Innovation

By definition, the robot is a machine capable of carrying out operations in a very fast, precise and repetitive manner and traditionally “static” programs are created by specialized operators capable of repeating a specific sequence of operations.
Our solutions and applications span across all branches of robotics, collaborative, mobile and social

Our technical sales staff had to fight on the market for the prejudices on collaboratives because they are considered bench robots, toys but highly innovative… this prejudice still limits some companies because they “wrongly” consider them machines that can carry out very limited activities and applications. Actually, in recent years Alascom’s technical and commercial staff has been able to demonstrate that the opposite is also true. The applications developed and ensured by cobots are as varied and versatile as those of industrial anthropomorphic robots created in our years of activity and below we will illustrate their ability to fulfill the absolute versatility and quantity of diversified applications, in many facets and sectors.

Machine tool tending: thanks to elementary and intuitive programming we have implemented applications with various brands of machine tools and presses for die casting and plastic molding, production of prototypes and small production batches, automating and optimizing the production of our customers.

Packaging & palletization: we have developed various packaging and palletization solutions with our robots / cobots. The programming simplicity developed by our software engineers allows you to set custom patterns.

Welding: Alascom was able to develop an absolutely user friendly application for “collaborative” welding in the various MIG / MAG / TIG processes from the basis of industrial robot software.

Pick & Place: robots / cobots are born with this nature ……. Repetitive, safe, they are the perfect solution to help operators free themselves from repetitive and tedious operations, leading companies to achieve efficiency and higher productivity.

Assembly: cobots better than robots if not equipped with highly sophisticated load cells or shock sensors are born with a force / torque sensor on the wrist that facilitate integration for any assembly application ensuring constant execution with the right force in handling the components.

Quality control: we have developed some of their processes with precision and repeatability with several of our customers where a performing solution was needed. Their requests were strategic phases of processing and thanks to robots / cobots they have achieved automation capable of generating efficiency and productivity.

Polishing: our robots / cobots have been applied in the processing of delicate materials such as wood, fiberglass especially on curved surfaces. The force / torque sensor gives its best ensuring correct tracking on the machined surface.

Will the robots we see today in the automated lines of a few innovative companies be the same ones we will see in the plants of the future? We immediately answer clearly and roundly with a dry no. Robotics is making great strides: South Korea, Japan and Germany are the most advanced countries on the subject. Then there are other capitalist nations, such as those of the European Union, the United States and China, where the potential for the use of robots in factories is truly enormous, given that in terms of the debut of robots in production lines, these nations are still initial phase.

Taking the procedures relating to the assembly of individual components as an analysis model, collaborative robotics seems to be the suitable solution in the future. The reason? It is halfway between automated assemblies, where robots work almost autonomously in the face of numerous and large batches with a small number of variants, and manual assemblies, common in small production batches with a rather high number of variants.

Alascom has specialized for years in end-of-line palletization.

The management of the handling and palletizing phases at the end of the line is a crucial point for every production process. And it is here in particular that robotics today really makes the difference, guaranteeing maximum precision and optimizing time and costs.

Alascom is a specialist in the design and implementation of solutions designed specifically for the end of line and is able to supply complete systems for all types of handling and packaging.

And we also look at the world of AMR vehicles where these machines work in absolute safety in the presence of people, completing their missions by recalculating the routes necessary for their goal without harming those who might accidentally find themselves in their path.
We are at your disposal to search and analyze the interactions you experience daily in your production cycle.

SOCIAL ROBOTICS
PEPPER

Dimensions Height: 1210mm (36 in)
Depth: 477mm (17 in)
Width: 424mm (19 in)
Weight 29.1 kg (62 lb)
Battery Capacity: 30.0Ah / 795Wh
Operating time: about 6/8 hours
Display 10.1 inch touch display
Head Sensors: Mic x 4, RGB Camera x 2, 3D Sensor x 1, Touch Sensor x 3
Body: x 1 gyro sensor x 1
Hands: Touch sensor x 2
Legs: Sonar sensor x 2, Laser sensor x 6, Bumper sensor x 3, Gyro sensor x 1

AREAS OF APPLICATION

• Retail: provides information, displays content, gives advice by becoming a “personal assistant”;
• Airports: welcomes passengers near the Info Point in the check-in area and provides useful information on the status of flights and services at the airport; Info point in the baggage reclaim area;
• Hospitals: Moves through the departments allowing an operator to remotely monitor the situation. If necessary, activate a video call with the human operator to communicate with the patients.
• Hotel: receptionists, are able to provide a personalized experience for each visitor thanks to the use of facial recognition;
• Museums: personalized and guided tours especially for families with children
• Companies: Presence in showrooms and corporate events, hospitality, corporate information

REMOTE CONTROL

• Control of the robot by an operator
• Possibility of video surveillance
• Interaction with subjects at risk
• The operator displays what the robot frames
• The operator feels what the robot detects
• Easy to control through a joystick

Use case: Support for healthcare professionals

• Continuous patient monitoring is required in a hospital setting.
• In some cases, to ensure the safety of healthcare professionals, it is advisable to minimize contact with patients, especially those with a high degree of infectivity.
• Pepper supports operators in their daily work: through a dedicated control console, it can be moved around the rooms easily by the operator using a joystick.
• Conducted to the destination, the operator can start an audio-video session to communicate with patients.

