ROBOTS SANDING FURNITURE?

That’s a common reaction in the furniture industry when manufacturers try to envision bringing robots into sanding and polishing applications. And you can’t blame them; when it comes to shaping a plank of wood into the back of a chair or finish sanding cabinet doors or a headboard, automation hasn’t been as common – until recently.

While traditional industrial robots that require safety guarding, complex programming, and high unit counts to justify automation are not an optimal fit here, we now increasingly see collaborative robots assist wood, furniture and cabinet manufacturers. As opposed to their larger cousins bolted down in cages, collaborative robots can be moved around between machines and processes just like any other tool in the cabinet shop.

Training on operations and programming is available 100% online from the UR Academy – in fact, Universal Robots has delivered online training to over 100,000 people around the world.  No computer science degree is required! 

Manufacturing labor is in short supply in every industry, particularly in DDD (Dull, Dirty, Dangerous) positions.  With the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting 10,000 Baby Boomers retiring every day in the U.S. alone, and younger generations not particularly interested in DDD jobs in manufacturing, it’s no wonder there are over 700,000 open, unfilled manufacturing U.S. jobs today.

Wood products in general and cabinet producers specifically are feeling the pain.  Woodworking Network reported 80% of woodworking manufacturers are having trouble filling open positions.  And the National Association of Manufacturers reported hiring and retaining skilled manufacturing labor is the industry’s #1 problem.

Each company is unique, but we believe sanding to be the most common, pervasive workforce problem in cabinet and furniture factories and shops.  Manual sanding is the definition of Dull Dirty and Dangerous.  Dull because it is a repetitive task with little or no variation.  Dirty – operators live in a cloud of dust.  And dangerous due to the environment and the high potential for carpal tunnel and repetitive stress injuries.

At the AWSF Show (Association of Woodworking & Furnishing Suppliers) this summer, we heard the stories from owners and production managers as they stopped by our booth; Hiring 40% more sanders than needed because there are no-shows every day.  Skipping drug screens to increase the candidate pool.  An inability to attract younger workers with growth potential to even start as a sander. Push back from cabinet builders who are true craftsmen, and don’t want to sand.  And a stream of workers comp claims. Most of our booth visitors were very surprised to realize that they might have found a solution to all this.

Toyota coming up with it’s first EV

Toyota’s all-electric bZ4X made its U.S. production model debut today. As a leader in electrification, Toyota’s introduction of bZ4X represents the first of a global series of battery-electric vehicles to be introduced under the global “Toyota bZ” brand umbrella. Once the rubber hits the road, bZ4X will have a manufacturer-estimated range of up to 250 miles for XLE front-wheel drive models.

“With zero emissions and an exhilarating drive, the bZ4X is hitting the market at just the right time as we expand our already comprehensive electrified product lineup,” said Mike Tripp, vice president, Toyota Marketing. “As a human-centered company, Toyota remains committed to offering customers a diverse portfolio of products to meet their individual needs and move us toward a carbon neutral future.”

Based on the design theme “hi-tech and emotional,” the all-new, all-electric SUV offers styling that is as bold and modern as the vehicle itself. The front view of the bZ4X has an aero-dynamic design, and the curved shape of the front bumper expresses a certain uniqueness from other vehicles. The large hammerhead shark-like shape that runs from the hood to the top of the headlamps gives bZ4X a sleek silhouette. The rear design exudes a powerful stance, thanks to the combination lamps, rear hatch and bumper’s trapezoidal theme that extends all the way to the tires.

The futuristic, edgy styling extends to the interior with premium finishes resulting in a distinctive look. With every detail purposefully engineered to create a sense of connection, it offers a driver-centric design that makes you feel like you’re one with the car. The unique instrument panel and precision-placed MID screen expands the vehicle’s feeling of space, while also helping to keep driver’s sight lines up and on the road. Soundproofing glass and wind-noise reduction features create a quiet refuge from the world outside.

With the roominess one would expect from an SUV, the bZ4X interior offers a spacious and relaxing seat for passengers. The accessible USB ports (A and C) offer power and connection points in convenient locations. The panoramic roof provides a feeling of openness and brings the outside environment into the vehicle. Passengers will feel pampered, with abundant legroom for front and rear seats as well as copious side-to-side space in the rear.

