Security systems instead of security fences: linrob offers more security for your employees

In a warehouse, one of our customers sorts small components that are transported in on a conveyor belt. First, the parts are being sorted into different boxes by a cobot. With another conveyor belt, the now sorted boxes are transported into the safety area of a large industrial robot, which loads them onto pallets. Before our customer became aware of linrob, there was a security fence around the palletizing robot. Every time an employee entered the security area to change the pallets with a forklift, the robot had to be stopped for several minutes – until the door of the safety fence was firmly closed again. Since the fence had to be opened and closed frequently, the forklift was often in the way of the employees. Because of the forklift and the two long conveyor belts, employees had to bypass the entire area several times a day. The small cobot, which sorts the components into the correct boxes, is collaborative, but was only allowed to run at reduced speeds so as not to jeopardize employee safety. Our customer wanted to reduce the inefficiency created by these issues.

This is where linrob comes into play. During our initial consultation, we quickly understood that our customer's primary concern was the safety of their employees. They also did not want to forego comfort when loading pallets, and wanted to increase their productivity as much as possible.

Our proposed solution is a 2D ceiling assembly with two towers, 2 cobots and integrated safety technology. The ceiling mounting keeps the space between sorting and palletizing free, making the second conveyor unnecessary. This allows personnel to move between the two stations without any problems. The two towers make it easier to identify components and place crates. The most important thing, however, is the proposed integrated safety technology: We recommend a safety system that is attached to both towers and spans a virtual 3D safety area. Since this system travels along our z-axle, this would permanently secure the entire workspace of the cobots. As a result, the small cobot can once again work at top speed. An advantage of this safety system is that two different areas can be set up. The linear robot and cobot automatically slow down when a person is in the vicinity of the work area. And the entire system comes to a stop when a person is in the immediate vicinity. This eliminates the unnecessary palletizing stops when pallets are exchanged. The forklift now no longer blocks access routes for employees, as it does not have to be stopped to close the safety fence.

To illustrate this scenario, we created a simulation with the help of our software and carried out a proof of concept. Based on this simulation, our customer realized that with our help it was possible to increase employee safety and productivity at the same time.

Thanks to our individually configurable linear robots, the automation of every conceivable application is guaranteed. Almost any safety technology can be added to your linrob. Thanks to our digital twins and simulation, we plan each task tailor-made and thus prevent unnecessary production stops or even failures.