We can define mobile robots as mechatronic devices with three essential characteristics:

• a sensor system that allows you to develop a form of perception of the surrounding environment and proprioception of its state and its interaction with the outside
• a logic capable of interpreting these perceptions and consequently elaborating a series of operations to perform the assigned task
• a system of actuators that allows you to move around the environment

These crucial aspects allow the mobile robot to move without direct supervision by an operator. These features make mobile robots useful and comfortable solutions in fields such as:

• Handling of loads and materials
• Plant maintenance and cleaning
• The transport and delivery of goods and services

Robots in this category are usually able to actively monitor the status of their residual charge and autonomously reach a special battery recharging station.

To date, mobile robots typically used in industry can be identified as:

• Self-driving vehicles (AGVs)
• Autonomous mobile robots (AMR)

AGVs have a sensory and logical endowment that allows them to execute predefined motor commands. To move in a semi-structured environment, they typically use an external indication, typically in the form of:

• Magnetic tape guide on the floor (wire guide)
• Visual guide on the floor (optoguide)
• Laser trace guidance through mirrors positioned at the corners of environmental elements (laser guidance)

AGVs are able to identify obstacles or interruptions in the predefined circuit and stop, not being able to develop strategies for reacting to the disturbance. In these cases they will need the obstacle to be removed or the guide path restored.

AMRs, on the other hand, are typically equipped with a more complex sensor system and a more elaborate logic, which allows them to navigate and orient themselves in an environment through its mapping. These devices are therefore able to recognize and locate their position, relative to what surrounds them, and plan the optimal path to reach the goal (simultaneous localization and mapping – SLAM). Consequently, AMRs are naturally inclined to recognize obstacles in the path (both static and dynamic) and to modify their path in real time to circumvent them safely.

Compared to AGVs, AMRs are therefore tools that offer:

• Greater flexibility in active or poorly structured work environments, thanks to their ability to re-plan their path or remap the operating environment
• Economic savings, since there is no need for the installation and maintenance of the driving equipment
• Cleaning of the work environment, not requiring driving equipment
• Ability to follow human operators and collaborate in collection, sorting and transport tasks

The use of AMR systems in industrial production and storage environments offers benefits and opportunities for:

• The automation of routine tasks
• Increase in productivity and reduce costs
• Increased safety for workers when transporting loads
• Reduction of accidental damage to structures and products during the transport of loads
• Operation in environments unfavorable to human operators (temperatures, external agents, air composition)
• Systematization and storage control.

Mobile robots are mechatronic devices equipped with sensors, a processing system and a series of actuators that allow them to move around the environment. Autonomous mobile robots (AMR – autonomous mobile robot) are able to move independently in an environment shared with the human being, ensuring safety, flexibility and economic savings. They are used in the industrial field for handling loads even in unfavorable environments for human operators.

AMR (AUTONOMOUS MOBILE ROBOTS)

An AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) robot is a robot that, thanks to sensors and on-board computers that help it understand its operating environment, can navigate dynamically using a map that allows it to plan its routes and travel in a fast and efficient.

Areas of use:

– For handling in the manufacturing, logistics, etc.

– Automation of internal logistics and healthcare

– For the internal transport of heavy loads and pallets within industry and logistics

– For the sanitization of environments combined with devices that use ultraviolet UVC and Ozone rays

– Autonomous navigation, without guides

-Safe movement between people and

-Easy to change the work area

-Dynamic navigation during the planning of the route and the sequence of activities

We want to be your reliable partner for every automatic handling system by offering a range of AMR vehicles for every production need.

COBOT AND AMR, USES IN PRODUCTION AND SUPPLY CHAIN

A 2018 study reports a global market for cobots worth US $ 0.65 billion, and an impressive 44.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) projection from 2019 to 2026. (https: // www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/industrial-cobot-market-to-reach-12-48-billion-globally-by-2026-at-44-8-cagr-amr-301051880.html).

From an application sector point of view, about one third of the cobot market is dedicated to material handling, with a rapid increase in use for value-added processing.

According to a 2019 study (https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/autonomous-mobile-robots-market), the AMR market is worth US $ 1.9 billion, with an estimated CAGR of 19, 6% from 2020 to 2027.

• The sectors that mainly benefit from the use of AMR are:
• preparation of goods orders and supply to operators
• automated forklifts
• Automatic storage and inventory management

The use of cobots and AMR in production processes and warehouse management offer the possibility of:

• automate production processes, making them systematic, repeatable and reliable
• increase the efficiency of work rates, optimizing and intensifying operations
• reduce labor costs and increase worker safety
• prevent errors in production and damage to goods transported

Design, construction and supply of goods and services in an increasingly just-in-time perspective are destined to become decisive factors to guarantee the best shopping experience and personalization by the consumer, as well as to reduce the management costs of warehouse. From this perspective, the impact that AMR and cobot-type technologies can have in the process is potentially enormous.

