In April, in Kecskemét, Hungary, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz car factory assembled robotic chassis on the production line. The Daimler Group's Mercedes plant will produce a new generation of compact models. Walking through the factory of SEW-Eurodrive in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, it feels like it is passing through time and space tunnels. On the one hand is a dim light, the workers are standing on a long line, repeating the same tasks again and again. On the other side, a team of low-level robotic vans roamed around the floor of the workshop to replenish the newly designed workstations. In these small workshops, with the help of a robotic workstation, an employee assembles an almost complete drive system that will be used to support the production of various products, from cars to cola. There is also a place where a robot arm called Carmen is helping workers load machines or pick components from work boxes. The lights here are brighter and the workers say they feel more happy. "All the arrangements are exactly in line with my needs, and I don't have to move heavy parts anymore," said Jürgen Heidemann, who has been working at SEW since he was 18 and is now 40 years old. “What makes me more satisfied is that I made the whole system. On the old production line I only took part in the whole process.†The use of collaborative robots in small businesses ... can at least stabilize jobs in the hands of local people. Heidemann is one of the new factory workers who is learning how to work side-by-side with the latest generation of robotics systems. Traditional industrial robots are locked in the operation box because they are large and cumbersome, and the moving operation speed is fast. This makes it difficult for humans to interact with them. Moreover, this kind of robot requires a skilled programmer to set its tasks. After the installation is completed, the robot will almost never move. Now, thanks to advancements in sensors, vision technology, and computing power, there is a robot on the factory floor that can work safely with human workers. The robot is lightweight, mobile, and plug-and-play. If someone blocks the way, the robot will stop automatically. Use a tablet computer to program it, or simply move its operating arm to the desired mode. If the robot needs to be applied elsewhere in the factory, it can also be easily moved. This is unlike the heavy-duty robotic arm that once swept the world's automated factories, and it needs to be bolted to the ground. The concept of collaborative robots, Cobot, is still very novel. Its sales account for only a fraction of the global sales of industrial robots: less than 5 percent of the 240,000 industrial robots sold last year. However, manufacturers say that these flexible robots have the potential to transform production methods, especially for those small companies that account for 70% of global manufacturing. According to Barclays statistics, the average price per cooperative robot is only 24,000 US dollars. Because traditional robots are expensive, many companies struggle with automation. However, according to PayScale statistics, the average hourly wage for American workers was 11.8 U.S. dollars, compared with 7.4 pounds for British workers. The return on this robot's low investment may be only a few months. James Stettler, an analyst at Barclays Capital, estimates that the collaborative robot market may grow from slightly over $100 million last year to $3 billion by 2020. "A lot of people are looking forward to this breakthrough," said Jesse Rochelle, manufacturing engineer at SennerPump. SennerPump is located in Florida and employs 90 people. Stenner uses the Baxter dual-arm collaboration robot, which was manufactured by Boston's Rethink Robotics 18 months ago. This new robotic worker can provide the parts needed for a series of processes from manufacturing to packaging, effectively reducing manual handling by 75%. The Baxter robot doesn't need to work behind a fence, and it doesn't need to stop working when workers are close, so Stenner's employees can continue to handle other tasks. "We effectively reduced the length of the cycle from raw materials to production," Rochelle said. He added that for small and medium-sized businesses like Stenner, it needs to compete with competitors in low-cost markets, and low-cost collaborative robots are a boon. He said, "Using collaborative robots in small businesses ... at least ensure local jobs." Economist Carl Frey and Michael Osborne of Oxford University predict that nearly half of the jobs in the United States run the risk of being replaced by automation. Highly adaptable robots may further increase this risk. At the same time, inevitably, advances in machine grabbing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence will also help improve the current weaknesses of collaborative robots. For industrial robots, processing lines, spinning or changing setup tasks remains a challenge. For example, studies have found that it takes 20 minutes for a robot to fold a towel. Some companies think that collaborative robots will not replace workers, and that robots are human assistants, doing “dreary, dirty and dangerous†jobs that humans do not like or do not have the ability to do. Moreover, many companies are unwilling to display their machine workers, probably because they fear that they will have unfavorable publicity when they explore how to use this new type of labor. Several companies rejected the request of the Financial Times to see the operation of the factory. Many unions have not even begun to think about the impact of human-computer cooperation on workers. “Employees will begin to lose their jobs, and the situation in some areas may be particularly severe.†Tony Burke said that he is the Assistant Secretary-General of the Unite Union. “The problem, however, is that nobody knows what the situation is like.†Murad Ahmed explored the use of collaborative robots in agriculture and manufacturing, and asked whether these machines in the factory would assist workers - or whether they would be replaced one day. Joe Shelton, manager of Nissan Motors' plant in Tennessee, said that when the automated guided van was introduced into the factory, material operators became very nervous. "They felt that these machines seemed to take their jobs." But now, "They accepted well and worked side by side." No one was fired. He firmly believes that the vitality of this 30-year-old factory has begun to change. Because of the flexibility of the machine logistics system, the time required to retrofit the machine model has changed from the previous more than one year to the current days. In the building of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, mobile robots placed on the side of the aircraft fuselage drilled tens of thousands of holes to fix and connect the entire fuselage. And workers are also working side by side. Stéphane Maillard, who has worked on aircraft assembly for 13 years, said that the robot did not replace his job. "The robot changed the way it works," he said. "It used to be manual. Now it's more about manipulating robots. Our operators don't want to go back." The company is testing a wheeled robot that can move inside the fuselage and mark where the worker must install the bracket. The location of these places must be accurate to within millimeters. However, the unavoidable concern is that robots come to the workshop and may cause a lot of human redundancy. Maybe humans will hear a lot of cheers from these news: Mercedes-Benz recently decided to replace former robots with workers on certain product lines. Because these machines are not yet agile, they can't be "re-programmed" with themselves for a moment to meet the growing demand for customized product orders. "We gave up the maximum degree of automation we had previously thought, and humanity has become even more important in the industrial production process." Markus Schaefer said that he is the company's production planning director. “When our employees work with machines, such as having an employee guide a robot that is partially automated, we become more flexible and can produce more products on a single production line. Machines can't afford a variety of jobs.†Scientists at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) confirmed this experience of Mercedes-Benz. In collaboration with another German car manufacturer, BMW, the researchers found that the productivity of the man-machine team was 85% higher than that of only human workers or only robots. Returning to the SEW-Eurodrive plant mentioned at the beginning of the article, Heidemann believes that his human characteristics can guarantee that his work will not be lost, no matter how smart the machine becomes. The work of assembling a gear motor not only looks complicated, but it is also a matter of precision. "You need sensitive skills, you need to have your own feelings, robots will destroy these things." He said. Then he added that he did not worry about the long-term future. "I have retired for six years," he said with a laugh. "This is not going to happen in six years." Continuous Washing Range Machine,Continuous Washing Machine,Bleaching Souring Washing Machine,Pre Dyeing Finish Machine ZHEJIANG LIANKE MACHINERY CO.,LTD , https://www.zjlinkmachinery.com
Mechanical engineer Jesse Rochelle worked with a robot named Baxter, who automated StennerPumps' Jacksonville, Fla., plant.