Handling 4.0 in digital factories is on the rise in factories, and manual handling is no exception, in the video the collaborative rope balancer SRBC. (video: J. Schmalz GmbH)
Increasingly customized products go hand in hand with increasingly complex processes – and, in turn, the way we handle goods also needs to adapt.
Intelligent handling devices play an important role in making this growing complexity manageable. They change the way the device and operator interact with one another.
Handling 4.0: the collaborative rope balancer SRBC
Handling devices make the actual handling process much easier for the user, and also take on a range of additional tasks. J. Schmalz GmbH offers the right devices for all possible scenarios, for example, the collaborative rope balancer SRBC, a new class of lifting devices for the digital factory.
The automotive industry is leading the way wih the handling 4.0 in digital factories: no two cars are alike. Each one is customized in terms of, for example, color, equipment, and drive configuration.
Challenges such as the ever-growing number of different variants or ever-shorter life cycles place greater demands on all process along the value chain, including handling.
Constantly changing in workpieces, weights, and pick-up and deposit stations further increase the requirements placed on operators and handling devices.
Extremely wide variety of handling scenarios: a daily challenge for industries
The handling process must be adapted to the configuration of the workpiece being handled in a matter of minutes if not seconds. At the same time, there are many applications for which the focus lies in other areas – powerful dynamics, for example.
The fact is, companies are being forced to adjust to an extremely wide variety of handling scenarios. And the individual application itself determines how digital or smart the corresponding handling technology needs to be.
“With our lifting devices and crane systems, we offer the perfect solution for all possible scenarios,” says Michael Schlaich, Head of Business Development Process Handling Systems.
Intelligent functions to optimize the workflow of handling processes
The company offers devices, for example, that are used when lighter loads need to be handled at high cycle frequencies.
Intelligent functions are becoming increasingly. Handling 4.0 in digital factories is prevalent in these kinds of devices: they can record real-time data from the handling process and output information that can be used to optimize workflows and service processes.
Displays can offer information on filter status and operating hours that can determine when preventive maintenance is recommended, while the information as to whether or not a workpiece is securely gripped directly helps the user during the handling process.
These smart devices also collect and store data on the number of workpieces moved for statistics and further evaluation, ideally directly on the operator’s smartphone.
Handling 4.0 in digital factories is the future with the collaborative rope balancer SRBC system
The production processes of the future are increasingly based on new systems, structures, and procedures. That is why a completely new class of devices is required in order to tap into the full potential of Industry 4.0 in terms of handling technology.
With the collaborative rope balancer SRBC, Schmalz has taken this a step further and has developed an entirely new class of lifting devices. This solution was designed from the ground up for use in a digital manufacturing environment.
In this context, “collaborative” means much more than simply adding intelligent functions to an existing class of devices. To a certain extent, the innovative electrical rope balancer anticipates what the user is thinking.
Moreover, it takes work off his hands and also actively prevents errors, thereby increasing the safety of handling processes. “The system knows exactly what it has to do in different situations,” explains Michael Schlaich.
The rope balancer SRBC for dynamical and precisely positioning of workpieces
The new rope balancer from Schmalz is ideal for any application in which workpieces weighing up to 80 kg need to be dynamically commissioned or precisely positioned.
Mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and vacuum load suspension devices, such as grippers for handling starter batteries, are all available for various handling processes. The device reacts to the operator’s movements with three motors:
- one in the pivot bearing
- one for the trolley
- one for lifting
help the user to move and brake loads with almost no effort, making it exceptionally ergonomic. The operator can lift, lower, swivel, and move the load without even pressing a button.
The SRBC detects and supports the desired direction of movement based on how the operator holds the guide. Moreover, it complies with specified swivel limits: working areas can be defined for every gripper, ruling out damage caused when the jib extends too far. Thanks to RFID-based gripper detection, the rope balancer knows which type of gripper is connected at all times.
The rope balancer SRBC and the intelligent system functions for an intuitive work
Furthermore, the rope balancer SRBC automatically reads out important process parameters.
Such as, for example, the number of hours it has been in operation or the maximum permitted load.
A comprehensive software package ensures that the operator can fully concentrate on the task at hand and that the system works intuitively.
The software checks whether objects can be lifted or set down, detects the spatial limits, and adapts the dynamics of the longitudinal motion to the weight of the workpiece.
Depending on the application, it can also offer additional safety functions.
For example, operators can only pick up loads with the vacuum gripper when a specific vacuum level has been reached.
Moreover, the device makes it impossible for a load to fall.
The user can adjust the system limits, choose a different deposit location, or select a different type of handling directly on the handle. “This means, for example, that the user can carefully and precisely position a fragile glass sheet, and then, immediately afterwards, quickly lift a component frame at its place of installation,” explains Michael Schlaich.
All of the properties of the handling system can be adapted on the basis of the objects being handled, with the goal of ensuring simple and, above all, safe handling for the operator as well as for the workpiece.
The rope balancer integrated like part of the digital factory, via IO-Link and EtherCAT
Schmalz has designed the new handling system to meet the growing requirements of digitalization. The system is equipped with a variety of sensors, the system collects status and performance data that, when integrated into a digital process landscape, will be made available via IO-Link and EtherCAT.
This allows for functions such as condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, which will improve the system as a whole.
The system alerts the user to possible errors directly on the display that is integrated into the handle bar. The partially automated handling system not only serves to make the workplace more ergonomic, but also increases safety along the entire process chain.
“With all of these functions, we are exploring completely new opportunities for optimization and integration of handling processes in the digital manufacturing environment,” concludes Michael Schlaich.