In the case of using a supply chain, substantial improvements could be made in aspects such as:

• Order fulfillment. The use of cobots can reduce production costs, material waste and error factors in the assembly process, as well as help in the supply and positioning of raw materials and semi-finished products.
• Order handling and storage. The combined use of cobots and AMRs can help in the systematization of storage policies and in the management of warehouse stocks.
• Distribution. The combined use of cobots and AMRs can help manage the ordering, sorting and distribution processes of finished products, as well as the acceptance in return and the after-sales service process.

Among the numerous bonuses made available by the Government to support the recovery of businesses, the incentives for the purchase of robots as part of the National Transition Plan 4.0 were confirmed, strengthening the tax credit introduced with the 2020 Budget law for companies that invest in automation and technologies. Among the main innovations:

• The tax credit can be used in the same year as the investment and no longer only starting from the next.
• A reduction in the recovery time of about 40% through a rescheduling of the annual tax credit
• The introduction of funding for activities related to Research and Development (R&D) and technological innovation

The past year and the next therefore appear to be very interesting for companies wishing to invest in innovative technologies such as the purchase of collaborative robots, the introduction of “industry 4.0” automation cells and research and development activities making the ROI even faster and, in some cases as early as 12 months. In addition, one of the missions of the PNRR (national resistance and resilience plan) focuses on the issues of innovation and competitiveness in the production system, allocating a total of € 15.70 billion to this area.

The autonomous mobile robots or AMR (autonomous mobile robot) are a class of robots designed for the movement of objects and able to operate in dynamic environments thanks to their own set of sensors that detect their position in the surrounding environment and that of human operators. surrounding.

Collaborative robots (cobots) are anthropomorphic robots capable of working closely with the human operator for numerous applications such as pick & place, machine tending, handling, assembly, welding, quality control.

Starting from these assumptions, Alascom’s R&D team accepted the challenge of developing a new collaborative robotic and mobile solution by exploiting its engineering and industrial capabilities, combining the peculiarities of the new generation cobots with the characteristics of the AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) creating so the mobot AL10 (mobot = mobile cobot). This mobot has a payload of 200 kg, the ability to move independently at a maximum speed of 3 meters per second, an autonomy of about 10 hours with inductive recharge, is equipped with artificial intelligence for the recognition and manipulation of objects and is able to interface with other business systems such as MES, WMS and ERP.

The mobot AL-10, however, is only one of the possible mobots: it is evident that it is not possible to think of creating a single model of mobot, on the contrary, the realization of the mobot starts from a careful analysis of the requirements of the end customer since on the basis of the application specifications it will be necessary to identify the components that will make up the mobot. The mobot is therefore not a stand-alone entity to be used indiscriminately but rather a hardware and software architecture to be customized on the basis of specific needs taking into consideration numerous aspects of the application: payload, cycle time, precision, autonomy.

The advantages of introducing a mobot inside a factory are many:

ISO compliance: the mobot, being made up exclusively of collaborative elements, allows the presence of personnel in every operational phase, both when they are on the move and when they are at a work station

Flexibility: a single mobot can perform a theoretically unlimited number of applications therefore its use is particularly recommended in the case of highly variable and diversified production cycles.

Scalability: The mobots can be organized into autonomous fleets through an intelligent coordination system that assigns the “missions” to the mobot on the basis of production needs;

Versatility: Thanks to its mobility and the ability to modify its end effector, the system can complete tasks in different positions and moments. The mobot, for example, can carry out the depalletization of the incoming material; subsequently it can take care of machine tending and product quality control before proceeding to its palletization or storage;

Connectivity: the mobot Through the WiFi / 5G capabilities, it constantly communicates constantly and bidirectionally with the customer’s production and logistics information system (MES, WMS), the company information system (ERP) or, directly, with other devices (e.g. freight elevators , elevators, conveyors, door openers, etc.)

• Type of shuttle: AMR
• Maximum displacement speed: 2m / S
• Power supply: double, with battery
• Autonomy of the shuttle: 10h
• Shuttle charging time: 80% in 1h
• Robot autonomy: 8h *
• Robot charging time: 1:30 h
• Battery charging technology: contact for shuttle, wireless for robot
• Perimeter security: 360 ° with 2 Sick scanners
• Safety in movement: obstacle detection up to 1.8mt h
• Use environment: only indoors (indoor), smooth floor, 4% slope
• Outreach length: 1.4 mt
• Wrist accessories: pliers, suction cups, magnets, drill, screwdrivers, orbiting levitators, 2D / 3D -cameras, 2D / 3D barcode readers, etc
• Work environment: collaborative, in the presence of operators *
• WiFi connectivity: 11 a / b / g / n 2.4 / 5GHz for navigation and data