Hand-eye coordination to enserve other machines
In anti-seismic construction there are several possible solutions to make buildings safe. GL Locatelli, a pioneering company in the Como area has patented and produces steel nailed bars capable of being anchored in concrete.
How are these products made?
Steel is modelled with the desired profile and cut to the correct size (in different sizes for different purposes) and then it has to undergo to a nailing process with a press.
The pieces leaving the profile are stowed in containers from which, currently, an operator manually picks up the individual piece and places it on the conveyor belt that enters the nailing press.
Since the pieces are placed in a container for intermediate storage, a vision system was used, “eye”, capable of identifying the piece and controlling the robot, “hand”, to pick it up and then unload it on the conveyor belt.
Our activity encompassed the:
- Mechanical design of the robotic cell
- Identification of the robot, vision system and on-board sensors
- Definition of the specifications for the cabinet’s electrical panels and their internal components
- Implementation of the control system of the cell, the robot and the safety plc
- Collection of machine data in I4.0
- Integration of a wearable system for notification of the machine status to the operator
With this project we have allowed a successful company to reorganize its internal processes in order to dedicate the operator to less repetitive and higher added value activities, while keeping an eye on the machine remotely and being able to react promptly in case of need.