Driving automation using robotic solutions

THE collaboration seeks to spearhead the development of the robotic industry and promote enterprise development, through joint efforts between robot manufacturers and system integrators like Skymech Automation & Engineering (SKYMECH)  to upgrade capabilities and develop scalable solutions for their customers. 

The first two applications that SKYMECH will begin developing include “vision pick & place” as well as “machine tending”, which are two commonly used applications in the Precision Engineering (PE) sector. The vision pick & place application involves robots being equipped with cameras, or vision sensors, allowing them to pick parts in unknown orientations while the machine tending application enables robots to pick up raw materials and feed them to a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine (which is widely used in the PE sector), for example. Once the desired task has been completed, the CNC machine will send a signal to the robot for unloading. The deployment of these applications would help to improve the productivity of industry users handling precise parts and processes. Operators with no prior engineering experience will also be able to program the robots easily, thanks to an intuitive built-in interface.

Shermine Gotfredsen, General Manager, APAC, Universal Robots, said, “Together with SKYMECH, we are excited to work alongside EDB and SPRING Singapore to widen the current pool of robot applications as well as encourage local enterprises to enhance their processes using robotic automation. This will make the technology increasingly accessible for companies across many sectors to deploy industrial robots for various functions. As a result, we hope to see more businesses adopting industrial robots in the future.”

To facilitate the uptake of these applications, they will be showcased in UR’s Singapore office from January 2016 onwards. According to the project schedule, five applications are set to roll out after each cycle of 12 months. This project will also see the launch of a series of technical workshops and seminars that will be publicly open to those interested in learning more about new technologies and how to apply them into their everyday work environment.

Ralph Foong, Director of Precision Engineering at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), said, “We welcome Universal Robots’ plan to develop new industrial robot applications for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using its collaborative robots.  This is in line with Singapore’s efforts to partner robot manufacturers and system integrators to develop a diverse range of affordable robotic solutions that can meet the needs of our industries.  Through this, we hope to see more companies here adopting robotic solutions to enhance their competitiveness.”

 John Lu, Director, Manufacturing & Engineering, SPRING Singapore, said, “The local robotics landscape shows promising growth, especially with the increasing demand for innovative manpower-saving technologies. As the national agency for enterprise development, SPRING Singapore has been supporting local SMEs and start-ups across sectors to adopt automated solutions. As system integration is an important part of any robotics solution, there is a need to encourage SME system integrators to design new industrial robotics applications. Through this collaborative effort with UR, we are helping local system integrators such as SKYMECH create standard scalable solutions for their end customers.”

SPRING Singapore’s Capability Development Grant (CDG) supports local SMEs in technology innovation and adoption, such as in developing robotic applications. The CDG will cover 70% of SKYMECH’s project qualifying costs. SPRING is an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry responsible for helping Singapore enterprises grow and building trust in local products and services.  

“We are grateful for the support that we have received from SPRING Singapore. This grant will allow us to innovate for development in new areas, explore scalable applications that will help SKYMECH enhance its business propositions as well as enable SMEs in Singapore to adopt these solutions more easily for productivity,” said Heo Yew Seng, Managing Director, Skymech Automation & Engineering.