Feed systems and robotics - From research to the market

PRECISION ASSEMBLY A long history of competencies, a present made up of advanced solutions, distributed or made in house according to need; and tomorrow? Innovation - the only true “cure” against the crisis - at least in the opinion of ARS Srl, which proposes itself as a problem solver for every necessity, committed to studying its own robotic assembly and vision systems even for niche or non-conventional applications. Luciana Guidotti

«Operating in parallel as a distributor of advanced products and at the same time as a builder and supplier of turnkey solutions may appear at first glance to contradict common sense. But I believe that our position is actually completely in line with the times». So says Marco Mazzini, engineer and founder of ARS, about his concern, an SME with much experience in robotics applications, particularly in the assembly sector. Mazzini began his career as a technician and marketing manager for important designers and builders of robotized electronics assembly installations, and has collaborated for more than 20 years with the US company Adept Technology, whose range of robots and artificial vision systems he distributes in Italy. Over the years, ARS has accrued a vast experience in many different sectors of application, from cosmetics to medical products, and from photovoltaics to auto parts and electric home appliances, as well as food packaging.

Building networks in order to lead. With its long-standing orientation toward offering innovative products, and in particular robotics solutions and vision systems for application in niche and non-conventional markets, the concern has developed a problem solver mentality. It proposes itself not as a simple distributor of automation products, but, with the help of its team of qualified technicians, as a partner working directly with its customers to develop complex systems. In most cases its customers are themselves the builders.
«Italy is home to a very high concentration of concerns building special machinery that is particularly popular abroad. Often, however - Mazzini explains - the majority of these concerns, generally SMEs, do not enjoy the competencies (and resources) necessary for the development of increasingly complex systems, which require the integration of multiple technologies. That’s why we consider fundamental the opportunity to work within networks of concerns, sharing experiences and qualified human resources capable of developing first rate technology that effectively sustains their presence on the market».

Cultural and technological growth. And that’s also why, on the wake of Adept Technology Inc., ARS has long-since established an R&D division committed to developing new products. This division has focused its activities on two areas: flexible assembly and robotics for diagnosis and therapeutic medicine applications.
«The choice of these two seemingly distinct sectors was determined by various factors» Mazzini continues. «The sector of flexible assembly is precisely that in which Adept Technology is most experienced, and of which it has been the undisputed leader for more than 20 years. And it is thanks to the experience we have accrued in distributing the products developed by Adept that ARS has managed, in its turn, to gain its wider application experience. Also thanks to Adept, we moved toward medical robotics and subsequently collaborated with certain concerns, universities and research centers active in Tuscany and throughout Italy: first of all, the Florentine El.En, a manufacturer specialized in laser applications for the medical sector; then Scuola Superiore di Santa Anna, CNR, the University of Florence... all with years of important medical research behind them».

Resulting from these intensive research activities, in the last 2 years ARS has developed various international patents, thanks to which the concern can count on significantly expanding its activities.
«We couldn’t have accomplished the R&D activities that we did without the important economic contribution of the Region of Tuscany through a 2009 research grant and POR CREO 2007 - 2013 funds» the manager specifies on this point, and goes on: «The first product to benefit from our past experiences and to be developed using funds for R&D from the Region of Tuscany is the FlexiBowl® feed system (more information in the box, Editor’s note), which consists in a complete system, including a feeder, robot and vision, and which we propose as an alternative to conventional loading systems, against which it is also now economically competitive. FlexiBowl® can feed multiple products, with rhythms between 30 and 50 pieces/minute, depending on their shape. Successfully employed for feeding cosmetics, as well as electro-mechanical components for the automotive and home electric appliance sectors, with special pneumatics, this solution has proven particularly effective even with troublesome components, for example rubber and silicone, parts that tend to get entangled, fragile objects…».

The winning future. «Dedicated solutions have always predominated over flexible ones, especially due to their cost-effectiveness, and there have been very few manufacturers that have rooted their activities in the development of the flexible type, over the years (Adept, in the ‘90s, counts among these).
A European-scale study of patents - Mazzini continues - found that during the last 20 years, the field of “flexible feeding” has been explored often, but without generating significant commercial success on the market. As a matter of fact, however, especially in Northern Europe, the demand for flexible assembly solutions is constantly growing and is tied to the growth trends of robots in the assembly sector: the number of these, using European statistics, has more than doubled during the last 30 years, in spite of an unfavorable economic climate. At ARS - the manager concludes - we are totally convinced that assembly robots have the potential for an even higher growth trend in combination with an expanded use of flexible feed techniques; and in fact we believe that this represents one of the most significant innovations in assembly technology for the coming years».   

The FlexiBowl® feed system
Developed by ARS Srl and distributed in foreign markets by Adept Technology Inc., FlexiBowl is a flexible parts feeding device made up of a rotating vessel equipped with a direct drive motor and an impulse generator perpendicular to the rotating surface. The device enables separating and varying the position of the pieces according to need, which in such a way can be viewed and recognized by videocameras and then picked up by a robot equipped with the right grip mechanism.
No special equipment is required, and the system can be easily reprogrammed for different production cycles. Speed, acceleration and direction of the rotation, as well as impulse frequency, can all be adjusted according to the shape and roughness of the pieces.

The complete system includes feeder, robot and vision system. The solution offers numerous advantages, including high operational efficiency and autonomy, consistent performance over time and easy retrofitting.
Nonetheless, Flexibowl is capable of feeding a wide variety of loose parts in combination with any type of industrial robot or vision system. Its high degree of versatility is due, then, first of all to its capacity for feeding without complications products of various materials, be they fragile or silicone rubber, not to mention cylindrical objects, with lubricated surfaces, or even elements that tend to get tangled up with one another. Furthermore, this system can perform pick&place operations on moving objects, as well as circular tracking, for improved production speed. Worth note, finally, are its simple and reliable construction and low noise levels.