Evaluatingthe possible implementations of collaborative robots in manufacturing ofcutting inserts

Sammanfattning: The need for automation is increasing at Sandvik Coromant. However, high equipment-, education-, and implementation costs connected to automation are usually obstacles when automating smaller and simpler tasks. During the recent years, a new type of robot has been introduced to the market. It is called a collaborative robot, or cobot. It is easy to use/program, has a lower cost and has built-in safety features. The user friendliness of the robot as well as the built-in safety features could lower the implementation costs of these robots to open new areas for automation. This thesis evaluates a cobot from Universal Robots, UR5, to determine if such technology could be useful at Sandvik Coromant’s Insert Plant in Gimo, Sweden. This would be done by performing a physical demonstration of a UR5 put into Sandvik Coromants production. The task includes identifying, conceptualizing and evaluating the possible applications where cobots could create the most value. The work showed that cobots are indeed easy to work with and could create more areas of automation. However, the way Sandvik Coromant looks at automation should change for the technology to make the biggest impact. A company guideline must be setup regarding the use of the built-in safety features to set a limit of what is acceptable when creating an open cell environment at the factory. The results and conclusion of this thesis will hopefully lead to the implementation of collaborative robots at Sandvik Coromant which will result to lower automation costs, better working environment and higher production.