Automated Bin Picking

Manufacturers and businesses are working hard to keep up with demand and stay ahead of the competition.  The automation of pick and place of manufacturing processes with robot vision are processes that involve picking and placing various parts from the start of the production line to the end.

 

Automating these tasks wasn’t always easy and straight forward especially the picking of randomly placed parts from a bin.  Automated Bin picking using Cobots is therefore in high demand as a solution to a very labor intensive task.  Cobots can be programmed very easily to pick up a part in a specific location, however it becomes more difficult if the parts are mixed and overlap.

 

The software to implement this automation has greatly improved however and by using the right software, Camera’s or a vision system, automating difficult tasks can be achieved with a high level of accuracy.  If a Robot is combined with a 3d Vision system, this helps the robot to identify different objects.  This allows the Robot to be able to recognise different sized objects in the same bin and add them to a production process.

 

The software that is needed for the Robot to provide bin picking is machine learning.  The software allows the robot to recognise parts by Colour, shape and size.  The Robot must be taught to also recognise what parts look like from many different angles.

 

There are many advantages for businesses when they introduce Automated Bin picking into their processes. Automated bin picking greatly improves quality by identifying parts which may not meet specifications.  It also improves safety within the work place and speeds up production time.

 

Although bin picking has always been a challenge in Robotics, software developments now mean the process of Bin picking is improving allowing businesses to automate laborious tasks within their organisations.