While the diverse nature of industry means that no two companies are ever the same, there are nevertheless uniting factors which mean that many are facing the same challenges and hurdles to increasing their productivity and competitiveness.
In many cases, the answer to solving these challenges lies in either increasing or enhancing the level of automation, using technologies such as robots to improve operations and enable greater utilization of existing workforces.
The following are examples of some key challenges that are being answered by the multiple variants of our OmniVance application cells:
Skills and labor shortages
Companies across multiple industrial sectors are being impacted by a rising shortage of labor, with fewer skilled and unskilled workers available to fill vacancies. A 2018 research study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute estimated that while American manufacturers will need to fill 3.5 million manufacturing jobs by 2025, around two million will remain unfilled as people opt to find jobs in other sectors1.
A specific example of how this skills shortage is affecting companies is welding. According to estimates by the American Welding Society, there will be a shortage of 400,000 welders by this year. The impact of this shortage is already being felt across multiple industries, from metals fabrication through to automotive manufacturing.
This challenge can be addressed by using the OmniVance™ FlexArc Cell A ready to deploy modular solution, it incorporates robots, controllers, software, and peripherals into one simple welding cell. Up to four robots can be added to the cell, giving improved flexibility to tackle a wide variety of welding tasks on complex assemblies. The FlexArc range is designed to work with Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), to automate manufacturing logistics and improve the speed and productivity of welding operations.
The OmniVance concept can also be used to help augment worker performance by making better use of people involved in repetitive tasks such as machine tending. The OmniVance™ FlexLoader M Conveyor uses a simple but powerful vision system to enable easy loading of workpieces with complex shapes, providing the flexibility to handle a variety of workpieces with a single cell. It can load and unload machines in different ways based on the size, shapes and amount of the workpieces being handled, while a smart wizard enables new workpieces to be programmed in less than five minutes with no vision programming expertise required.
Quality Assurance
Quality issues can occur in even in the most carefully controlled production lines, with products potentially being affected by defects that could impact on their usability and safety. Minimizing this risk can be difficult in automotive component or electronics production lines, where potentially thousands of products or parts may need to be carefully inspected.
With manual inspection being time consuming and prone to missing defects, a major challenge for the smart factory is how to make quality inspection faster and more accurate. This is achieved by ABB’s OmniVance™ 3D Quality Inspection cell, which uses a 3D optical sensor to inspect components ten times faster than conventional techniques and offers an accuracy to below 100 (micrometer) μm. Intended for offline testing stations, its modularity allows customization or expansion as the business evolves.
Flexibility
The need to be able to respond quickly to changes in customer demands means having production lines that can be quickly reconfigured to handle different tasks. In contrast to fixed purpose machines which are designed to perform specific roles, robotic automation provides the flexibility to quickly adapt to new requirements.
Comprising of a pre-tested combination of robot, controller, and a turntable, plus pressure and level sensors and other equipment, the OmniVance™ Machining Cell is the first standardized machining solution able to perform up to eight different applications in a single cell. Simply by changing the end effector, the same cell can be used for multiple purposes including sanding, deburring, polishing, and dry ice cleaning. Up to eight different functions can be performed on a single cell, often by simply changing the end effector.
The machining cell is supplied with ABB’s Machining Software, which integrates auto-calibration and path-tuning functions into a single tool, simplifying the setting up of new products while maximizing accuracy in machining applications.
The OmniVance Machining Cell can be operational in ten hours compared to the three to five days required by other cells, cutting set up time by 92 percent.
Delivery
Logistics and distribution companies bringing their operations back home need to be able to cope with increasing customer demands for faster delivery, coupled with the rise of e-commerce and the emergence of omnichannel distribution models. The ability to utilize compact automated storage and retrieval systems that can make best use of available warehousing space and be readily scaled to meet changing customer needs provides clear benefits.
The OmniVance FlexBuffer™ meet these requirements. Consisting of an ABB robot, a suite of grippers, a configurable storage management software package, storage racking, an infeed conveyor and an outfeed conveyor, the cell is available in two versions – a single item version for handling standard boxes such as totes and a mixed items version, featuring an adjustable gripper for handling parcels, trays, and crates. Both versions can handle a total payload of up to 50kg and conduct sequencing operations at up to 500 cycles per hour.
Summary Ultimately, any move to re- or near-shore manufacturing and distribution operations needs to deliver enhanced competitiveness and productivity for its full benefits to be realized. Offering the rapid deployment and flexibility that manufacturers need, ABB’s OmniVance solutions enable reshoring and near shoring companies to set up new factories quickly and cost-effectively and take full advantage of the flexibility and resilience opportunities that automation can provide. For more information, visit OmniVance™ Application cells page.
