Industry Insight
The Robotic Edge: Workflow Optimization for Market Advantage
By: Chris Caldwell, Product Manager at Yaskawa America Inc. – Motoman Robotics Division
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he impact of Industry 4.0 and its adjacent technologies continues to permeate industrial processes, creating a new world of opportunities for product and service transformation. A key driver of this is the successful integration, synchronization and monitoring of highly efficient robots within current production networks. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), simulation and modular hardware provide even greater capability and accuracy, opening the door to the Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) – where robot information and other device data are combined in real time to calculate alternative courses of action for objects in the physical world. Streamlining processes and optimizing capacity at this scale can only happen, however, if robots are leveraged in the first place.
38 | IMD
MAY 2022
Robotic Workflow Preparation Whether a new user is wanting to implement a more efficient production path from end-to-end or a manufacturer is looking to refine an operational bottleneck by adding capacity to current automation, the use of flexible robots with intuitive software platforms can deliver a variety of productivity gains. From faster cycle times for increased production throughput to reduced part rework for improved product quality, the meticulous planning for robotic automation is key to transformative success. Consider the following:
Understand Current Processes While this concept may seem straightforward, a lot of thought should go into it. First, it is important to have a clear
