Situational task change of lightweight robots in hybrid assembly systems

The industry is facing changing product variances and increasing cost pressure. Robots struggle to cope with situational changes due to high setup times for different tasks and variances, especially when it comes to assembly. Therefore, a holistic approach has been developed to enable lightweight robots (LWR) to change tasks within hybrid assembly systems situationally and within minimum setup times. Sensitive LWR on mobile platforms are used to quickly change location while maintaining safety standards. A quick change gripper system enables fast switches between assembly tasks. Robot paths are generated automatically by exchanging digital product data between the product configurator and the robot controller. It is crucial to make an optimal task selection for the LWR on the basis of a BOM evaluation. This evaluation system is part of the approach. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.