Vision systems – cooperation with robots
Nowadays, industrial automation is becoming an integral part of production, and integrating advanced technologies, such as industrial cameras and robots, opens up new possibilities for optimizing production processes. The cooperation of these two technologies not only increases efficiency and precision, but also contributes to significant improvement in quality and safety in production plants.
In 2022, according to the IFR report, Poland ranked 5th in the EU in terms of the number of installed industrial robots. It was overtaken by Germany, Italy, France and Spain. Despite the high investment rate, the robotization density in Poland is 71 units, compared to the global average of 151 units.
In order to maintain the competitiveness of Polish enterprises, further progress in robotization is inevitable.
Synergy of vision systems and robots
In many applications, a robot cannot function without a vision system and a vision system cannot be implemented without a cobot. The implementation of an advanced application requires knowledge and experience in both the construction of robotic stations and image acquisition and analysis.
Component inspection and quality control: Industrial cameras integrated with robots or cobots enable automatic product inspection. There are applications in which vision inspection is not possible without manipulating the detail or moving the camera. This happens when the geometry of the optical system requires a specific and repeatable position in relation to the observed element, and the multitude of product references and their shape makes it impossible to place the cameras statically. Examples of applications that require mutual movement of the sensor and the object include: surface quality control, measurement of gaps and fits, inspection of objects with complex geometry (castings) or details whose position cannot be reproducibly determined. Robotic movement of 3D profilers enables the inspection of large objects with complex geometry (e.g. checking the position of flanges and slings on a welded element of the exhaust system).
Precise assembly and processing: In applications requiring precise assembly, the use of a vision system allows not only precise picking of the element but also making corrections by measuring the position after capture or identifying and indicating the coordinates of the place of placement. Using a vision system is advisable in cases where the robot’s work object has variable geometry or position in the manipulator’s coordinate system.
Short-series production: The statement that robotization of short-series production is not profitable is not always true. The progressive idea of Lean Manufacturing, as well as the production using executive operations typical of the Polish market, creates a heavy burden for integrators responsible for primary robotization. The use of a vision system may additionally cover the time of using a robotic device (programming the manipulation system) by making the program independent of the use of product references. An example of a safe solution is the implementation of security deburring using a cobot. A vision system accesses the device and transmits its coordinates to the robot controller – there is no need to program the control for different product references. This translates into the costs of the housing solution, increasing or activating the profitability of the investment.
Benefits of integration
Integrating industrial cameras with robots brings many benefits:
Increased precision: Industrial cameras provide robots with accurate data, allowing them to perform precise operations.
Inspection automation: Using automatic inspection cameras eliminates the need for manual quality checks, increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
Improved safety: The use of cameras and their correct integration with the robot reduces the number of downtimes and necessary operator interventions, increasing efficiency and safety.
Scalability and flexibility: Integrated systems can be easily scaled and adapted to changing production needs. The use of algorithms using neural networks enables the implementation of applications in which the manipulated objects do not have fixed geometry (e.g. they are made of a flexible material such as rubber).
The future of cooperation between cameras and robots
As technology progresses, the cooperation between industrial cameras and robots will continue to develop. The future will bring even more advanced image analysis algorithms, the development of algorithms using artificial intelligence, greater robot autonomy and better integration of these technologies with production management systems. This will make it possible to achieve an even higher level of automation and optimization of production processes.
The integration of industrial cameras and robots is a step towards a future in which smart factories will be able to operate more efficiently, safely and flexibly, responding to the challenges of the modern market.
Summary
The inevitable progress of automation and robotization as well as programs co-financing the transformation of enterprises towards Industry 4.0 (measure 1.2 Automation and robotization in SMEs) are just two of many reasons why it is worth analyzing the production operations carried out today in terms of the possibility of using robots or collaborative robots.
Our team has experience gained over 18 years of presence on the market and implemented dozens of systems for customers from various industry sectors. We invite you to discuss the application or process you plan to automate!