Bin Picking Advancements
25 October 2011 by Motion Controls Robotics, Inc.
(Excerpted from recent FANUC newsletter)
Random part picking from bins is one of those applications that are easily recognized as a great opportunity for automation, especially given the large number of products and items that are loosely stored in a wide array of containers - from boxes, to racks and bins.
When reviewing a robotic application, there are several critical parameters, or things that need to be considered. These include;
ü cycle time requirements (both short term and sustained),
ü tooling and picking strategy (especially for fully random part positions), and
ü error recovery should the tooling hang up on a part.
These parameters, along with the vision imaging, all need to be thought through in order for the bin picking application to be successful.
Keep in mind that for even the most well designed fully random part picking application, it is likely that less than 100% of the parts in the container can be located and picked. For most applications, however, 95%+ is certainly doable.
FANUC Robotics continues to invest in the interesting application area of bin picking random parts, and continues to add new innovative software features like Smart Search vision process and Candidate Manager for faster part selection determination.
Motion Controls Robotics, Inc. welcomes the opportunity to work with you to review your application. Please let us know if we can help.
12 Reasons to Buy FANUC’s Integrated iRVision System
10 October 2011 by Motion Controls Robotics, Inc.
FANUC’s iRVision is the only fully integrated vision system available in the robotics industry. It is one of the many features and tools available from FANUC robots the #1 choice of customers, worldwide.
Robotic Warehousing: New White Paper Available From Robotics Online
11 March 2011 by Motion Controls Robotics, Inc.
Looking to drive cost out of your warehouse operation? Check out this article from Robotics Online, the e-news site for the Robotics Industries Association (RIA). The article covers the growing use of automation in warehousing, which, according to Paul Kellett, RIA Director – Market Analysis, is being fueled by
What's the Big Deal About Project Management?
20 May 2010 by Scott Lang
Smooth project execution is a hallmark of a disciplined robotics integrator with well-defined processes including project management. When seeking a robotic integrator, look for a company with excellent communication skills and tools to support its project management activities and project experience that matches the level of complexity and scope required for your project.
Need to Move the Bags and Cases in Your Plant Faster?
20 May 2010 by Motion Controls Robotics, Inc.
If you're looking for ways to move your bags and cases in the plant faster, we have a new robot on the block to show you. FANUC Robotics recently announced its newest robot - the M-410iB 140 - with industry leading cycle time for case and bag palletizing applications. The M410iB 140 gives up a little in capacity to its more expensive, bigger brother M410iB 160, but moves faster and with lower power consumption. It can easily handle typical cases and bags weighing 50 to 100 pounds each, and performs exceptionally well for case and bag palletizing, mixed case palletizing, and depalletizing applications with effective load (load plus end-of-arm tooling) less than 140 kg, or 310 pounds. In this weight class, the M410iB 140 is the fastest, most energy conscious robot available on the market - and Motion Controls Robotics Inc. is ready to put one or more of them to work for you.
Stretchwrapper Smarts
20 May 2010 by Motion Controls Robotics, Inc.
Did you know that a typical stretchwrapper will consume more than 10 times its original cost in consumable material over the life of the stretchwrapper? So what is more important, the stretchwrapper's original cost or how effectively it consumes stretchwrap film? At Motion Controls Robotics, we believe both features are important. That is why we have selected Highlight Industries, Inc. as our supplier of choice for stretchwrapper equipment. We carefully analyzed different stretchwrapper designs for our robotic automation projects, looked at the mechanical design of their equipment, evaluated up-front cost and after market support, met with their customer service and support personnel, and reached the conclusion that Highlight's stretchwrappers are the best value on the market.