Lean Robotics Basics: Lesson 9: Manual vs. Robotic Comparison

You will now be comparing the manual and robotic task maps and layouts. This step is like superposing two transparent slides to compare their differences. Putting the two layouts and processes one over the other will help you find out the potential gains (or losses), how the robot will affect your production process, and what needs to be carried on from the manual to the robotic cell.

Here’s a list of the subjects you should be discussing during your comparison:

Layout

The layout should be done and verified with the team that is most familiar with the manual process. When comparing the before and after layouts you should seek for:

Differences between the cells
Will you need to buy or fabricate new equipment, or move some equipment around?
The overall footprint
The power and air supplies required and their approximate locations
The impact on the previous and next cell in the process

These need to be addressed now so you don’t have any surprises when installing your robot. The more prepared you are before getting the robot, the faster you’ll be in production!

Task Map

Identify Customer

Is the cell customer the same in your robotic cell concepts as it was with the manual station? If different, will you require a new machine, a new operator or new tasks to be done by the current customer's operators?

Define Output

Identify if the addition of the robot increases or reduces the value provided to the cell's customer. Which aspect the robot cell is improving or worsening like quality, throughput or consistency? Is there any other effect on the customer or next cell?

Define Input

Can you use the same part presentation as in manual cell? Do you need new part-feeding machines, conveyors, passive mechanisms or fixtures? Think about the incoming part specification, quality, and consistency. You could need to have more consistent parts to have the robot work reliably. This can have up-stream effects and force you to address the root cause of inconsistency to obtain better control of the processes.

Describe Process

Typically, robots will be better at repetitive tasks than humans but not as good at adapting to new tasks. Take time to fully consider the process of picking the part by the robot or the execution of the process. Identify if you will need external fixtures or accessories for the robot to perform its task. Does the addition of the robot improve the process? Does it reduce non-value-added operations?

Document Flow of Information

Information can take all shapes and sizes. In fact, in this specific situation, the robot will need to exchange information with the machine. Both will need to exchange I/O signals and start/stop instructions in order to emulate the operator. The size of the blanks can also be a piece of information that can be entered on the teach pendant of the robot so that the program can adapt accordingly. Make sure to identify this situation. Identify if the robot will have to exchange information with other machines inside the cell. Will some engineering work be required to make the other machines exchange information with the robot? Do you need an extension Input-Ouput board on existing equipment?

Measure KPIs

Depending on your critical KPIs, you will want to adjust them according to your new production process. If your main KPI is the capacity for example, and if the cobot cell increased the capacity, you have to be ready to live with that fluctuation and be prepared. How the integration of this cell is supposed to change the KPIs? Will you need to change how you track them once you move to a robotic cell? You can now gather more information on the KPIs and track them with new devices or software of the cell.