LOW-COST ROBOTICS
applications span across all sectors expensive; they come in multiple of manufacturing. options and can be easily “Robot manufacturers are customised. Another robotic coming out with technologies like One of the biggest factors that has intensified the use of application that first-time users can offline simulation tools and others robotic solutions in manufacturing industry and SMEs is adopt is Scara robots. They are that make it much easier to in electronics industry, the consciousness towards quality. They have started prevalent understand and operate robots. but can be applied in other entering into the export domain, and consistent quality is manufacturing sectors as well. Designer software takes robot a vital attribute that international customers demand. programming to an optimum level, They can be used in precision which increases the manufacturing machines as well and cost is not a flexibility and lower installation hindrance here as these are easily PRASHANT JOSHI, periods. Then there are robots available and are not very Business Head, Hi-Tech Group that can be monitored remotely expensive to install. Another with remote service. The robots application is the AGVs that are of today are much more userwidely used by SMEs.” friendly than its predecessor,” says helping to device the right robotic application SUCCESS STORIES Chaudhry. depending on your requirement,” says Robotics has not just enabled to attain high According to Joshi, smart robotic Joshi. quality products, but also helped in achieving solutions are one of the latest technologies ROLE OF R&D AND cost effectiveness. Through various that are gaining ground across industrial INNOVATION innovations and research, companies are segments. The robots have a great sense of Changing technology in the processes and able to produce low-cost robots that deliver adaptability. For instance, earlier if a end-products calls for newer applications in same output as other sophisticated robots component had to be picked up from one designing and product development. would deliver. Joshi shared an example of place and placed on a machine, the robot “Highly flexible automation robots are being low-cost robotics being deployed by an would just pick up the component from a continuously developed and innovations SME, which has immensely benefited out of pre-decided location and place it on the are happening in the R&D labs to match it. He elaborates, “One of our SME client machine and do the job. But now, the changes in the production environment, was into assembly processes and they robots have a great sense of adaptability – customer requirements and technologies,” constantly received complaints from their they can pick up the right component from says Chaudhry. clients and often had to suffer huge losses on any location and place it on the machine.” According to Joshi, today there are account of rejection of consignments due to Another technology introduced is highly sophisticated robots available but errors found in the products. The problem mobile robotics solutions – these robots these robots are not customised. He diagnosed was the components were not are not static, they can move from one believes that if a mass customisable product assembled properly, and hence customers place to other and are not confined to one can be created for Indian companies, it will complained that the machine parts were not place. They are also called automated help companies to adopt robotics easily. For working properly. We designed a poka guided vehicles (AGV). instance, a company might need only a yoke solution for them. We installed a PARAMETERS FOR SELECTING two-axis robot, but there are only five-axis camera-based poka yoke that did not allow THE RIGHT ROBOT robots available in the market. Here comes the machine to install the components, if A wrong selection of robot can hamper the the role of innovation through which a they were not aligned in the right direction. productivity of a process. Hence, the usage company can attain a customised robot to This helped the customer obtain higher of simulation tools will provide the user the meet its specific requirement. This will also quality products and the production time benefit of choosing the apt robot for a help in reducing cost for the overall robot was also reduced. These poka yoke solutions particular application. The selection can be and its installation. are not expensive and so the client did not based on various parameters, for instance have to spend much on the cost.” FIRST STEP TOWARDS the payload carrying capacity of the robot ADOPTING ROBOTICS THE WAY FORWARD or the reachability of the robot. Here, While adoption of automation has been The use of robotics is spreading wide and designing plays a vital role in attaining lowrapid, robotics is still in its nascent stage. fast; high consciousness for quality has cost robotic solutions. The perceived cost of robotics application is compelled SMEs and other companies to “The biggest criteria that needs to be high while the actual cost is relatively low. adopt robotic solutions. There are various kept in mind while selecting the right robotic Talking about how SMEs can take their first advantages attributed to robotics and their solution is the consistency of deliverability step towards adoption of robotics, Joshi importance in achieving high quality be it quality or time. The company needs to opines, “There are some innovative gantry products and cost-efficient jobs cannot be be sure how much additional business they solutions available in the market. It is the over-emphasised. It would be of paramount can manage within their existing simplest form of robots, these gantries are importance to see how SMEs can leverage infrastructure. Accordingly, they need to like a robotic arm used for a gripper that on this growth through adoption of lowpredict the daily production capacity, and moves in two directions at the most. These cost robotic solutions backed by innovation hence, prepare their forecasting plan are easy to adopt and now they are not and R&D. accurately. Design plays a critical role in
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