Lights Out Manufactuing

It is hard to imagine a life before we used electric lights

It is hard to imagine a life before we used electric lights


The introduction of bright plant lights made 3 shift operations possible. Sufficiently bright lighting is interpreted by the workers internal clocks as sunlight. In most 24 hour settings it is important that the off shift workers are alert and attentive. This is only possible if their internal systems think that it is time to be awake. You would not want everyone to be asleep if you arrive at the hospital emergency room at 3:00 am.
Times when we are without lights turn into events in our lives. I can still remember one evening when we were having a boxed murder mystery party with friends. In the middle of the game our house lights went out. This looked suspicious because of a lack of bad weather and the neighbors houses with lights on that were visible through our windows. ” OK, How did you do it?” My friends know that I am an engineer. lightMAN Even though I was the murderer in our game, the loss of lights was the local utility company transformer giving up the ghost.
Lights out manufacturing is one of those “overnight” revolutions that have been in the works for more than 20 years. In the 90’s there were very few pieces of manufacturing equipment that you could trust to run overnight unattended. Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) was one of the first manufacturing processes to be used in a lights out fashion. Yes, we did need to add automatic halon fire extinguishers just in case.
The highest precision manufacturing processes like EDM occur at slow speeds

The highest precision manufacturing processes like EDM occur at slow speeds

This process is heavily used in mold making. It was a natural for unattended operation because some of the cuts can take days to accomplish. Many mold shops run their expensive EDM machines unattended overnight and over the weekend.
Lights out manufacturing has emerged from the bowels of tool and die manufacturing. A couple factors are responsible because implementing lights out manufacturing is not as simple as running over to the electrical breaker panel and snapping off the lights. ( Usually chaos ensues when the lights fail while people are working.) First our control systems are more reliable. Second, we can include more sensors to handle adjustment or shutdown if we are not present. Third we have adopted more slow speed manufacturing processes like 3D printing which take long periods to accomplish.
I.materialize 3D Printer

Photo courtesy of i.materialize.com

A good modern example of lights out manufacturing is the Amazon (Kiva) robots that happily operate in a dark warehouse because they are part of a system that was initially set up to operate in that fashion. Welding robots are another good example because they have the sophisitcated controls the enable then to run unattended. Welding robots can finish the job they are on after everyone goes home because of proper engineering design. Sophisticated computer controls allow welding robots to run unattended Laser and water jet cutting machines for sheet material can operate in a lights out manufacturing environment. The usually means that the jobs are packaged into full sheet set-ups so that sufficient time is gained by finishing jobs after everyone goes home.
We all remember the fairy tales of our youth where the elves came and did our work while we slept. It is more than a fairy tale. I still find it amazing seeing the progress that occurred while I slept when I arrive at work in the morning. Manufacturing will come back to North America. Some of it will come back as lights off manufacturing. Innovators in the manufacturing space have discovered that it is necessary to implement the latest manufacturing techniques and equipment to make a profit at an attractive selling price.

Cobots

C3P0 Model at Comic-Con by Ewen Roberts

C3P0 Model at Comic-Con by Ewen Roberts

Science fiction writers have given us a glimpse into the future. I can picture a time beyond my lifetime where we have advanced our robot technology to the point where a robot can be created in human form and work along side us. Certainly Star Wars caught all of our imaginations. The starting point for Collaborative Robots (COBOTS) was a lot more mundane. Early robots, like Unimate, were prone to deviate occasionally or drift from their programmed path. Our safety standards evolved to compensate for this short coming by enclosing them in locked bullet proof cages. Like wayward children, we had them play in their own sandbox. We were content to avoid joining the robots in their sandbox because most of the earliest robot applications were chosen because the robot was in a dirty and dangerous sandbox. The 6 axis electric robots that replaced the first hydraulic Unimates were more reliable, but still were less than perfectly safe. This history colored our vision of what a robot should look like. Innovation usually comes at us from the fringe, tearing up the “rule book” in the process. The Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner is a good example
First generation Roomba (Roomba is a trademark of iRobot) by Larry D. Moore

First generation Roomba (Roomba is a trademark of iRobot) by Larry D. Moore

It doesn’t look like a robot. It doesn’t even look like a vacuum. As one of the early Cobots it could safely work side by side with humans without danger. Cats — We are less sure about them, based on some funny Youtube video showing how they react to Roomba vacuums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk4XB2wZqF4 This early cobot spawned a few commercial derivatives to tackle what my wife’s grandmother called uphill work. This is work like laundry that you finish this week, just in time to start again at the beginning next week. As a teenager I did some of that running an industrial floor scrubber for my aunt’s janitorial business. No matter how good a job you did cleaning the floor one night, the floor started just as dirty the next night.

