Hand in hand with a new robot colleague LBR iisy assists plastic finishers in quality inspection

Related Vendor

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

Every boss desires a flexible, swift, and meticulously working employee. Bastian Fest from FMO Surface has found one in the LBR iisy. Hand in hand with his team, the collaborative robot (cobot) now checks DataMatrix codes for their quality and completeness. There are no reservations about interacting with it, and training the new colleague is no problem even for employees without programming experience. It's quite easy!

Flexible and simple: Everything iisy

At a trade fair in Kassel, Bastian Fest, CEO of FMO Surface GmbH & Co. KG, met Kuka sales engineer Robert Korte, who introduced him to the collaborative robot LBR iisy. The entrepreneur was immediately convinced of the advantages of the cobot. Subsequently, Fest took a closer look at the LBR iisy at Kuka's branch in Siegen and decided to purchase it - easily and conveniently via the Kuka Marketplace. "The LBR iisy combines various factors we need: flexibility, ease of programming, and readiness for collaborative use. That’s why we bought it without knowing exactly where we wanted to deploy it," Fest says about the rather unusual step. As for programming robots, Fest describes himself as a beginner. Although Fest had already completed a training course at Kuka College at the time of purchasing his first Kuka robot, it was about the KR Cybertech and was four years ago. He is all the more delighted about the new cobot, which, with its ease of use, also enables programming beginners to access robotics.

Automation in small and medium-sized enterprises

The family-owned company FMO Surface, which specializes in the finishing of plastic surfaces, was founded in 1999 in Lemgo in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region and today employs 75 people. Around seven million bus connectors are lasered with DataMatrix codes (DMC) here every year. A few years ago, the company began to automate various processes. The collaboration with Kuka started with a KR Cybertech nano (KR 10 R1420), which is used in palletizing and loading a laser system. Two years later, another Kuka robot from the KR Cybertech series was added, capable of turning, measuring, and lasering the plastic parts to be finished. “Especially in view of the shortage of skilled workers, automation plays an important role for a medium-sized company like ours,” explains Bastian Fest. In March 2022, the LBR iisy was added to the robot portfolio.

A challenge for the LBR iisy

The task fitting for the new colleague was quickly found in the quality control of bus connectors. Bus connectors are lasered with DataMatrix codes consisting of eight-digit numerical sequences before being installed in controls. Since several components are marked with a DMC and depend on each other, reliability is crucial for the traceability of an entire assembly. Therefore, special attention must be given to checking the quality and completeness of the DataMatrix codes. Previously, this task was performed manually by FMO Surface employees using scanners. Just in time for the start of spring 2022, the LBR iisy took over this task. The cobot now works hand in hand with foremen of the laser department like Tim Hertz. Hertz reports: "The LBR iisy saves us a tremendous amount of time since we no longer need to scan each part individually. And if the cobot reports an error, we don't have to open a cage or stop an entire system; we can simply remove and replace the incorrect part."

"Simple integration desired"

Recruiting human employees for monotonous yet demanding tasks such as checking the DataMatrix codes is becoming increasingly difficult for companies like FMO Surface. In contrast, training the LBR iisy went without any issues. Quite easy, indeed! "From unpacking to setup to the first programming, it took us just about 30 minutes," says Bastian Fest. With the help of the Kuka smartPAD pro and the robot control KR C5 micro, even employees with little experience in robot programming can operate and train the cobot. "The LBR iisy runs on the new operating system iiQKA.OS, making it easy to install, configure, and program," explains Robert Korte from Kuka. The cobot is not only ready to start in just a few minutes but can also be quickly adapted to new challenges. For Fest, this is a tremendous advantage: "We don't have engineers here, so the easy integration is all the more important."

How the cobot checks DataMatrix codes

Now equipped with two cameras, the cobot checks DataMatrix codes. On a tray, a kind of tablet, 200 plastic parts are placed under the LBR iisy with its two Keyence cameras. "In the first step, the quality of the codes is randomly checked based on 20 parts," explains foreman Tim Hertz. "If everything is correct, the cobot moves over the tray again and checks whether all 200 parts are there and all codes are readable." One camera, with its corresponding software, performs the quality check while the second is responsible for completeness. If something is amiss, meaning a code is of insufficient quality or incomplete, the robot stops and indicates which bus connector is affected. A human colleague can then replace the faulty part, the tray is checked again and, ideally, approved.

Accelerate processes, relieve employees, and protect customers

Earlier, Tim Hertz reports, this kind of quality control for DMC was much more labor-intensive. "When we checked for completeness, we had to scan each part individually," says Hertz. An employee had to take the parts out of the tray and later put them back. Today, with the LBR iisy, this process is much faster and more precise. The customer – an automation company – explicitly wanted an automated solution, according to Bastian Fest. Because installing a non-perfect bus connector in their own controls can be costly. Bastian Fest reports: "The bus connector is used as the very first part of the control. It's soldered, screwed onto a circuit board, and the entire control is built on it. Now, when is a bad DataMatrix code noticed? At the goods out! That's when the damage is immense."

Cobot with all-rounder qualities

The LBR iisy can be easily integrated into existing processes as well as reprogrammed for new tasks. Whether loading machines, packaging, or various handling tasks, the LBR iisy masters them all. "The integrated cable management and power supply of the LBR iisy also allow for a quick and easy tool change," adds Robert Korte. The cobot can be equipped with additional accessories from the Kuka Marketplace for new applications at any time. For Bastian Fest, this is a real plus point: "Of course, I have a product that is highly flexible. Whether I attach a suction cup, gripper, or camera to the front doesn’t matter to the robot, but I can cover my entire range."

Safe human-robot collaboration

The employees at FMO Surface were immediately excited about the new colleague, emphasizes CEO Fest. There were no reservations. Robert Korte explains, "Thanks to the safety features, working in a shared space with people is possible." Equipped with sensitive joint torque sensors in all six axes, the LBR iisy immediately reacts to the slightest touches and offers certified collision protection. This makes him an ideal helper in any production. Bastian Fest is already planning the automation of further processes. He notes that the cobot could soon provide valuable services in pad printing as well. Additionally, the application of the larger versions of the LBR iisy with load capacities of 11 and 15 kg is on his wish list.

Gallery

Gallery with 10 images

(tb)