The bZ4X is loaded with intuitive tech features. Owners will enjoy a user interface that offers interaction through sight, touch and voice. With a Drive Connect trial or subscription, the bZ4X offers navigation that uses map information from the cloud to obtain traffic information and parking space availability in real time. Digital key gives owners the ability to lock, unlock and start the vehicle with a tap of a smartphone. Designed to make life more convenient, digital keys can also be handed over between smartphones, making it easy for family and friends to borrow and lend vehicles remotely. Other features of the trial subscription include BEV specialized services such as charging station info, driving support info and vehicle driving range.

Also, by strengthening measures to help prevent and detect signs of battery failure, and introducing new technologies, the bZ4X adopted a design and a multiple monitoring system that is intended to provide safety and security of the vehicle’s battery system.

How the Automation Revolution Is Shaping the Work of Architects & Designers

The industrial revolution was focused around methods of production, and transformed ‘blue-collar’ jobs. The information revolution was about how organizations communicate, organize, and conduct business, and it changed ‘white-collar’ work. Now the automation revolution is touching everything. Artificial intelligence and machine learning—along with rapidly advancing robotic vision, control, and actuation technologies—are out of the lab and are entering practical applications.

Robot programming used to be the domain of industrial manufacturing specialists, but now low-cost general-purpose robot platforms with friendly names like Baxter, Sawyer, Franka and Eva are changing that. Given interfaces which make it possible for non-programmers to get things done, robots are quickly becoming everybody’s business. Improvements in interface, design, and workflows have made industrial robotics accessible to far more uses than ever before.

Marketing and advertising agencies now leverage custom robotics technologies to drive autonomous GPS snow-blowers to write messages that cover mountainsides, or create experiential campaigns to encourage people to quit smoking, one 11-minute reminder at a time.

Companies like Bot & Dolly (acquired by Google in 2013) are pioneering precise projection-mapping and robotics integrations that yield surreal and magical in-camera effects for film and live performance.

Then when it comes to new ways of making things, there are companies and research groups using standard six-axis industrial robots equipped with advanced 3d-printing capabilities to explore new means to produce architectural form and structure.

But what about product design and development? Since industrial designers are responsible for all the cars which get robotically welded and the plastic parts which are being robotically de-molded, sorted, palletized, and so on, you could say that their work has been touched earliest by the automation revolution compared to the other design disciplines.

For example, 3d printing was developed as a rapid-prototyping process for designing and engineering products. One could also consider how CNC machining as an automation age technology is coming into its own; a production-proven manufacturing technology which also lends itself to rapid design iteration. These two foundational technologies have facilitated exploration of form and function to progress far more quickly and precisely than traditional hand-modeling methods would allow. While many industrial designers might have already been designing with automated production methods in mind, there are important developments currently unfolding for design professionals in their own practice.

Integrating robotics into the design process will be an ongoing part of the road to mass-customization; the next step from mass-manufacturing. General-purpose robotics also unlock new possibilities that were cost-prohibitive or impossible before.

In support of this growing trend of robotics as part of the design process, there are organizations like the Association for Robots In Architecture which are putting on conferences and publishing papers about the current state of the art. There’s a lot of work being done in universities and corporate research labs around the world exploring new methods of processing materials, fabricating components, and assembling structures with industrial robots.

The use of robotic fabrication in architecture, art, and design, closely links the industry with cutting-edge research institutions.  For years, robots have been employed by industrial manufacturers, but not until recently, have they been considered seriously by architects. In the age of digitalization, virtualization, and computerization, the relationship between architects and robots seems to be growing.

In architecture it is difficult to define what a robot is. The word is inclined to refer to anything from robotic arms to CNC milling machines to 3D printers. Basically, robots are programmable automated mechanisms that help out in the process of digital fabrication. In reality, a robot is a more proficient process that could reduce the time and cost of construction.

It’s the task of design practitioners to engage the question of ‘what to make—what is worth making?’ while also thinking about how to make things for the future in a sustainable, responsible manner. Without a doubt, the design disciplines are being touched by the automation revolution right now, and robotic tools will most certainly be a part of their toolkit for their work in the 21st century.

Tackling the Three D’s of Industry with Robots

Every industry has those dirty, dull, and dangerous tasks that no human desires, but they have to be done. Whether the job entails inspecting hazardous waste sites, surveying enemy grounds in battle, or mundane and repetitive assembly line tasks, many organizations and individual lives are affected and improved by the robots that work in their midst. Though the option hasn’t been available until very recently in human history, robotics are now realizing that there are some things better left to machines than in the hands of valuable human workers.