T5 walk-behind floor scrubber by Tennant (left) and HydroBot floor scrubbing robot by Intellibot Robotics picture by Z22

T5 walk-behind floor scrubber by Tennant (left) and HydroBot floor scrubbing robot by Intellibot Robotics picture by Z22

The robotic scrubber does not consider this task a dead end job like I did. A new template for robots emerged. AGVs (Autonomous Guided Vehicles) sprouted into wide spread use. Their slow speeds and limited range of motions enabled co habitation of working space with humans.
Packmobile with trailer AGV, Egemin Automation picture by AGVExpertJS

Packmobile with trailer AGV, Egemin Automation picture by AGVExpertJS


It could be argued that the first versions of AGVs were not full robots because they simply tracked a wire buried in the floor. Evolved AGVs such as the Kiva robots that Amazon uses to accomplish same day delivery are full Cobots. Even though Amazon got a jump on the rest of the industry by the strategic purchase of Kiva, competition is beginning to emerge http://netonomy.net/2015/04/29/three-robots-that-will-change-ecommerce/. In much the same fashion that Roomba came in at the fringe, the need for a robot that could work side by side with a human ushered in the gantry style robot. The gantry has predictable X Y Z motions with hard end stops which eliminates the need for the bullet proof cage. The space advantage of a Cobot makes it my favorite choice when implementing an automotive cell. I am particularly proud of a jet engine turbine blade inspection machine that uses ultrasonics to detect cracked blades before they fail.
New Automation Ultrasonic Jet Engine blade inspection machine

New Automation Ultrasonic Jet Engine blade
inspection machine

Honda thinks the same way and I was not surprised when I saw a gantry robot carrying cylinder heads between machining stations at their Alabama assembly plant. The electronics industry is faced with the same issues of mixing automated and human assembly. They also have adopted gantry style cobots for their surface mount technology
Internals of a Juki KE2010L 4 head pick and place surface mount machine. the machine is used to place electronic components that are soldered to the face of a printed circuit board rather than having leads go through holes in the board.   The machine is loaded with standard 8" reels on mechanical feeders (front right) and a tray of QFP microprocessors (rear center)  Picture by Peripitus

Internals of a Juki KE2010L 4 head pick and place surface mount machine. the machine is used to place electronic components that are soldered to the face of a printed circuit board rather than having leads go through holes in the board. The machine is loaded with standard 8″ reels on mechanical feeders (front right) and a tray of QFP microprocessors (rear center) Picture by Peripitus


Technology will advance to the point where we can build a C3P0 Cobot. It will happen as a step by step evolution. We are on our way. Currently in the lab are vision, tactile and capacitive skin collision sensors which will become affordable.

Robot Vision

Vision - The holy grail of robotics

Vision – The holy grail of robotics


We would like to have robots perform the tasks that we as humans do not want to do. Many of these fall into the heavy, dangerous, repetitive, precise, finicky categories. As humans we learned to accomplish these types of actions as little children, so we do not have a step by step roadmap on how to get this type of task done
The blind leading the blind By UR INC Motoman SDA10 at Smith Springs Lab

The blind leading the blind
By UR INC Motoman SDA10 at Smith Springs Lab


Most of us who have implemented robots find that blind repetition of actions, however well conceived leads to less than desired results. Real processes are not perfectly consistent and real parts have tolerances. As engineers we normally try to compensate for the fliers that we have experienced, but new types of defects emerge in the global race to the bottom. For example it was only recently that I had to fight with bolts where the hex head was partially formed. This totally jams the automatic feeding and installation equipment. Dumb and happy. The robotic automation cannot cull out the defective parts which is a simple task for the humans that they replaced. Fortunately in this case, I included a proximity switch in my arm end that could be used for sorting.
Capacitive proximity switches detect objects before they are hit

Capacitive proximity switches detect objects before they are hit


It is possible to use a proximity switch to measure to an accuracy down to .001 inch. (high accuracy measurements have a significant time penalty due to multiple probe motions) I recommend including extra vision catagory features when implementing new robot installations. In this fast changing business environment it is highly likely that your robots will need to be taught new tricks before they are taken out of service. Small investments in sensors like $100 proximity switches can be very useful in shortening the reaction time to unforeseen process challenges. The Fraunhoffer institute is pioneering in the implementation of capacitive “vision” In the linked article by Dr. techn. Norbert Elkmann the usefulness of advanced sensing is explored. “Manufacturing has great need of robots with high load carrying capacity for human-robot collaboration. Since the potential risk for humans in the event of a collision is naturally greater than when robots are smaller, the use of robots with high load carrying capacity in the direct vicinity of humans requires smart sensor systems such as capacitive sensors that detect proximity.” http://www.iff.fraunhofer.de/en/business-units/robotic-systems/capacitive-sensors.html
As we continue to use robots to replace humans, It will be necessary to create robots that incorporate human sensory capability. Touch will be one of the first areas that changes. Since material handling is one of the primary robot uses, controlling the applied force is a requirement. We have all been frustrated with the robot gripper in the arcade game. It drops the prize at every opportunity. If we wish to use a robot to replace humans the gripper needs tactile sensors. This mimics human touch using a strategy similar the human it replaces. Nerve endings, concentrated in our finger tips, transmit a whole bunch of data down the arm
Grippers have evolved from the arcade version to the state of the art Tactilus Multi-vector Sensor - Sensor Products Inc

