Combining collaborative robots with existing equipment for maximum load capacity and safety

Toyota Industries Corporation

In short

At the Tōchita Plant (Factory 703) in Handa City (Japan), Toyota Industries Corporation is implementing improvements to make the factory more appealing to future workers. One such initiative focuses on automating the raw material input process. By combining collaborative robots with an existing balancer, the company developed a solution for handling heavy materials. This reduced both the number of work hours and the burden of manual lifting.

Addressing the challenges of manual handling of heavy materials

Previously, raw materials were manually handled using lifting equipment and hoists, but the raw materials were heavy, and there were risks associated with dropping them. Additionally, operators were often called from distant locations to perform tasks at irregular intervals, which was a tedious task.

Toyota Industries Corporation

Industry Automotive

Country Japan

Number of employees 1920 (Tōchita Plant)

Cobot used UR10e

Key value drivers:

Improved worker safety by reducing manual lifting and mitigating risks with smart safety features (force mode, safety scanners, minimal fencing)
Operational efficiency through reduced work hours and more consistent material handling
Scalable automation achieved by combining cobots with existing equipment, enabling gradual expansion and experimentation

Tasks solved by collaborative robots:

Handling and input of heavy raw materials using coordinated force control and balancer integration
Random picking from a bulk pile with the help of a vision system
Guided insertion of jigs into materials using force mode for smooth, adaptive motion

Automation challenges solved:

Balancing load oscillation when combining robot arms with balancers in a complex physical setup
Thrust fluctuation management, preventing protective stops during movement using force mode
Safety in a compact space, using a minimal-footprint setup with laser scanners and strategic fencing to maintain open areas without compromising worker protection

How they did it

Smarter material input: combining vision systems, cobots and balancers

In automating the material input process, the solution was to combine existing products in an innovative way. Specifically, they challenged the use of a collaborative robot assisted by a balancer. After considering several combinations to meet the required cycle time and other criteria, they achieved their goal by combining a rigid arm mechanism with a UR robot. Furthermore, the system combined with the balancer led to an issue with servo oscillation due to the unique environment of the robot arm, the jig, and the raw material's mass. However, with the UR robot, the load, center of gravity, and inertia could be set arbitrarily, and by optimizing settings such as speed and acceleration, the problem was solved. Since the raw materials are in a bulk pile, random picking was necessary. For this project, they worked with a partner to build a vision camera system.

Using force mode to stabilize thrust during material handling

Satoshi Ishihara, Working Leader at the Engine Division, Production Engineering Department, Development Office, Toyota Industries Corporation, discusses the benefits of the UR robot: "When using a balancer to perform material handling, thrust fluctuations occur, and in the normal position control mode, there’s a risk of protective stop. However, by using the force mode enabled by the built-in force sensor in the UR robot, we were able to direct the thrust in a specified direction, which enabled smooth material handling."

Force mode is also utilized in other areas beyond material handling. "When picking up raw materials, we use force mode to guide the robot’s jig into the raw materials while performing coordinated movements. Force mode is used extensively." For risk assessment, safety fences and safety laser scanners are used together to reduce risks. To avoid having workers’ hands reach under hanging loads, a fence is installed. A non-fenced area is created to facilitate smooth material supply, and a safety laser scanner is placed on the ground to stop the system (preventive stop) if someone enters the area.

Efficient and safe: compact automation delivers strong results

"The effect of automation has been significant. By automating the raw material input process, we have successfully reduced work hours and can now consider various combinations," says Hideki Yamada, Section Manager, Processing Section, Manufacturing Department 2, Engine Division, Toyota Industries Corporation.

Yamada continues, "Whenever we introduce automated equipment, the safety fences and other installations tend to get larger, but with this system, it’s compact while still ensuring safety, so we’re very fond of it."

Collaborative robots enable gradual scaling of automation processes

In addition to expanding the automated process in the raw material handling area, Toyota Industries Corporation is considering automating other processes, such as engine lifting and conveyor-based processes. After introducing collaborative robots, Tatsuya Shimizu, Group Leader, Engine Division, Production Engineering Department, Development Office, comments, "If you decide on an answer right away, it takes time to find the solution. By introducing a collaborative robot first, learning while using it, and gradually expanding its applications, automation can progress."

By introducing a collaborative robot first, learning while using it, and gradually expanding its applications, automation can progress.

Tatsuya Shimizu, Group Leader, Engine Division, Production Engineering Department, Development Office

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