FHWS building at Sanderheinrichsleitenweg Würzburg

ABBA

Autonomous Loading and Processing Assistant

Short Facts

  • Duration: 15 Sept. 2021 - 14 Sept. 2024
  • Funded by: Funding programme “Information and communications technology” of the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy (StMWi)
  • Project partner(s): GROB-WERKE, Siemens AG

Summary

Here you can see the two modules of the setup assistant: Mobile workpiece assistant (MWA) and the loading and processing assistant (BBA)
The two modules of the setup assistant: Mobile workpiece assistant (MWA) and the loading and processing assistant (BBA)

The metal processing industry is characterised by optimised machining processes and machine-specific automation solutions for component handling and tool control. The current change towards one-off production and individualised components is opposed by the highly-automated and thus often inflexible series production, especially in case of lot size one. To provide relief for the low number of skilled workers who can carry out these tasks, an autonomous loading and processing assistant (BBA) is to assist the personnel in loading and preparatory tasks. Its job is to take over travel times, inspection and follow-up work, based on information from CAM software and ancillary sensors.

Project goals and contents

  • Supporting digitisation in the manufacturing landscape in the course of Industry 4.0
  • Minimisation of tasks that do not add value and improved utilisation of skilled workers for superordinate tasks.
  • Investigation of processing accuracies and possibilities of the BBA (processing/measuring accuracies)
  • Investigation of the interaction between component feeding, loading / processing robot and machine (scheduling problem – planning vs. real-time)
  • Increasing the degree of automation through raising the machine uptime and efficiency in production

Project contact(s)

Eddi Miller, M.Eng.