Grippers have evolved from the arcade version to the state of the art Tactilus Multi-vector Sensor – Sensor Products Inc

Just force sensors by themselves may not be enough. It may also be necessary to have individual finger motion control. Other tasks arer even more sophisticated. Simply having force sensors may not be enough to prevent impact damage. The Lexus like most modern passenger cars has a ring of impact sensors around the body. Even though rush hour feels like bumper cars some days, it is not very effective to wait until the sensor detects contact as a strategy for safe following in traffic.
by METRO66 Wheeler Dealer Bumper Cars by Mariordo Driving Google Self-driving Car

by METRO66 Wheeler Dealer Bumper Cars
by Mariordo Driving Google Self-driving Car

As we look into the future of robotics, we will see a massive increase in the amount of data that is processed to accomplish the robot tasks. The current individual wires down the arm will be replaced by arm end processors and fiber optic links. Full vision control will occur in high volume premier applications, but cost limitations will result in selected use for other industrial tasks.

KISS

KISS also applies to automation

KISS also applies to automation


KISS — Keep It Simple Stupid
Early in my career I was assigned the task of commissioning an $70,000 electric paint robot. Unfortunately at that stage of robot evolution, the seal design at the robot joints prevented it from painting more than the first part. The vapors shorted it out. What I learned is that it is more effective to tackle automating the simplest tasks first. Simple tasks take less investment to automate. Even though modern 6 axis robots can now handle painting tasks, combining them with required sophisticated guard enclosures places them far from the KISS category in my mind.
I was watching a 2 axis gantry “robot” carry engine cylinder heads at a Honda assembly plant in Alabama. Reminded me of a dog playing fetch with a stick. The jaws of the gripper opened and the human at the end was presented with the retrieved cylinder head. I install gantry robot transport systems for the same benefit, their simple motion and guards allow humans to safely work along side them. These robots do not care that I am comparing them to a dog. As Ada Lovelace wrote as her work began the digital age “The Analytical Engine has no pretensions whatever to originate anything. It can do whatever we know how to order it to perform”
A Spaniel fetches a stick by Kleuske

A Spaniel fetches a stick by Kleuske

Kiva robots are even simpler. They race to the other end of the warehouse and wait like puppy dogs for us to collect the item they have retrieved. All of this without the clutter of the rails and guards of gantry retrieval systems.
Moore’s law marches on. The cost of computers has dropped to the point where we can afford to automate even simple tasks. It is easy to write down date, starting odometer, location, finishing odometer and purpose for one business trip. You get pissed off enough to invent a better way when you spend a chunk of every Christmas vacation inputting a list of a thousand or so business trips so that you qualify to keep the $8000 to $9000 dollar business mileage deduction. I want to use the KISS principle to fix all the aggravations in my life.
Capture your full mileage deduction

Capture your full mileage deduction

It is nice that an affordable computer http://mileagetrakker.com can talk to the car and generate the log for me

Lean Automation

Mileage Trakker verses Fanuc ARC Mate 120iC/10L taken by Phasmatisnox

Mileage Trakker verses
Fanuc ARC Mate 120iC/10L taken by Phasmatisnox

I have to admit that many years of installing robots to reduce labor has blinded me into thinking of automation as robots to be installed. This matched the marketplace because the $200,000 robots morphed into $50,000 robots opening the door for new applications with each price drop. Shop floor manufacturing cost which was $.50 of every sales dollar in the 1950’s has steadily declined to $.20 of every sales dollar today. Since 80% of the current business costs are not on the manufacturing floor, it is not surprising that the best opportunities for reducing cost by automating are no longer on the shop floor.
It would be naive to claim that no automating activity has occurred off the shop floor. The PC, then smart phone revolutions, have brought the efficiency of software to our fingertips. We would not even consider typing and mailing a letter anymore. PC Office suite software is now available as “free” open source downloads. The more recent smartphone market is equally mature. Even as early as 2010, 90% of the smart phone apps sold less than 100,000 copies, which suggests that they failed to cover their development costs.
The 80% share of business cost off the shop floor shows that the current opportunities are still away from the shop floor. The developers agree and the latest excitement is centered around innovations that combine software and hardware. This is consistent with what I am seeing. Somewhere in the future your cars will have enough connectivity and spare computers or your cell phone will have enough battery capacity to handle extra tasks. In the short term dedicated devices such as the mileage trakker http://mileagetrakker.com that I market are good examples of the latest trend. Business people who travel are happy that a device plugged into the car handles most of the assembly of an IRS format mileage report so that they can receive their significant mileage deduction at income tax time