Executives from Ingemat, Bereiker, Kuka Iberia, Aldakin and Ingenersun emphasize the increased use of Robotis end its ability to overcome repeatability and large series
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The revolution that robotics is bringing to industry will extend to new sectors and applications. The Empresa XXI survey of managers from Ingemat, Bereiker, Kuka Iberia, Aldakin and Ingenersun reinforces the idea that robotization is under-utilized, while sensorization is already giving robotic systems greater flexibility, which has broken the conditioning factor of their exclusive application to repetitive processes and large series.
From what we see today, there is still an under-utilization of the possibilities that robotization offers at the industrial level. Certainly, there are two sectors worldwide that are largely robotized: electronics and automotive. The rest, especially in some countries (including Spain), are still a long way off. It should be noted that with 2022 data from the International Federation of Robotics - IFR, the top five countries in industrial robotics implementation in absolute value (number of robots per year) are China, Japan, the United States, Korea and Germany, with Spain far behind (No. 12).
And if we look at the density of robots per 10,000 workers (data also from 2022), Spain falls to 20th place in the world. Korea is in first place with 1,012 robots per 10,000 workers, Germany is in third place with 415 robots, and Spain is at 169. Therefore, it can be said that their use in Spain is still limited to certain sectors and that there is a wide field of development ahead. And it is worth remembering that there is a direct correlation between productivity and robot density (all linked to companies and sectors with higher added value).
There is still a certain lack of knowledge about robotics and a mistaken tendency to think of high costs when considering the integration of robotics. There is also a lack of knowledge about the flexibility that robots can offer and a tendency to limit their use to specific and known tasks. This is changing thanks to new collaborative technologies that are bringing robotics closer to more and more industries, as it is a technology that offers greater flexibility than traditional robots when it comes to automating certain operations.
In recent years, there has been a big change in this regard. Initially, robotics was implemented in large industries with high production needs. Basically, hardin the automotive world. Later, it expanded to other industries, but always with the condition of large size and high production. What we have seen in recent years is an expansion in small and medium sized companies and for all types of industries: electronics, food, aeronautics, etc. There are several reasons for this change: demographic changes, changes in consumption and, above all, the evolution of the range of robots and accessories available.
Today, we manufacture robots with payloads from 1 kg to 1300 kg and reach from 540 mm to 3700 mm. In the same way, there are peripherals on the market that allow us to equip robots with vision or sensitivity, just to mention a few possibilities. This makes it possible to manipulate and process elements with different shapes and textures and in chaotic environments in the same process. This has allowed us to reach all types of industries, from automotive to medical, foundry, food, plastic, stone, pharmaceutical, etc.
The adoption of robots in industry, both in large companies and SMEs, reflects a growing trend towards automation and operational efficiency. In general, companies are using these systems in a variety of ways, although the degree of adoption and impact varies significantly by industry and company size. Advantages and benefits of robotics:
1. Increased efficiency and productivity: Robots can operate 24/7 with no downtime, significantly increasing production and reducing downtime. In industries such as manufacturing, automotive and electronics, this capability has been widely leveraged to increase production and reduce costs.
2. Accuracy and quality: In tasks that require precision, such as electronic component assembly or quality inspection, robots can perform the work with greater accuracy and consistency than humans, thus improving product quality.
3. Work in hazardous environments: Robots can work in hazardous or unhealthy environments, reducing the risk to human workers. This is particularly useful in industries such as chemicals, mining, and space exploration.
Limitations and Challenges:
1. High initial investment: Although the cost of robots has decreased in recent years, the initial investment, including integration with existing systems and training of personnel, remains significant, which can be a barrier for SMEs.
2. Lack of flexibility: Although robots are highly efficient at repetitive tasks, they may lack the flexibility to quickly adapt to changes in production processes or to produce customized products, which are increasingly demanded by consumers.
3. Displacement of workers: Automation can lead to the displacement of workers, especially in highly repetitive roles. This poses socio-economic challenges and requires strategies for relocating and training workers.
Robotic systems or cells are applicable to all sectors and territories. Companies accustomed to automation are expanding their application and intensifying the robotization of their production. Among them are, logically, those related to the automotive sector, which is undoubtedly the most robotized sector and the one that makes the most use of this technology in combination with other technologies such as machine vision. Other sectors are beginning to use robotics, especially in intralogistics and product handling. Although the cost of robotics has been decreasing over time, it is true that the cost of robotics justifies its use for low cycle times and serial production, or where there is a need for flexibility and rapid product changeover, in order to have a reasonable payback period for the installation.
