The tasks in production are highly diverse and the shortage of skilled labor, especially during shift work or seasonal peaks, poses an additional challenge. At FACHPACK, Bosch Rexroth will show how companies can use mobile cobot stations to automate and flexibly handle production.
The solution was developed by HELDELE Automation, a Certified Excellence Partner of Bosch Rexroth and a sales partner of Kassow Robots. It uses the seven-axis collaborative robot KR810 from Kassow Robots, in which Bosch Rexroth acquired a majority stake in 2022, and the ctrlX CORE control platform from Bosch Rexroth. It offers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) a high degree of flexibility as it can perform a wide range of tasks in different locations in the production area. The main advantage of this solution: The collaborative robots installed in the mobile stations work independently, while the AMRs (autonomous mobile robots) can take on other tasks in production and internal logistics.
Mobile collaborative robot stations are suitable for a wide range of applications in consumer goods production. For example, a packaging machine can be loaded with packaging materials from small load carriers or other load carriers. Another example is sorting products into shipping boxes, a task that is often done manually by co-packers. Quality control can also be automated. To do this, the collaborative robot removes components from the production flow and places them in a small load carrier. From there, the components are automatically transported to the measuring system and tested – a solution is also possible where a collaborative robot arm connected to the test rig takes over component testing directly.
Our solution impresses with its compactness and flexibility. While the cobot from Kassow Robots installed on the mobile station performs its tasks on site, the AMR can be used elsewhere in production or intralogistics. Conventional AGV/cobot solutions lack this advantage. There, the AGV or AMR remains temporarily idle on site until the cobot has completed its work, as the AGV and cobot form a single unit,” emphasizes David Pietsch, Managing Director of HELDELE Automation GmbH. Dieter Pletscher, Global Sales Manager at Kassow Robots, adds: “HELDELE Automation has developed a solution with our 7-axis cobots that offers impressive flexibility. Small load carriers or machines can be loaded and unloaded right up to the last corner, as the 7th axis of our robots also allows them to reach around corners and is therefore particularly maneuverable.”
All ten models of Kassow Robots can be installed in the mobile cobot station, which means a reach of up to 1800 mm and a load capacity of up to 18 kg are possible. The use of the five KR Edge Edition models is especially recommended for mobile collaborative robot solutions, since Kassow Robots has miniaturized the Edge Edition control and integrated it into the robot base for even easier integration. The mobile collaborative robot station is controlled by the ctrlX CORE from Bosch Rexroth. The entire solution is designed to be extremely compact at 600 x 400 mm and can be used even in tight production environments. The structure is stable even during dynamic movements.
The cobot station is transported to the workplace using an AGV or AMR such as the ACTIVE Shuttle. There, it receives information wirelessly from the production management system and starts working autonomously. Once the task is completed, it reports it to the control system and moves automatically to another location. The entire process runs autonomously without employee intervention. Meanwhile, the transport system can carry out other activities.
The solution uses an inductive battery and charging system, which means it can operate for up to four hours independently of the mains. Charging points can be set up at other workstations or centrally for several AMRs.
Bosch Rexroth at FACHPACK 2024: Hall 2, Stand 424