If you needed to buy a device to provide transportation from point A to point B, you wouldn’t buy a motor and then try to turn it into a vehicle. But many manufacturers who need a device to load and unload machines or stack pallets take exactly that approach when they buy a robot arm. This is especially true of manufacturers that are the primary targets for the ease-of-use, DIY marketing claims from many robot providers.
Unfortunately, what these manufacturers end up with – for tens of thousands of dollars – is just a robot arm. It’s a component. An important one, certainly, but what they need to tend their machine or stack their pallets is a complete robotic system.
That includes – at a minimum – the robot arm, one or more grippers, user interface and programming. In order to deploy that robot arm (and in addition to the cost of it), they need to hire someone to scope out, buy, integrate and program all the other pieces to create the actual system they need. This process can take weeks or months at a cost that can be multiple times the cost of the robot itself.
What’s worse, when the robotic system is delivered, it can do only what it was initially programmed to do. Every time products change and a new part needs to be machined or a new box size palletized, the integrator must return to reconfigure and reprogram the system at additional cost and potential downtime for the manufacturer.
Rise of turnkey robotics
This realization has prompted many manufacturers to look for what integrators and machine builders began calling “turnkey” systems. These systems are engineered and branded for a specific common automation application such as machine tending or palletizing. The system typically includes all the necessary components for those applications, although some may be options at an additional cost. The robot arm may already be specified, which can limit the manufacturer’s choice, even if they’ve standardized on a different robot brand for consistency of parts, training, etc.
Although these systems are referred to as turnkey, only part of the system has been pre-engineered. It must still be customized, programmed, integrated and deployed onsite. Workpiece changes down the road still require the integrator to return and redeploy the system at additional cost. And despite the implication that turnkey means an immediately available product, these partially engineered systems can have lead times almost as long as a fully customized solution.
Certainly, there’s a place for turnkey robotics, and it’s a strong step toward simplifying otherwise complex automation. But new alternatives are also arising.
Meeting evolving needs
What many manufacturers need – and what many integrators and machine builders would love to be able to offer – is a complete, off-the-shelf robotic system that is pre-built and pre-configured with immediate availability. Because it’s a complete product, all costs have been defined so pricing is fully transparent. And the system is designed to meet the needs of a specific application such as machine tending, palletizing or packaging. For most manufacturers, the only flexibility they need is built-in capabilities for fast, easy in-house redeployment for standard production changeovers for a new box size or pallet setup or to load and unload a different workpiece.
Sound like a pipe dream? It’s actually where the industry is going.
It’s where it has to go because manufacturers have been frustrated too many times by automation promises that are never quite fulfilled and budgets that continue to rise.
At the same time, integrators are frustrated by long sales and development cycles for what should be basic, well-understood systems for common applications. Also frustrating is the ongoing, less-profitable and hard-to-staff support for basic changes months and years after installation. Many integrators would rather sell additional complete systems that build on customers’ automation successes than have to keep re-engineering the ones they’ve already sold.
Yes, automation technology has improved by leaps and bounds. Robot arms are easier to program, grippers and tools are more intuitive and easier to integrate, and development tools are appearing that can speed integration by skilled technicians. Importantly, the intuitive concept of turnkey or complete systems versus components is beginning to take hold. But there’s another critical step that needs to occur.
Integrators and machine builders need a development platform that lets them quickly create complete, off-the-shelf robotic systems. This will allow them to develop competitive products specific to their customers’ business needs, with standard product economies of scale, such as lower cost, immediate availability and lower risk than customized systems.
Their customers get an immediate, low-risk solution for their automation needs. If it’s off-the-shelf, delivery and setup should be within a day. And when business needs change, as they always do, they can respond with quick adjustments for new workpieces with existing staff – no costly and time-consuming programming required.
Change is happening
Dutch integrator Just Automate is already reaping the benefits of this new approach, using the D:Ploy development platform from OnRobot to create successful robotic products. Just Automate’s off-the-shelf robotic palletizer, called MoveComponents, is being used by Wemas Absperrtechnik GmbH, a German provider of road safety products, to unload pallets of heavy batteries.
Julian Döring, head of materials management at Wemas, says, “There are plenty of options in the market that claim to offer easy palletizing solutions, but once you see a demo, it often becomes clear they don’t live up to the promise. With the MoveComponents solution powered by D:Ploy, it was a completely different experience. What was demonstrated to us is exactly what we got – a smooth, same-day installation that delivered on our standards and expectations.”
Another MoveComponents customer, beverage producer Schrobbelèr BV, saw similar benefits in the palletizing of heavy bottles. Jan Eijsermans, commercial director at Schrobbelèr, says, “Right from the start, everything was clear and straightforward. We got detailed technical specs for the entire solution, a full list of components and a simple, no-surprises price. It made the whole process easy to understand and gave us confidence in what we were getting.”
Schrobbelèr had the complete system up and running in one day during active production with no disruptions; product changeovers are easily managed in-house.
“Our liquor comes in various bottle sizes, and I manage the palletizing system entirely on my own,” Eijsermans explains. “I don’t have a technical background, so having an easy-to-use solution was crucial for us. The palletizing system, powered by the D:Ploy platform, is incredibly straightforward and intuitive. It allows me to independently redeploy the system whenever we switch to new bottle sizes in production.”
Like every other innovation in every other industry – from cars to computers – early versions of robotic systems were custom, expensive, complex and time consuming. Eventually, common customer needs have been defined, components and development approaches have improved, and standard products can now be developed and proven over many deployments. The economies of scale of this change also make those products more affordable and accessible.
We’re on the cusp of a new generation of off-the-shelf robotics. This change will give manufacturing customers, integrators and machine builders powerful new options that promise to drive their individual success as well as industry growth.
