Located at Thornton Science Park near Chester (formerly the site of the Shell Technology, Exploration and Research Centre), the Faculty of Science and Engineering features purpose-built laboratories and industrial facilities designed to deliver hands-on, practical guidance and advice covering a range of technologies. Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the I2C project boasts a number of novel features, one of which is masterclasses run by practising manufacturing professionals and suppliers with significant experience in their chosen specialist subjects.
With robotics and automation playing such a pivotal role, not just in the manufacturing arena but across so many other commercial sectors, the I2C project needed a competent ‘robotics partner’ – one that would be prepared to provide the necessary expertise, time and ongoing support in the many areas where robotics can be used. Another key consideration in the robotics partner selection process was the necessity for a robot that was suitably flexible.
Following discussions with a number of potential partners, Kawasaki Robotics was declared the chosen partner and, in December 2018, the company installed and commissioned a duAro twin-arm collaborative robot (cobot) into the I2C prototyping laboratory at Thornton Science Park. Kawasaki Robotics has been tasked with presenting ongoing masterclasses on robotics and automation, as required by the courses.
The duAro is an interesting choice for the I2C project because it is one of the latest generation of SCARA robots, and designed to co-exist in the workplace alongside human personnel. Kawasaki’s duAro can be speedily programmed to perform an almost limitless number of tasks that are typically undertaken on production or assembly lines, including ‘pick and place’, the dispensing or application of adhesives and sealants, material removal, machine tending, and materials handling. The entire self-contained duAro unit has been designed to use the same workstation space as a person.
“This means that, unlike most robots, especially those involved in assembly, positioning or placement tasks, the latest duAro robot has a wheeled base and can thus be moved around the factory floor at will, plugged in to any standard 13 A, three-pin socket, and put to work in an instant,” explains Ian Hensman, sales manager at Kawasaki Robotics.
Furthermore, thanks to the introduction of new ‘teaching’ software, using either a standard tablet or Android smartphone, tasking the duAro robot is simple and quick, allowing its twin-arm, 4-axis capability to get to grips with work swiftly and without specialist training being required for supervisory personnel.
“This is especially important for SMEs of the type that are embracing the I2C project at Chester,” Hensman continues. “Many SMEs involved in manufacturing or assembly have multiple production runs and might need to change projects frequently during a working week, so they require a robot that can change with them. The duAro can do so with the minimum of downtime for reprogramming. This is precisely the environment that duAro was designed for, and its unit cost means that most operators see a return on investment measured in months, rather than years – another vital consideration for all businesses, but especially so for SMEs.”
Introducing beneficiaries to the advantages of robotics as a key part of the automation process was another reason behind the choice of duAro.
Hensman says: “As a business grows it can operate multiple duAro robots and choose to control each of them either individually or centrally from a single tablet if required. This makes duAro ideal for SMEs who need flexibility and want to employ more staff to look after other aspects of the business. Even as a shift supervisor might allocate daily tasks for a number of different operators when they arrive for work, so the supervisor can also position each duAro quickly and then program any or all of them from a single tablet in one go.”
Senior I2C project engineer Barry Gleave concludes: “Working with Kawasaki is a great opportunity for our I2C beneficiaries; they are manufacturing professionals and so are our project engineers. It is vital that all the partners we choose to work with can be trusted – and are suitably qualified – thus providing independent, unbiased and clear expertise in their field. The primary objective for I2C is to provide SME personnel with the knowledge and skills that can help them design things better, manufacture them more efficiently and get them to market sooner, with the best prospects of success. Although our Kawasaki duAro robot has only just arrived, our engineers and beneficiaries have been delighted with its obvious ability.”
