Human specific and machine data analysis for smart factories

Within the BFP III tender, our colleagues relied on the components provided by Bosch Rexroth Kft. to develop an intelligent press station and its associated logistics robot.

From the warehouse worker, the parts are delivered to the collaborative robot with the help of the logistics robot. The collaborative robot takes the parts from the logistics robot and delivers them to the intelligent press station. After the operation at the press station, the collaborative robot takes the machined part out of the cell and returns it to the logistics robot, thereafter the logistics robot returns the machined parts to the warehouse, to the warehouse worker.

At the smart press station, the goal is to create a self-regulating system. During production, it can measure the resulting wear as a change in size, and then build an expected trend from its scale. Based on the permissible degree of wear, it makes a correction for the length of the pressing path so that it is self-regulating within certain limits. It monitors changes in the physical parameters on the machine, which affects the amount of wear. From the degree of wear, the machine determines the expected service life of the tool, which can be measured in cycles. This creates the basis of predictive maintenance. The collaborative robot is constantly in wireless contact with the station, so they exchange data between themselves in real time. The following parameters are monitored: vibration, wear, temperature, pressing pressure, press operation path length, power consumption.

The logistics robot can optimize its transport path and the frequency of material supply to the production cell adaptively (machine learning) with the help of measured and processed parameters and its self-learning algorithms.

The worker has the opportunity to specify the comfort factors (temperature of the working environment, humidity, noise exposure) at any time during the shift, thus determining the working conditions in which the workers feel comfortable.

With sustainable and environmentally friendly technical solutions (3D parts digitization and printing), we can design, optimize and manufacture lightweight and space-saving parts that are important in robotics. In this way, we will be able to save both internal resources and traditional production capacity.