Case Study: Small in size but large in application, the perfect match between cobots and AGVs

01 Background

A robotics integrator based in Jiangsu Province provides engineering, manufacturing, and integration solutions to 3C manufacturers. They recently equipped a Taiwan electronics factory with composite robots for handling and inspection. With the help of cobots, the plant improved production quality, reduced human error, increased operational efficiency by 20 percent, and saved about 15 percent of the workspace. By integrating cobots into the production process, workers can perform jobs that require higher skills and generate higher added value.

02 The main difficulty

The transfer of materials between process stations in subsequent production lines still relies on manual labor, while the transfer of materials between stations is done manually. The factory wanted to automate the connection between the single stations, but due to the limited working space, it was not suitable for large-scale changes and layout adjustments. As a result, they urgently need to find lightweight and less risky solutions to try.

03Our solution

The factory contacted the integrator in the hope that they could provide a solution. After an assessment at the workplace, the integrator suggested that the plant try a hybrid robot. The AGV sends the workpiece taken by the robotic arm to the inspection platform. The equipment is then inspected for size and appearance. After the inspection is completed, the robot takes out the workpiece and sends it to the next inspection station for inspection. The composite robot consists of an AGV laser navigation vehicle, an ELITE EC66 (6KG load) collaborative robot and a large bolt gripper. ELITE cobots consume less power than traditional industrial robots; The average power of a 6kg payload robot is 250W. The optional 48V DC-powered version can draw power directly from the AGV. Due to the low power consumption and small structure of collaborative robots, the loss of AGV carrying capacity is relatively small. In practice, there is no need to recharge the vehicle frequently, which reduces downtime and increases productivity.

"It's been two months since the robot was installed, and we're quite satisfied with the mobile platform." The factory is satisfied: "The combination of cobots and AGVs provides us with the ideal solution. The whole system is very smart and takes up very little space in addition to being able to complete the planned actions. Truth be told, this is how I imagine modern material handling and testing tools coming up on the production line. Small in size but large in application, I believe that the combination of collaborative robots and AGVs will bring more surprises to users in the future.

04More advantages

The joints of the ELITE cobot are lightweight and integrated, which is different from traditional industrial robots. Motor, drive control circuit, feedback circuit, gearbox, bus, encoder and other systems are all integrated in the integrated connector. The lightweight design ensures that the robot has a high load-to-weight ratio, which can not only reduce the risk in the event of a collision, but also protect human safety. In addition, the weight of the robot is also greatly reduced. For example, a robotic arm with a load of 3kg weighs only 13kg, while a robotic arm with a load of 6kg weighs 17.5kg. So this type of arm is flexible when integrated with AGVs.

Case Study: Small in size but large in application, the perfect match between cobots and AGVs

Case Study: Small in size but large in application, the perfect match between cobots and AGVs

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