Project duration: 01.09.2018 - 31.08.2020 | Project partners: Chair of Materials Handling and Logistics (fml) at the Technical University of Munich, Fraunhofer IGCV, Gaugler & Lutz, Grenzebach Maschinenbau, GS1 Germany, HEFTER Maschinenbau, ME Industries GmbH, ME Mayerhofer Elektronik, SALT Solutions | Project homepage: https://www.mec.ed.tum.de/fml/forschung/2020/autowerk-automatisierung-und-vernetzung-der-werkzeuglogistik/
Objective
The AutoWerk project aims to increase the performance and reliability of tool logistics through a holistic automation concept. By automating tool supply using mobile assistance robotics, solutions were developed to avoid production interruptions and thus improve the economic efficiency of manufacturing.
Results
The concept involves carrying out transport processes using mobile assistance robots, which are intended to ensure the timely provision of tools at the machines with the help of intelligent routing strategies. By means of an integrated manipulator with specially developed grippers, the assistance robots can perform handling operations to pick up and deposit the transported tools. The respective gripper required is selected automatically depending on the current task. The mobile robots can thus carry out simple quality assurance and assembly tasks during transport, such as inserting a tool into a clamping device.
Industrial Benefit
A central control system is provided to manage the robots. It handles order coordination and confirmation as well as monitoring of the assistance robots and capacity and sequence planning. To do this, the control system must be able to communicate not only with the robots but also with manufacturing systems and the IT systems involved, such as ERP, PPS or WMS. At the same time, the interaction between humans and robots should be intuitive and possible without specific knowledge. Support from mobile assistance robotics thus relieves the machine operator and allows them to focus on value-adding activities.
Significance
The AutoWerk project makes an important contribution to digitalization and automation in the manufacturing industry. By combining mobile robotics, intelligent control software and industrial IT systems, AutoWerk demonstrates how manufacturing companies can make their tool logistics more efficient while simultaneously improving the quality of their production processes. The insights gained are transferable to other areas of industrial intralogistics and support the competitiveness of small and medium-sized manufacturers.
Publications
Are you interested in mobile assistance robotics or automated tool logistics? Contact us – we will discuss together how AutoWerk can optimize your manufacturing process.