Dirty Jobs

In many cases it’s the potential for human error that promotes robotic innovations that answer questions within the three D’s of industry. In the health industry sanitation is of the utmost importance, and it can take hours to sterilize an operating room. Furthermore, there are dozens of infections that spread in hospitals and actually do harm – sometimes fatally – to patients who ought to be improving in health. Cleaning surfaces with certain chemical cleaners has actually proven to induce antibiotic resistance, especially to particularly troublesome spores. The TRU-D Rapid Room Disinfection, a remotely operated robotic technology designed to tackle this problem of sanitation in the health care industry.

Dull Jobs

Manufacturing has seen the advent of many coworking robots that are not only more affordable than traditional industrial robotic
systems, but are safe to work outside of their own confined spaces. The most well-known among these cobots is Baxter from Rethink Robotics who is being used in manufacturing facilities around the country. General Electric has set a precedent in the manufacturing world as a company actively seeking out dirty, dull, and dangerous tasks where robots could easily free the hands of their skilled workers. In 2014 they announced their Cobot Challenge, a company-wide search for optimal Baxter tasks. They landed on four manufacturing facilities where Baxter now stands alongside assembly line workers, optimizing production and allowing workers to focus on safer or higher skilled tasks.

Dangerous Jobs

In light of natural disasters like the Fukushima power plant explosion following the earthquake in 2011, many efforts are under way to replace humans with robots in the wake of disaster. With the staggering contamination that swept the area with the collapse of multiple nuclear reactors, radiation in certain areas within the plant is so high, even five years later, that it could be fatal to a human within minutes. Still in the midst of this disaster with no way to send humans into the perilous environment, the Japanese government has turned to the robotics industry to develop inspection, cleaning and response robots.

Regardless of the industry you are working in there are bound to be countless jobs that fall under the categories of dirty, dull or dangerous for which robots exist. With applications expanding rapidly and the advent of cobots, there have never been so many opportunities to incorporate advanced technology into every facet of industry.

Testing Headlights is a Bright Idea!

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has expanded its testing regimen over the years, moving from a purely crash safety-focused testing protocol to include the testing of systems designed to help you avoid a crash.

Autonomous emergency braking and lane support systems can be invaluable technology in helping you from getting into a fatal accident. But do you know what else can help you avoid an accident? Decent headlights.

That’s especially true for the vast number of Australians who live in regional areas, where the lack of light pollution helps you see the starry sky but the lack of street lights has you relying solely on your headlights at night.

As Vivek Shah mentioned in his piece comparing ANCAP with overseas safety authorities, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US does extensive evaluation of headlights.

It first started testing headlight performance in 2016. Initially, it didn’t affect whether the car ended up earning the coveted Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ appellations, but the IIHS has increased its standards successively since then.

Now, to earn a Top Safety Pick+ title, every variant in a vehicle’s model range must offer good or acceptable headlights; if even one variant has poor headlights, that’ll only get them as high as a Top Safety Pick.

IIHS personnel measure the reach of a vehicle’s headlights both on a straight and on curves, using sensors on the track to measure how far the beam extends at speeds of 64-80km/h with an intensity of at least five lux.

Lux is a unit that means the amount of light that hits (or passes through) a surface; for reference, the IIHS says a full moon on a cloudless light will illuminate the ground below to about one lux.

The IIHS tests both low beams and high beams on five different approaches, and the testers don’t adjust the level of the lights – after all, they reason few vehicle owners would actually do this. Readings are taken 25.4cm from the ground for visibility and 109.2cm from the ground for glare.

The safety authority says, based on a 2021 analysis of police-reported crashes, headlights with a good rating have 19 per cent fewer night-time, single-vehicle crashes than vehicles with poor-rated headlights.

Then there’s technology like Mercedes-Benz’s Digital Light, which can project images like warning signs and guidelines on the road ahead, or BMW’s Laserlight that fires lasers through mirrors and an element filled with yellow phosphorus to help you see further ahead.

All these innovations just go to show how archaic halogen headlights are in 2021, and how much variation there can be between different headlights.

There are arguably three things that can drive a car brand in Australia to add safety equipment. There’s pressure from consumers, however consumers may not be aware of the value of a piece of safety equipment. There’s government regulation, such as an Australian Design Rule (ADR) mandating the item.

But the third is pressure from ANCAP which, though it has no regulatory authority, can help spur a car brand to make a change by giving it a poor rating.

Even if every halogen headlight-equipped vehicle sold today received LEDs tomorrow, there’s still a place for headlight testing by ANCAP. Not all headlights are created equal, and it’s worthwhile determining which headlights on the market do a better job at helping us see (and avoid) the potential accident waiting for us on a dark rural road.

