This app enables the simulation of a robotic cell layout through the Gazebo simulator software, to provide a preliminary analysis of the robot software performances and hardware layout.
App related to Robotics and Automation in the context of Manufacturing
Description
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of manufacturing repurposing models to facilitate the production of medical equipment and supplies on short notice. Even today, with the COVID-19 pandemic decreasing its impact on the world, the challenge of providing an efficient repurposing model to the manufacturing companies remains central to European industry. The implementation in production lines of reconfigurable automation and robotics manufacturing cell is expected to provide a tangible approach to resilience and repurposing manufacturing facilities and show how a previously commissioned automated manufacturing cell can be rapidly repurposed to support not only changes in general product demand but also help to respond to global disruptions such as COVID-19. Economically this allows manufacturers to adapt to changes in social trends, market conditions and global supply change volatility.
In this context, Stam provides design and integration services for robotic cells and automation solutions in manufacturing processes. One key stage of this process is the simulation of the cell layout through a robotic simulator software, to provide a preliminary analysis of the robot software performances and hardware layout. Stam uses Gazebo, an open-source 3D robotics simulator that allows you to create a dynamic simulation using multiple high-performance physics engines like ODE, Simbody, Bullet, and DART. Gazebo supports the integration of a multitude of sensors, providing the tools to test these sensors and develop robotic processes to best use them. A robotic simulator like Gazebo provides great benefits when companies don't have access to robotic hardware or want to test hundreds of robots simultaneously. Nonetheless, even when they have access to hardware, Gazebo is still a useful tool because it allows to test and validate the robotic design before implementing it in the real world.
Use Case
Stam has developed a robotic simulation using Gazebo in the context of Manufacturin Setting 7 of the CO-VERSATILE project, which deals with the realizatoin of a flexible and reconfigurable robotic cell for the assembly of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) components. Through our simulation, we have analysed different robotic cell layouts to optimize the process execution, minimizing the overall cycle time and human intervention in a full production scenario.
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