Manufacturing automation is on the rise, offering quality control workers a career advantage. Stefan Friedrich of New Scale Robotics notes that as manufacturers embrace automation, it becomes more user-friendly, aiding new workers in using robots and software effectively.

Automation helps move skilled workers from repetitive tasks to more important roles, experts say. It’s essential to train them to use these new technologies properly.

In a domain where microns and millimeters matter, efficient quality inspection and metrology processes can make the difference between consistent, successful production runs and labor-intensive failures.

The phenomenal rise of collaborative automation systems over the past decade or so has seen collaborative technologies deployed on a growing number of quality control applications. Collaborative automation enables companies of all sizes to improve throughput and reduce cycle times on inspection tasks.

Manufacturers often look at collaborative robots, or cobots, as an ideal way to enhance production efficiency, with human workers and automation working closely together.

Over the last few years, collaborative robotics has come to the fore as a way to increase manufacturing flexibility and improve ROI. When considering a human-robot collaborative workcell, we explicitly incorporate and expect humans to be safely working close to and/or interacting with the robot during operation. 

Collaborative robots, or cobots, help humans and robots work together safely. Small, medium and large companies are increasingly choosing these human-friendly versions over traditional industrial robots, which are complex to use and are typically relegated to safety cages. 

The days when only large companies could adopt automation are long past. Collaborative robots (cobots), lightweight industrial robot arms (LIRAs) and affordable peripherals such as vision systems and grippers have created a new paradigm by making low cost, easy to use automation solutions available to small-to-medium sized companies for the first time. 

In this application case study, we look at how a manufacturer of precision optical manufacturing and metrology equipment uses collaborative robots and a new robotic gripper/caliper to provide a solution that helps its customers optimize quality control measurements in the quality assurance area of their factory.

Originally made popular by the introduction of Rethink Robotics’ Baxter, so-called collaborative robots have created a lot of excitement around the industry over the last few years.