Tobias Daniel, head of Sales & Marketing at Comau Robotics & Automation Products, talks to Barbara Rossi about the important innovations launched by this business unit in the past two years, including the AURA collaborative robots.
Comau Robotics Automation Products is the Comau division that deals with anthropomorphic industrial robot design, production and sales, as well as the Scara range. It is also specialised in a series of industrial automation products, such as spot welding clamps and roller hemming tools, just to mention two of the most significant solutions. Furthermore, Comau Robotics & Automation Products designs and offers its own robot handling software, 3D simulation and other solutions for specific applications (such as welding). In addition to this, the robot range also benefits from next-generation control technology and Teach Pendants featuring a cutting-edge human-machine interface. Therefore, the business unit is an all-round partner for whoever needs to robotise a production line. It can respond to customers’ needs and provide all the robot automation components.
A global leader
The fact that both Comau itself and the Robotics & Automation Products business unit have a global presence is very important for customer care and after sales: thanks to this its specialists can remain close to their clients and quickly meet their needs. Since the start Comau has been present on the global market; in fact, the Consorzio was set up for a Russian project. Today the company operates at global level and is present in 17 different countries, with 33 facilities, 15 production plants and five innovation centres. It employs about 12,600 staff with headquarters in Turin. Thanks to this international presence, which is concentrated where the major industrial companies have their production plants, Comau can guarantee the highest level of customer care.
A feature which distinguishes Comau from other large automation companies is its investment in training for secondary school pupils and graduate and post-graduate students through the Comau Academy. Investing in young people is a strategic factor, because it allows Comau to select the best resources and help them grow within the company (young people all over the world are interested in and apply for the Masters and the other training programmes organised by Comau and its academic partners). The Comau Academy also offers training programmes for professionals working for other companies. In fact, the Executive Masters in Manufacturing Automation Digital Transformation, organised together with the eminent ESCP Business School, is due to start in January 2017.
Traditionally Comau has been a top player in the automotive sector, thanks to its membership of the FCA Group and its vast experience in this field, gained since the establishment of 'Consorzio Macchine Utensili' in 1973. While staying true to its roots, especially in the past few years, the company has widened its robot offering to include other industrial sectors. This expansion strategy – marking a new Comau branded robotic era – is defined by the inclusion of new machines of different sizes, particularly small robots, and expansion into new market segments. “This is the path followed in our endeavour to create new Racer robots (Racer7-1.4 in 2014, Racer7-0.99 and Racer3-0.63 in 2015, Racer5-0.63 and Racer5-0.80 in 2016) and the recent Rebel-S Scara robots, available in five different models,” Mr Daniel explained.
Today Comau, as well as offering automotive solutions, serves sectors including food & beverages, electronics, plastics, mechanics, foundry and so on. Within these sectors it offers solutions for all possible applications: pick & place, assembly, palletisation and logistics, press machine and line tending, handling and more besides.
Recent innovations
In order to keep pace with the changes that are transforming the world of industrial production, the company has completed numerous important innovations in the past two years. Between 2014 and 2016 Comau has presented 12 robot models, between anthropomorphic and Scara, in addition to having introduced its own collaborative robots which are an absolute market first (no collaborative robot is able to handle 110kg at the wrist). Furthermore, it has presented its new motion-control software, developed and presented new robot controls (C5G) – including an 'Open' model, that is able to offer internally integrated machine codes and other tools – and the related Teach Pendant (TP5). Moreover, with its partner BR, it has started the openROBOTICS project, a solution which offers complete robot controller integration with existing machines or production lines and which features BR automation components. In this way, thanks to openROBOTICS, the robot is directly driven by the machine itself.
Among the most recent innovations launched by Comau, the AURA (Advanced Use Robot Arm) collaborative robots deserve a special mention because they represent a real quality leap in collaborative robotics. In fact, the Comau collaborative solutions are able to safely handle very high payloads, such as the hollow wrist solution which is able to handle 110kg. This technical feature is possible thanks to the sensors which are installed under a layer of protective foam and the combined use of other technologies, all integrated with each other.
'Sensitivity' management is a unique feature of Comau’s solutions. “For the first time, AURA combines the perception of physical proximity to a person – or to any other automation component – with actual contact and its connected intensity. The combined use of these technologies, in addition to which there is also the use of laser scanners to identify the position of people in the work area, can manage the robot’s deceleration and motion, making it come to a complete stop only when the robot is very close to or in actual contact with the operator. But that’s not all. When AURA is touched, not only does it stop moving, it can also react according to the operators’ needs. Moreover, the solution also includes the assistance of a vision system, which is integrated into the robot control technology. This transmits data about the proximity of the robot to people present in the work area, so it is possible, through specific software, to predict the robot’s movements and modify its path accordingly.”
The combined and integrated use of sensors and control features guarantees that the Comau collaborative robots can be installed in any position, even on the ceiling, without having to avoid vibrations. Therefore, AURA does not need to make compromises when it comes to design, layout and performance.
Investing in the future
The investments that Comau has planned and continues to implement will help to transform the entire world of industrial automation. “For Comau, production process automation means to simplify human work and help the operators with their most difficult, heavy and repetitive tasks. This happens according to some guidelines: first of all, the machines must be easy to use. Secondly, they must be able to integrate different sensors and technologies; in this way, the machines can become a reliable colleague for the human operator. Finally, it is necessary that all technologies are able to leverage the enabling role of the Internet. This allows us to control in real time what happens in the plants, process a huge quantity of data- supporting the company’s strategic and tactical decisions, and integrate information coming from different work environments.”