In recent times, we’ve seen some amazing innovations in the lighting space. Matrix LED headlights, for example, can block out individual LEDs within a bank or ‘matrix’. That means you can have a high beam operating all the time and variably adjusting its intensity when an object enters or approaches the beam, helping you to avoid dazzling other drivers.

Debuted by Audi on the 2013 A8, the technology has filtered down throughout other Volkswagen Group brands and models, while other brands have also introduced the tech under different names.

Other lighting innovations include lights that move as you turn the steering wheel, as seen on the likes of the Subaru Forester. Technically that’s not a recent innovation, as the Citroen DS introduced that back in 1967. However, today’s steering-guided headlights are now computer-controlled, and yet this option hasn’t become widespread.

Will Robots keep Winter Olympics safe?

The Winter Games are 100 days off. The massive Wukesong Arena is getting ready to host the ice hockey events for February’s Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 (February 4 to 20). For 16 days, over 30 robots will be deployed to help keep the players, staff, and thousands offans safe from COVID.

Shenzhen-based Kangfeng Air Purification Technology Company’s large mobile air purifiers will support the Beijing Olympic Games.

Additionally, mobile robots will be used to sanitize the air by spraying a disinfecting fog capable of treating 387 square feet with each spray; and carries enough disinfectant to cover 10,000 square feet with each deployment.

Another robot named Little White, is equipped with facial recognition sensors that will scan the venue for fans not wearing a mask and remind them to do so.

One of most important water sources for the Beijing Olympics is Guanting Reservoir (built in 1951), located about 65 miles from Beijing. Without a secure water supply, it would be impossible to carry on the Games’ two-week program. So early on, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) has had its unmanned surface vehicle monitoring the reservoir’s water quality.

As the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games approach (February 2022), it’s urgent to secure the water quality of The Guanting Reservoir, one of the water resources critical for the Games.

“We have been working on this project for more than three years,” said Dr. Yu Daoyang. “The existing surface water monitoring system in China is mainly online monitoring and manual sampling for laboratory analysis.”

The new control technology is precise and fast, especially as it is 5G enabled, and ensures rapid, in-situ and online monitoring for the unmanned vessel, even in complex environments.

Made of high-quality stainless steel to prevent corrosion, the autonomous surface vessel is about 4 meters long by 2 meters, is battery powered and can operate for more than eight hours.

“This is the largest unmanned, water-quality monitoring surface vessel in China, ” Dr. YU explained, “with the most complete functions and advanced intelligent software.”

Audi e-tron battery range grows with software update

A software update for the 2019 e-tron 55 quattro will extend the claimed range of the car by up to 20km, according to Audi.

Europe was first to receive the update, and it’ll be rolled out in the USA soon. Audi Australia says all vehicles delivered in Australia are 2020 builds, and were fitted with the newer software at launch.

Owners in Europe and the USA won’t be able to download the update over-the-air, it instead needs to be installed by a dealer.

The update unlocks more range in a few ways. For starters, it unlocks more usable capacity in the lithium-ion battery pack.

Although the e-tron 55 quattro has a 95kWh battery pack, some of that capacity can’t be accessed by the driver to preserve the life of the battery pack.

The update means less of the lithium-ion battery is cordoned off, freeing up more range.

The update changes how the active battery cooling system works for greater efficiency. It also means the front motor can be switched off completely now, making the car more efficient at a cruise or under light throttle inputs.

Software updates extending the range of electric cars are becoming more common.

Volvo and Polestar recently announced an update to free up more driving range in the Polestar 2, and Volvo C40 and XC40.

The brand says a wireless update to the electric SUV brings smarter battery management and regenerative braking, which helps the XC40 go further on a charge in the real world. Volvo hasn’t released an updated range figure, however.

Packaging in Logistics with Cobots!

Packaging is a core task in logistics. But, a lot of packaging processes are inefficient. They are not well suited to the changing needs of the modern logistics industry.

Collaborative robots are a robust solution for streamlining your packaging tasks. They provide a flexible way to solve common problems in logistics packaging.

The needs of the logistics industry are constantly changing.

Currently, there is demand across the industry for logistics companies to rethink packaging. Companies need to improve sustainability by optimizing packaging use, introducing more eco-friendly packaging materials, and implementing more reuse.

On top of these new sustainability needs, various world events have put extra pressure on the logistics industry. Challenges include disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, labor shortages, and the e-commerce boom.