Therefore, I would say that it is not limited to very specific sectors, but to operations and productions that justify the investment.
The greater penetration of robots in the market, with the consequent reduction in their costs and increase in their capabilities, undoubtedly justifies their use in increasingly short and flexible tasks. But I think it is also worth reflecting on the following: until now, investments in robotics have almost always been linked to a business case analysis that would justify the investment economically (with the exception of tasks where ergonomics or the difficulty of the task prevented it from being performed by a worker). And its use was implemented only when the investment had a return that fit the company’s financial philosophy. However, the current labor shortage, which will become even more acute in the future, will make it essential to adopt industrial robotics, regardless of the return on investment, because the alternative will certainly be not being able to continue the business…
Yes, thanks to advances, it is now possible to have a single robot that can perform several short-cycle tasks, if it is well configured and if criteria are defined to ensure its operation. Your costs have been significantly reduced, so the ROI is very clear in many cases. This also makes it possible to think, for example, of having “mobile equipment” that can be programmed as needed for different operations.
From this point of view, the use of robots has also changed a lot. Initially, their use was justified from an economic point of view in processes with high cadence and very high production levels. In recent years, other parameters have been added to the application of automated robotics, such as the reduction of accidents, the need for precision and repeatability, and even the difficulty of covering certain work areas.
This, together with the reduction in the average cost of a robotic application and the flexibility of current technology, has led to the installation of many applications for processes with short and flexible operations. And, in some cases, making flexible applications that allow us to use a robot for different processes of the line with multi- tools, peripherals and mobility.
The perception that robots are mainly oriented to high cycle and highly systematized tasks comes from the first industrial applications of robotics, where the return on investment was maximized by automating repetitive and high-volume tasks. However, with recent technological advances, this situation is evolving and the concept is gradually becoming stereotypical. Advances in Robotics for Short and Flexible Operations:
•Collaborative Robotics: Designed to work alongside humans on a variety of tasks, collaborative robotics are inherently safe and easy to program. Their flexibility and ease of reconfiguration make them ideal for short, changing operations, allowing even small businesses to benefit from robotics.
•Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence: The integration of AI and machine learning allows robots to adapt to and learn from their environment, improving their ability to handle unstructured tasks and make real-time decisions. This makes them more suitable for flexible, short-term operations. Cost Effectiveness in Short and Flexible Operations: The cost-effectiveness of robots in short and flexible operations depends on several factors, including reduced hardware and software costs and the ability of robots to perform multiple tasks without significant intervention for reprogramming or reconfiguration. Innovations in collaborative and adaptive robotics are helping to overcome these challenges, making automation accessible and cost-effective for a wider range of applications, including small batch production, product customization, and operations that require adaptability to different tasks or products. But there is still a long way to go.
Especially today, they are used in flexible jobs with short series and high variability. The sensor technology that has been developed in parallel has given them the ability to adapt to the product to be processed, allowing them to make quick reference changes. For example, in our robotic brake disk painting lines, we can now paint disks with random production, using different reference models of brake disks at the same time. The robots paint different areas of the disc depending on the model that arrives at their painting station, without having to change the program or make an adjustment stop. In this way, we bring total flexibility to production. Another example is tire depalletizing with 3D vision, which allows us to have different pallets with different tire references in the depalletizing bays. The robots depalletize according to the model that the vision tells them is in the bay. They are no longer tied to repetitive tasks and long production runs. On the contrary, they now provide flexibility and profitability in the face of short production runs.
In our opinion, and based on what we see on a daily basis, there is no doubt that both will be key elements, but we are still at the beginning of the use of AI and the development of self-learning in robotics. Now is the time to learn and become familiar with this environment in order not to miss the train of what is sure to be an industrial revolution.
It is still early, this field still needs to be developed, but in many cases, such as identification, artificial vision, etc., it is getting closer to being a reality. It is still necessary to go deeper, but the trend is that in a very short time AI will be a reality that adds value to robotics.
AI and self-learning are already a reality in the world of robotics, albeit at the moment in very specific aspects. One example is predictive maintenance, which can be performed by learning from the behavior of different robot components to anticipate possible failures and reduce downtime. This is just one example, but it is proof of what is to come, which will change the world of automation, increasing efficiency and effectiveness.
My view of the current reality:
•Adaptive robotics: Robots equipped with AI and machine learning capabilities can adapt to new environments and learn from their experiences. This is especially useful in changing or unstructured environments, where robots can improve their performance over time without detailed manual programming.
