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Marlan Lets Cobot Carry out Heavy Repetitive Sanding Work


Marlan has been energetic in machining so-called stable surfaces since 1986. Marlan works intently with its companions, together with sellers, architects and inside builders. Marlan provides sheets, shapes and freestanding bathtubs and is energetic all through Europe. The corporate is the driving pressure behind the product of the identical identify: marlan, a mineral (ATH) crammed polyester resin that’s extraordinarily immune to all dwelling, backyard, and kitchen chemical substances. That is why this materials is broadly used for the manufacturing of bathtubs and sinks, amongst different issues.

Universal robot performing a sanding task with the Robotiq Sanding Kit

Programming the UR cobot is simple, so the cobot was working at Marlan inside half an hour. Inside two weeks, the cobot was totally deployable in manufacturing.

Worker using the robotiq sanding kit with Universal robots to sand a bath

The cobot could be very protected to work with, permitting workers to work on the identical product on the similar time.

The problem

One of many operations which are frequent when processing stable floor merchandise is sanding. That is heavy, repetitive work that requires expert personnel. Such personnel is changing into more and more troublesome to search out. As well as, it can be crucial that the standard is assured. It grew to become more and more troublesome for Marlan to prepare this job correctly. The corporate subsequently went looking for a method to automate this course of as a lot as doable.

Universal robots teach pendant showing the robotiq sanding and polishing software

Employees solely want to pick out a couple of reference factors and the cobot begins sanding.

Worker programming the Universal Robots to perform the sanding of a bath with the Robotiq sanding kit

All that’s left for the employees to do is the superb ending and checking of the product.

The answer

Rik Heerema, basic supervisor at Marlan, was despatched a video through a relation of a robotic that was used for sanding surfaces. “After some looking out I discovered that it was a cobot from Common Robots with a sanding attachment from Robotiq. I made a decision inside every week to make use of this mixture at Marlan.” 

After supply, the cobot was deployed inside two weeks. Heerema was in a position to program it inside half an hour, with none programming expertise. After the implementation and set up, two workers have been educated and the cobot was fine-tuned to find out the proper stress when sanding. This step was additionally the beginning of additional optimizing different elements of the manufacturing. Based on Heerema, some workers have been instantly enthusiastic, however others have been afraid of shedding their jobs. “However that is not what we’re about in any respect. We wish to make it simpler for workers and provides them the chance to extend their output.” The staff at the moment are totally accustomed to the cobot and see it as a form of colleague.

The cobot at Marlan is presently used for sanding bathtubs. This can be a massive object that’s troublesome to sand manually. A significant drawback right here is monitoring constant high quality. Heerema: “However with a cobot you possibly can assure an excellent stress which additionally ensures fixed product high quality.”

 

That is one purpose why Common Robots and Robotiq have been chosen. “The cobot from Common Robots is simple to program and Robotiq made the best mixture with the programming software program for sanding,” Heerema says. “The remaining is simply plug-and-play.” 

QUOTE: “If you know the way a smartphone works, you additionally know find out how to program a Common Robots cobot.”

The Ending Equipment from Robotiq makes programming course of functions, resembling sanding and sharpening, very straightforward due to the Ending Copilot software program. The form of the floor, whether or not flat, curved or spherical, doesn’t matter, which additionally makes programming bathtub sanding straightforward. Beforehand, programming with out specialised software program took a number of days, whereas complicated trajectories can now be entered inside minutes by choosing solely 4-6 or 9 reference factors.

The sanding course of has turn into lots smoother due to this utility, because the cobot takes the heavy lifting out of the palms of the worker, who now solely has to test a couple of factors. On this manner, Marlan is ready to automate eighty % of the method, which makes the entire thing more cost effective in comparison with if a talented worker have been to sand manually full-time.

The expertise at Marlan has been so constructive that the corporate plans to put in a second robotic cell for bathtubs and, in time, one other one for sinks.

Worker using a universal robots and Robotiq sanding kit to perform a sanding task

With a cobot, it’s doable to use even stress, guaranteeing constant product high quality.

Meet the Sanding Kit



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