users and integrators, understanding their needs and developing solutions that address the evolving challenges of the sector. We’re committed to advancing our products through research, customer feedback and leveraging our cross-industry expertise.
In fact, we anticipate our product range to be at the forefront of innovation in the industrial automation space. We’re exploring new applications and technologies that will further enhance the capabilities of our products, ensuring that Renishaw remains a key player in driving the future of industrial automation.
Renishaw’s approach is transforming the role of metrology in robotic manufacturing cells, tackling long-standing challenges in an industry built on automation. By eliminating the manual steps in robot calibration and maintenance, we’re setting a new standard for precision, efficiency and reliability.
With a relentless drive for innovation and a commitment to solving industry problems, Renishaw isn’t just supporting the future of industrial automation — we’re shaping it.
To learn more about the latest advancements in precision engineering, explore additional articles in Renishaw Innovation Matters magazine by visiting www.renishaw.com/en/innovationmatters
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