Collaborative robots, or cobots, are infiltrating factories on a global scale. But can robots and humans really work together in harmony? We asked the experts.
According to the 2017 World Robotics Report, conducted by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), more than 1.7 million new industrial robots will be installed in factories around the world by 2020.
The benefits of smart cameras have made them an ideal match for a manufacturing environment. Combining a camera, processor, software and communications in one small, low-power package, smart cameras are highly integrated optical inspection tools for controlling quality and increasing productivity—required tasks in manufacturing.
Applications of machine vision technology are expanding at a rapid rate because of its ability to deliver substantial improvements in quality such as providing 100% inline inspection while addressing concerns over the attention span and fatigue level of human operators.
The Lynx Vision system replaces manual inspection for checking placement of brackets, clips, sealants, attachments, holes or fasteners on large structures.
The MK-U6000 Series from Keyence Corporation features an easy-to-use interface, intuitive onboard maintenance functions, auto-shower self-cleaning, easy nozzle replacement and automatic connection with Keyence visions systems for OCR verification.
Automatic inspection by machine vision is leading to the dawn of the “smart factory,” eliminating errors resulting from human manual operations, improving quality consistency, increasing productivity, reducing production costs, and enhancing customer satisfaction.