We interviewed Marc Cayuela CTO of Eleven Dynamics to talk about his simulation solutions in industrial metrology processes
Eleven Dynamics is a young company specialized in Metrology automation. Could you explain us the history of the company and the team it has?
The company was founded at the beginning of 2020, when Santiago Droll (CEO), while working on industrial metrology automation projects, realized that there was a market need for a software solution with a flexible and automated simulation. Since the beginning, we developed the software (Nexos 4.0) thinking on giving our clients a tool with which they can design their own solution, adjusting it to their needs and automatizing processes that were previously manual and far from optimal.
Currently at Eleven Dynamics we are: Santiago Droll (CEO and software developer), Michael Fischer (CFO and sales specialist), Hanna Obermeier (sales and support), Kathrin Tassoti (marketing and support) and me, Marc Cayuela (CTO and software developer).
What is Nexos 4.0?
Nexos 4.0 is an industrial simulation software Sim2Real. That is, in our software (Sim) you can completely design your automation system, including any part, robotic arm, turntable, transport robot, robot tool, etc. and simply program it for your needs (including multiple machine coordination). Moreover, Nexos 4.0 is a 2Real system because from this same simulation you can completely control all machines in reality.
What is Eleven Dynamics specialization?
Our software is flexible, and it allows to simulate any kind of automation application. Nevertheless, due to our past experience in the Industrial Metrology sector, we have decided to focus initially on the automation of quality control processes. In this kind of applications robot programming is even more complex, since sensors add restrictions that are usually harder to satisfy. We eliminate this difficulty by automatically generating within Nexos 4.0 optimal robot paths for part measuring.
What are the steps to take to move any process to an automated process?
The first step is always simulation. We can quickly create within Nexos 4.0 many virtual prototypes, so that we can find the best solution together with our client. Our simulation allows to program the robots in advance, simulate the data acquisition, compute the cycle times, etc.
When the client is satisfied with the simulation, we then proceed to the actual physical construction of the solution. The last step is to simply connect the robots and machines to our software and run the already simulated programs directly onto the robots.
What kind of relationship do you want to stablish with your clients?
At Eleven Dynamics we are not looking to force a solution upon our clients, instead, we want to offer them the software as a tool, so they can find the best solution for their needs. This can be done by the client on his own or collaborating with us.
Our idea is to enable our clients, so that they are autonomous. This way, if they want to modify the physical distribution of any element, change the robot programs, or make any other modification, they do not have to go through a slow and expensive corporate chain that complicates the needed changes. We intend to make any Nexos 4.0 user completely independent.
Moreover, we offer Nexos 4.0 with a subscription model (that amortizes), so that our client can cancel payment at any month. This way we minimize the initial investment and risk, facilitating the creation of proofs of concept and fast prototypes.
What kind of companies can benefit from your software?
We can help companies that:
• Want to automatize a process but do not know how to start.
• Want to automatize their quality control process.
• Have to program many robotic arms and are looking for an easy-to-use tool.
• Want to find an optimal design for their process automation.
• Need a very flexible automation.
What advantages offers and automated quality control process?
Automation maximizes the benefits of quality control, even allowing the shift from a statistical quality control to a part-by-part quality control. This way, we minimize the need of part batch discarding, guaranteeing part-by-part tolerances, and even allowing the early detection of errors by analyzing the evolution of the measured data.
What kind of sensors does your solution support?
We currently support all sensors from Leica and Scantech, and we are currently working on adding the sensors from Creaform and Zeiss.
Can your software be used with any robot?
Yes. We currently support Kuka, Abb, Yaskawa, Universal Robots and Fanuc. We can also integrate in Nexos 4.0 any PLC to control other machines, like for instance turntables.
In other words, our software is hardware independent, and we will integrate all the sensors and robots that the client might need.
Mantis is an automated metrology cell. What advantages does it offer?
Mantis is a Metrology turn-key cell based on our software. With the collaboration of MQS (German integrator), we created a closed solution for clients that need a very simple way to measure mid-size parts. With Nexos 4.0 we allow the operator to program Mantis for any kind of part in a fast, flexible (no need for robotics or metrology knowledge) and safe way (the cell contains all security elements necessary).
In other words, Mantis is a specific and tested design for a possible Automation Metrology solution based on Nexos 4.0.
Can you tell us about a recent application of Nexos 4.0?
Currently we are working with a client in the Car Manufacturing sector that wants to measure the whole car’s body to detect defects before assembling it. Due to the dimensions and the space restrictions, the client used our software to test multiple robotic arms and sensors. Our automatic path planning tools allowed a thorough analysis considering many variables and permitted the client to find a solution that satisfies the space, reachability and cycle time constrains they had. In the following months we will proceed with the building of what was simulated into the factory’s floor. Once the construction is finished, only one simple step will remain: connecting the robots to our software and pressing play.
For more information:
Web: www.11dynamics.com/
Email: marc.cayuela@11dynamics.com
LinkedIn: marccayuelarafols