SCHUNK presents intelligent gripping systems for smart production at Hannover Messe 2017

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2017-04-24 12:54:00

"Over the coming five years, industrial gripping will be wholly reinvented," Dr. Markus Klaiber highlights with respect to the Hannover Messe 2017. He is CTO at SCHUNK, the competence leader for gripping systems and clamping technology. "In order to achieve the scenarios of Industry 4.0, human/robot collaboration and service and assistance robotics, we need intelligent, sensitive and highly interconnected gripping systems that independently recognize workpieces, permanently detect their surroundings, approach one another autonomously, and ensure stable and secure handling even with high levels of part variety," the production specialist explains. SCHUNK, the leading fitter of robots and production machines, shows what handling in the Smart Factory will look like at the Hannover Messe 2017 using numerous live applications. In the area of human/robot collaboration alone, SCHUNK is waiting with six different SCHUNK Co-act demonstrators, which impressively illustrate the potentials of barrier-free collaboration between humans and robots in various sectors. The highlight is the intuitively operable SCHUNK Co-act gripper JL1, complete with a sensoric aura. It is the world's first intelligent gripping module for human/robot collaboration that is in a position to directly interact and communicate with humans. Furthermore, SCHUNK will be presenting the 5-finger hand SCHUNK SVH, the world’s first HRC gripper, which received the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) certificate, and will set benchmarks at the HMI.

Smart grippers become enablers for intelligent handling processes

SCHUNK demonstrates that gripping system solutions can already be achieved for Industry 4.0 today, taking the example of a router for PCB production. The smart, electromechanical gripping module SCHUNK EGL 90 PROFINET combines handling, component measuring, and identification in the application along with integrated quality control without external sensors. All process data recorded by the SCHUNK gripper is transformed into directly usable information at the level of the gripping module. It is available via a single interface both inside the system for inline process regulation, and on cloud solutions for data analytics for short, medium and long-term process optimization. Via a web-based cockpit, the information on the component and process quality can be displayed and evaluated almost in real time on any end device such as smartphones or tablet computers.

Digital Twin allows simulation of the virtual factory

In order to make planning and designing smart handling solutions as simple as possible, SCHUNK will be collaborating with SIEMENS PLM Software in order to completely digitalize its electrically controlled gripping system components as Digital Twins. With the aid of digital images, users and system integrators are to be put in a position to display their engineering process from the concept to the mechanics, electrics, and software right up to virtual commissioning in parallel and also to realistically validate the plausibility of highly integrated handling scenarios in virtual simulation environments.

SCHUNK at the HANNOVER MESSE 2017: Hall 17, Booth B26

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