Robotics have proven to be crucial to meet the need of manufacturing even before the pandemic. The strategic use of robotics has improved plant safety and productivity, and innovative deployments of robotics have helped address worker shortages and supply chain challenges. Yet there still are manufacturers who have hesitation about how to effectively deploy robots in their plants.
As part of its new Engineering Academy, Machine Design will present Robotics By Design on Thurs., April 28. During these sessions, industry experts will discuss the value of robotics deployment, how best to integrate those robots safely and efficiently with their human co-workers, and how robotics can deliver a return on the investment and provide a competitive advantage as manufacturing continues to grow and evolve.
The keynote will be a discussion with Jeff Burnstein, president of A3 and Bob Vavra, senior content director of Machine Design. They will talk about the increased use of robotics during the pandemic and what manufacturers—and robotics companies—can do next to build on the momentum of the past decade. Burnstein also will highlight the upcoming Automate Conference in Detroit in June.
The technical sessions include:
- Motion Control Techniques for Non-Cartesian Motion Systems: Prabh Gowrisankaran, Performance Motion Devices’ (PMD) vice president of engineering and strategy, will look at machines with non-Cartesian movement systems. These include SCARA robots, PUMA-style arms, Delta Robots and a variety of other mechanisms. These non-Cartesian mechanisms present special challenges, but there are some basic techniques that will take you a long way toward getting these useful and common mechanisms under control.
- Industrial Robots, Machine Tools and 3D Printers: Mike Buchli of Dassault Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE Works discusses how manufacturing companies are adopting and incorporating robotics technologies to reduce overhead while staying productive in a global marketplace. He will be joined by Andrew Valentine of Valentine Automation and Tony Karew of DELMIA as they provide a live demonstration of the software and strategies involved with robotics deployment in a 3D setting.
- The How and Whys of Cobot Deployment: The effective use of cobots in a variety of manufacturing settings will be discussed by Joe Campbell, of the robotics and automation industry and head of strategic marketing for Universal Robots.
Panel Discussion: Integrating Robots Into Your Plant’s Future
Panelists include:
- Neil Stroud, VP, Marketing & Business Development, CoreAVI
- Thomas D. Pyper Jr., Automated Systems Group, Business Development Manager, Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT)
- Juan Aparicio, VP Product, Ready Robotics