Realtime Robotics, a provider of collision-free autonomous motion planning for industrial robots, announced the launch of its new Optimization-as-a-Service solution. The solution uses a combination of proprietary optimization software and experienced robotics and application engineering insights to improve a manufacturer’s overall productivity.
The new Optimization-as-a-Service can drastically cut time to program robots from concept through deployment and into production.
Optimization-as-a-Service analyzes a customer’s existing digital twin, identifying bottleneck areas and recommending improvements based on the customer’s desired parameters.
Realtime Robotics’ innovative optimization service was recently used by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in a proof-of-concept project for electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing. The company was looking to quickly and efficiently improve the cycle time in a two-robot cell that was welding car doors for its ID. Buzz vehicle line.
Realtime analyzed Volkswagen’s simulation file without stopping or interfering with ongoing production. The solution’s recommendations helped the automotive manufacturer to incorporate improvements and reduce cycle time by several seconds.
“Our Optimization-as-a-Service offering delivers results when you cannot spend months squeezing more productivity out of your automation cells,” said Peter Howard, CEO of Realtime Robotics. “It has the potential to forever change how manufacturing operations are conducted, optimizing for improved speed and efficiency, without interrupting existing processes.”
The Optimization-as-a-Service can rapidly generate and test hundreds of thousands of potential robot paths, determining the best motion sequences based on target assignment, robot reach, and other parameters. Automatically calculated interlocks allow robots to operate within much closer proximity.
Customers need only send Realtime their simulation CAD file for the bottlenecked cells. The company’s engineers will then use proprietary algorithms and expertise to optimize the work cell in just weeks, reducing cycle times with better paths and sequences. Once the results are validated, they can immediately be transferred to the production floor.
Filed Under: Welding • soldering