The other day we had the opportunity to watch a robot using an abrasive to thin a piece of metal to the appropriate size. It could even turn the object around to grind on another side.
This was at 3M’s recently launched abrasive robotics lab. We were shown a variety of abrasives, each to be used for a different purpose – metal grinding, deburring (removing small imperfections from machined metal products), sanding (smoothing or polishing a surface).
The time it took the robot to finish the job, a human worker would have taken about twice or more the time. And even then, it may not have come out with the consistency the robot could achieve.
Raghavendra Koneri, application engineer for robotics & automation, at 3M India says robots have been used in manufacturing primarily for material handling, and occasionally for welding. But more intricate processes like metal removal or grinding were done manually. Now, abrasive makers like 3M and system integrators have come together to create robotic solutions for such processes too. “While a 3M abrasive used in a manual process performs at a certain level, when integrated with a robot and standardised processes like force or pressure, its performance can escalate by 1.5x to 4x,” Koneri says.
Hari Parthasarathi, application engineering leader for India, South-East Asia & ANZ, says customers’ eye for quality is also improving, which makes use of robotics very important.
Koneri notes that in the automobile sector, for instance, there are numerous components that require a certain level of aesthetic finish. “Those buying high-end bikes look at everything with a magnifying glass. They want the finish to be consistent across, be it the hand-holder, the silencer. The difference in finish quality between manual and automated processes is significant,” he says.
Terry Ceulemans, global application engineering leader, says another big reason why robotics will become necessary for India is the growing exports of manufactured products to Western markets. “In exports, maintaining consistent quality becomes even more crucial. You have to take away the worker to worker variability. By programming robots to perform tasks consistently, we can guarantee the same level of quality output every time,” he says.
Parthasarathi says their process of determining the robotics solutions to be created involves observing what their customers are doing, documenting it, and identifying clear needs. While 3M develops abrasives that robots can use, robotics & automation players in India like DiFacto, Dolphin, Future, and Nexgen integrate the systems.
Taichi Ando, Asia portfolio leader for robotics & automation, says those involved in system integration excel at using tools for painting, welding and material handling. But for more complex processes, he says, even they are still in learning mode.
Industries driving the change towards robotics are primarily transportation related – automobiles, aerospace, metro rail. Industrial equipment manufacturers are also increasingly using it. “Even metro stations and airports are relying on metal fabrication, for ticketing systems, for various amenities. As airports and metros expand, the demand for robotic metal fabrication will rise,” says Kunal Vakil, division sales leader.
This was at 3M’s recently launched abrasive robotics lab. We were shown a variety of abrasives, each to be used for a different purpose – metal grinding, deburring (removing small imperfections from machined metal products), sanding (smoothing or polishing a surface).
The time it took the robot to finish the job, a human worker would have taken about twice or more the time. And even then, it may not have come out with the consistency the robot could achieve.
Raghavendra Koneri, application engineer for robotics & automation, at 3M India says robots have been used in manufacturing primarily for material handling, and occasionally for welding. But more intricate processes like metal removal or grinding were done manually. Now, abrasive makers like 3M and system integrators have come together to create robotic solutions for such processes too. “While a 3M abrasive used in a manual process performs at a certain level, when integrated with a robot and standardised processes like force or pressure, its performance can escalate by 1.5x to 4x,” Koneri says.
Hari Parthasarathi, application engineering leader for India, South-East Asia & ANZ, says customers’ eye for quality is also improving, which makes use of robotics very important.
Koneri notes that in the automobile sector, for instance, there are numerous components that require a certain level of aesthetic finish. “Those buying high-end bikes look at everything with a magnifying glass. They want the finish to be consistent across, be it the hand-holder, the silencer. The difference in finish quality between manual and automated processes is significant,” he says.
Terry Ceulemans, global application engineering leader, says another big reason why robotics will become necessary for India is the growing exports of manufactured products to Western markets. “In exports, maintaining consistent quality becomes even more crucial. You have to take away the worker to worker variability. By programming robots to perform tasks consistently, we can guarantee the same level of quality output every time,” he says.
Parthasarathi says their process of determining the robotics solutions to be created involves observing what their customers are doing, documenting it, and identifying clear needs. While 3M develops abrasives that robots can use, robotics & automation players in India like DiFacto, Dolphin, Future, and Nexgen integrate the systems.
Taichi Ando, Asia portfolio leader for robotics & automation, says those involved in system integration excel at using tools for painting, welding and material handling. But for more complex processes, he says, even they are still in learning mode.
Industries driving the change towards robotics are primarily transportation related – automobiles, aerospace, metro rail. Industrial equipment manufacturers are also increasingly using it. “Even metro stations and airports are relying on metal fabrication, for ticketing systems, for various amenities. As airports and metros expand, the demand for robotic metal fabrication will rise,” says Kunal Vakil, division sales leader.
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