Implementing Industrial Robots

Laurent Huberty, Manufacturing Technology Team Manager, Husky Technologies

Role Of Industrial Robots Within Your Manufacturing Operations

The implementation of automation projects within the factory allowed us to reduce the number of machinery types required to manufacture a portion of our product portfolio. As a result, Husky Luxembourg was able to significantly reduce throughput time and increase man-machine efficiency. Located in a high-cost country, these are important factors to strengthen the competitiveness of Husky’s business against competitors and deliver the commitments made to its customers.

Share Your Experiences From The Specific Industrial Robot Applications

In the plate manufacturing project, Husky acquired 3 DMG160U Milling centres and combined them with central tool storage, a tool delivery Robot system and an AGV. The Automation cell allowed us to fully utilise the versatile capabilities of the milling centres in a single-part manufacturing environment by automatically delivering the necessary tooling to each machine before the arrival of the parts. On the other hand, the AGV automatically delivers the raw material and finished parts on pallets from central material storage to the machines and vice versa. With this increase in versatility, we were able to combine the processes of gun drilling, roughing, grinding, and jig-bore all into one single machine type.

"When starting your automation projects, make sure to include your IT equipment and infrastructure in the scope as they play a crucial role in the robustness of your solution"

Most Prominent Technology Trends You’ve Observed In The Field Of Robotics

I see more and more machine tool suppliers providing automated and part delivery solutions. The main advantage of these systems is the reduction of setup time between parts. Another benefit of such systems is that they allow the operator to put more focus on value-added tasks such as tooling and machining while tool and part delivery are taken care of. As in today’s world it becomes more and more difficult to find skilled people willing to work on the shop floor, it becomes more and more important to make good use of their knowledge and let them focus on specialised and complex tasks.

Challenges In The Role Of Data Analytics And Predictive Maintenance Powered By Tensorflow In Optimizing Manufacturing Equipment Performance And Reducing Downtime

I see the biggest challenge in the acquisition of clean and reliable data to train your deep learning algorithms with.

Advice For Professionals And Organisations Looking To Embrace Industrial Robots And Agile Methodologies In Their Manufacturing Technology Initiatives For Increased Efficiency And Competitiveness

When starting your automation projects, make sure to include your IT equipment and infrastructure in the scope, as they play a crucial role in the robustness of your solution.