The new service from Realtime Robotics is said to optimize robot paths and interlocks without interrupting or impacting existing processes.
BOSTON—Achieving more productivity from automation can help manufacturers, including major automotive OEMs and tier suppliers, consistently exceed their revenue goals. With this aim in mind, Realtime Robotics introduced a new Optimization-as-a-Service offering. The service uses a combination of proprietary optimization software and experienced robotics and application engineering insights to improve a manufacturer’s overall productivity, Realtime Robotics said in a release.
The optimization service was recently used by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hanover, Germany, in a proof-of-concept project for electric vehicle manufacturing. The company was looking to improve cycle time quickly and efficiently in a 2-robot cell that was welding car doors for the ID Buzz vehicle line, according to the release.
Optimization-as-a-Service analyzes a customer’s existing digital twin, identifying bottleneck areas and recommending improvements based on the customer’s desired parameters. Realtime analyzed Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ simulation file without stopping or interfering with ongoing production. Its recommendations reportedly helped the automotive manufacturer to incorporate improvements and reduce cycle time by several seconds.
“Our Optimization-as-a-Service offering delivers results when you cannot spend months squeezing more productivity out of your automation cells,” said Peter Howard, CEO of Realtime Robotics, in the release. “It has the potential to forever change how manufacturing operations are conducted, optimizing for improved speed and efficiency, without interrupting existing processes.”
Realtime Robotics said its Optimization-as-a-Service can rapidly generate and test hundreds of thousands of potential robot paths, determining the best motion sequences based on target assignment, robot reach, and other parameters. Automatically calculated interlocks allow robots to operate within much closer proximity, the company said.
Customers need only send Realtime their simulation CAD file for the bottlenecked cells. The company’s engineers then use proprietary algorithms and expertise to optimize the work cell in just weeks, reducing cycle times with better paths and sequences. Once the results are validated, they can immediately be transferred to the production floor, according to Realtime Robotics.
Realtime Robotics develops automatic, collision-free motion planning for industrial robots. Its technology is said to generate optimized motion plans and interlocks to achieve the shortest possible cycle time in multi-robot cells. Realtime is working to “expand the potential of automation, empowering robots to function together in unstructured and collaborative workspaces, reacting to dynamic obstacles the instant changes are perceived,” the company said in the release.