Realtime Robotics, a specialist in automated collision-free motion planning, control, and optimization, has launched Resolver, a new cloud-based solution that dramatically accelerates the design and deployment of robotic workcells.
Robot path planning is traditionally a complex, time-consuming, and brittle process. In most workcells there are multiple robots in use, requiring tedious manual labor to create interference zones and interlock signals that ensure there are no collisions during the manufacturing process.
Manually validating the mechanical design, planning robot paths, determining sequencing to hit optimal cycle time targets, and defining those interlocks can take a team well over 100,000 hours for a single project.
Due to its complex nature, this often leads to failures in hitting cycle time targets, adding expensive rework to 10-15 percent of workcells.
Realtime Robotics’ Resolver works by intelligently selecting and testing potential solutions tens to thousands of times faster than any human programmer, quickly generating optimal, collision-free motion paths and interlock signals.
With Resolver, organizations can automatically discover the fastest target order – accelerating workcell design from months to days – all while decreasing engineering effort by 50 percent. Workcell cycle times are reduced, and overall throughput is increased.
Resolver gives users affordable, on-demand, infinitely scalable robotic simulation power that can be used to speed the process of:
- Generating accurate proposals
- Designing optimal tools and fixtures that support cycle time goals
- Producing optimal robot programs
- Adjusting for as-built deviations during commissioning
- Assessing and minimizing the impact of product design changes in the manufacturing phase
Peter Howard, CEO of Realtime Robotics, says: “It is widely understood that the future of the manufacturing industry lies in robotics and automation. However, that future is slow to materialize because of the outdated, time-consuming, and inefficient processes commonplace in the industry.
“Few manufacturers have the time or resources needed to enact real change. We’ve engineered Resolver to help manufacturers improve their engineering, programming and production processes – and drive greater value from their current and future investments in robots.”
How Resolver works
Realtime Robotics’ Resolver supports path planning with any number of robots, at any phase of the workflow, generating results in minutes. The solution requires minimal onboarding – and currently allows users to work directly within Siemens Process Simulate.
Support for other leading simulation platforms will be rolled out later in the year, enabling teams to work directly within their preferred simulation tool.
Howard says: “Resolver has the computational power to generate better motion paths than human programmers in both simple and complex workcells.
“This is because Resolver searches the possibilities open to robotic arms, while humans tend to stay within the possibilities of the human arm.”
Organizations need only upload the workcell information into a new project, configure their sequencing and conditions, and execute a run. In minutes, Resolver will generate motion paths, including interlocks, with a superhuman cycle time.
The longer Resolver runs, the more options it provides, shortening the cycle time until the desired outcome is reached. The paths and interlocks can then be easily imported back into the simulation software for validation and operation.
Marco Bizjak, head of competence center digital factory and technical manager, digitalisation, at FFT, says: “Resolver eliminates the most time-consuming aspects of industrial robotics – the programming and optimization of the robots. What used to take months to accomplish can now be measured in hours.
“We believe this can be a real competitive advantage as we strive to help our customers establish the most efficient and effective manufacturing processes possible.”
Additional uses
Resolver also has enhanced features, allowing it to be used at any point in the project lifecycle, from proposal to workcell design. Resolver can accelerate project timelines by generating collision-free motion paths and enabling more accurate cycle time estimates – giving organizations the opportunity to outbid the competition during proposal.
It also shortens the design phase by streamlining manual path planning into simple steps, automatically defining interlock signals and minimizing mechanical design iterations.
Beyond its ability to determine optimal motion plans and interlocks, Resolver can help with fixture design, reachability validation, target sequencing, and robot task allocation.
It can also be used to design the paths and interlocks for an entire manufacturing line from the start, giving an organization a comprehensive view of their entire operation. Optimization can then be achieved at an early stage – meaning more time can be spent on less tedious tasks.