•Continuous Improvement: Through self-learning, robots can optimize their actions based on feedback from past performance. This allows them to perform complex tasks more efficiently and accurately, even in situations that were not explicitly programmed.
•Human-Robot Interaction: AI has also improved the ability of robots to interact more naturally and effectively with humans, adapting to their needs and learning from their preferences.
My view of the mid-term future:
•Generalization: While many current robot systems are designed for specific tasks, the future points to more generalist robots, capable of performing a wide range of tasks without the need for extensive reprogramming. AI and self-learning are key to achieving this flexibility.
•Integration of senses: Advances in AI will allow robots to not only “see” or “touch”, but also to integrate multiple senses in a manner similar to humans, enabling richer perception and understanding of the environment.
•Full autonomy: Robots are expected to achieve increasing levels of autonomy, making complex decisions and performing tasks without human intervention, based on their ability to learn and adapt to new situations.
AI, deep learning, algorithms, etc., are much talked about and there are many examples, true, but in my opinion they still have a long way to go. I always say this from the industrial point of view of the production process. It may be that in other areas, especially in digitalization, it may be more applicable. But in a robotic cell in a production environment, AI and deep learning, for example, I think they are not so directly applicable. Let’s just say that today a robot performs the tasks that it has programmed, which can be variable to perform tasks in a flexible way, but it does not have the ability to change its criteria according to its own learning.
I partially answered this question in my response to the second question. I believe that, given the lack of human resources, the only viable alternative will be the use of robots, a situation that we are already seeing in countries with serious problems in this regard, such as Japan and the United States. But, to give a pragmatic answer, in many cases it will not necessarily be a reflection directly related to the demographic collapse, which I believe will be the case in many of the most advanced economies, such as those mentioned above, as well as Germany, Korea, etc.; but it will also be an essential element of competitiveness for companies and countries. Those that do not opt for this development will be at a competitive disadvantage to those that do.
It is a bit bold to make predictions in this context. But in the face of a possible labor shortage in the future, robotics and automation can help fill certain positions. Robots will be able to automate repetitive and low-value tasks, but there will still be jobs that require humans to think, reason and make decisions to make sense of the whole. Today, at least, not everything can be automated (thankfully).
Robotics must be at the service of people, making their lives easier. Robotics is not only a means to produce more, but it can help us to produce better, with higher quality, more efficiently and, above all, to eliminate painful or even dangerous jobs. We are not talking about replacing jobs with robots, we are talking about giving people very powerful tools to do the work.
Robotics offers a number of potential benefits to address demographic challenges, especially the aging and shrinking of the workforce:
1. Increased productivity: Robots can increase the productivity of companies, compensating for the decrease in the available workforce. This is critical in industrial sectors where demand for products continues to grow.
2. Maintaining competitiveness: Automation allows Western economies to remain competitive with countries with lower labor costs and younger populations, ensuring that production remains in these regions.
3. Innovation and development: Investments in robotics and digitalization technologies drive innovation and the development of new products and services, creating new economic opportunities.
Social and employment aspects. Robotics also raises important social challenges and considerations:
1. Labor market transformation: Automation can lead to a transformation of jobs, replacing certain tasks with robots while creating new opportunities in areas such as programming, robot maintenance, and management of automated systems.
2. Inequality and re-equalization: There is a risk that robotization will exacerbate inequality unless effective reskilling and training policies are implemented gradually for affected workers. It is crucial to ensure that the transition to a more automated economy is inclusive.
3. Changing industrial relations: Robotics could change the nature of work and labor relations, raising questions about the value of human labor, identity, and purpose.
Ethical and cultural considerations: The mass adoption of robots also raises ethical and cultural questions about the relationship between humans and machines, the right to work, and how societies value and allocate leisure time.
What is clear is that more automated and robotized countries have a higher quality of life and a higher per capita income. On the other hand, robotization generates a somewhat traumatic transition moment, because it requires a higher level of education from the population, and those who do not have it must adapt, and if they do not, it becomes difficult to find jobs. Many of the jobs where you used to find operators are now being robotized, such as anything that has to do with handling parts that do not add value to the product, only cost. Robots and AGVs are here to stay. A lot of robotics projects are related to intralogistics, for example. In addition, as I mentioned earlier, sensors have advanced, giving robots new capabilities. They are now also able to depalletize bulk products using 3D vision. So, in many cases, incoming material and outgoing finished goods can be handled by robots. Collaborative robotics even allows for human-machine interaction. The work of humans is more focused on decision making, technology, robotics, etc., and less on traditional manual manufacturing operations.
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