Cobots are a valuable tool to overcome these challenges and demands.

Automation is nothing new in the logistics industry. However, when you think of logistics automation, you might think primarily of the machines to moving boxes and pallets around. You might not think of automated packaging.

Packaging is sometimes thought of as being primarily a human job.

It’s traditionally been complicated to perform packaging tasks with automation because of the high degree of variability between packaging tasks. Conventional packaging automation is large and inflexible. It’s best suited to highly regular tasks with low variability.

Collaborative robots change all that.

With the right cobot application kit, you can achieve very flexible automated packaging remarkably easily.

These two cobot applications are most suited to packaging:

1. Pick and place — This is often used in primary and secondary packaging tasks (e.g. putting product into boxes). The robot picks up the product and puts it into a container.
2. Palletizing — This is where the robot stacks and arranges already boxed products onto a pallet.

SEA Electric launches new EV truck

SEA Electric, doer of EV driveline swaps on diesel trucks since 2017 using its patented SEA-Drive Power System, has streamlined the process with local assembly.

The company just put out a release celebrating the first such EV truck to roll off the line at its Melbourne facility, destined for WA-based mining company Mineral Resources. It’s now selling a range through 12 national dealers.

The light truck is called the SEA 300-85. It’s rated to 8.5 tonnes, uses a 138kWh capacity battery, and has a drive motor putting out a whopping 1500Nm torque rating. Unladen, the combination has a potential range of 300km.

SEA Electric’s battery truck is based on the Hino 300 light-duty, constructed from a Semi Knocked Down (SKD) kit sent over, and finished with new badging and branding, complete with its own compliance plate and factory warranty.

The move to construct from new on a production line sees the process “become much more efficient, with the trucks prepared quicker, cheaper and with less waste,” says the company.

While the volume produced ‘SKD’ truck is a newcomer to the roads of Australia, SEA-Electric says “the technology backing the package is proven with millions of kilometres of real-world use, thanks to a previous retrofitting program”.

SEA Electric adds it is currently replicating the production techniques developed locally in Australia for its other markets worldwide.

The SEA 300-85 is one example of the first full range of pure-electric trucks, with options from a 4.5-tonne truck that’s drive-able on a car licence, through to 22.5-tonne three-axle rigids.

“It is incredibly exciting to see the very first truck to roll off our production line; it is the culmination of years of effort by the entire SEA Electric team dating back to 2012,” said SEA Electric President of Asia Pacific Bill Gillespie.

“Australian manufacturing and ingenuity is alive and well, especially so in the development of products in the EV space, with SEA Electric’s innovations game-changing for the transport industry.

“Our company’s stated mission is to eliminate more than a billion kilograms of CO2 emissions over the next five years, and that will be made possible with the efforts of early adopters of the technology such as MRL.

SEA Electric has a global presence, with product in seven countries including the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa.

North America has its largest “upfitting capacity” at more than 30,000 units per annum. But Australia’s factory facility for volume commercial production of electric trucks and vans is the model to be used moving forward.

Collaborative Robotics for Pharmaceutical Automation

Various pressures across the pharmaceutical industry mean that robots are more beneficial now than ever before. Challenges facing pharmaceutical manufacturers include the high cost of drug discovery, increasing demand for clinical trials, and rising global competition.

Conveyor belt worker operates a robot that transports insulin bags – modern factory for the production of medicines in the healthcare sector

Robotic automation offers a way to improve the productivity of your operations in a way that is more flexible than conventional types of pharmaceutical automation. Collaborative robots are some of the most flexible robots available on the market and have opened up robotic automation to companies that would not have been able to access it in the past.

But, are collaborative robots right for your pharmaceutical company?

What tasks could you use a collaborative robot for?

And what’s the quickest way to get started?

Back in the 1800s, when all pharmaceuticals were dispensed by apothecaries, it would take several people to manufacture just one drug.

Since then, the pharmaceutical industry has slowly and gradually increased its efficiency by taking advantage of the latest developments in manufacturing technology. Now, one person could feasibly oversee the manufacturing of thousands of drugs per day.

Robotic automation is just the latest step in this journey for more efficient pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Collaborative robots provide extra benefits over other forms of automation because they apply to many parts of the manufacturing process that couldn’t be automated in the past.

Previously, only very high-volume processes could be automated. They required custom-built automation solutions that took weeks or months to deploy to a facility.

By contrast, collaborative robots can be deployed in a matter of days and can be used for smaller tasks with lower volumes.