Connecting compressors to the production line of refrigerators and freezers is a strenuous and highly repetitive process due to the weight of the product. One of the global leaders in home appliance manufacturing has asked us to implement a system that ensures both high reliability and versatility in loading compressors from wooden pallets to technological pallets on the production line conveyor.
We have developed a robotic system that integrates two industrial robots and an Autonomous Guided Vehicle (AGV), which serves as both a "smart" warehouse and a loading machine.
Within the system, 10 pallets containing different compressor models are placed in "rest" (storage) positions or "work" positions near the first of the two anthropomorphic robots. The complex logic for pallet allocation incorporates information from the production request of the assembly line and input from operators, with the goal of making the required compressor models available to the first anthropomorphic robot. The AGV, capable of transporting loads up to 1300kg, facilitates the reallocation of pallets. The exchange of empty and full pallets between the robotized island and the outside is carried out by warehouse operators and ensured by a meticulous safety system.
Using a 2D vision system and a 3D system, the first anthropomorphic robot retrieves compressors from the pallets and loads them onto a set of 15 transports, which serve as a buffer for the second anthropomorphic robot. The second robot is responsible for the actual loading of compressors onto the technological pallets on the production line.
Through the high integration of sensing technology, traditional and innovative robots, we have created a highly reliable and versatile system.
