OMRON’s Mobile Robot MD-650 provides greater efficiency at production sites

By OEM Update Editorial October 17, 2023 7:16 pm IST

OMRON’s current range of mobile robots features distinctive control technology, facilitating secure and seamless transportation that can be effortlessly integrated into production facilities. This advanced technology ensures enhanced efficiency through integrated control systems.

Recently, manufacturing facilities have gained significant importance in improving productivity quality and creating worker-friendly environments that alleviate the strain of repetitive tasks. There is a growing need to enhance the efficiency of operations involving the repetitive transport of heavy materials, work-in-progress items, and finished products through automation, all aimed at reducing the physical toll on employees. For instance, in the automotive industry, the move toward high-mix, low-volume production systems requires the distribution of materials to various locations, resulting in a higher frequency of transferring small batches of work-in-progress items increasing the physical demands placed on workers.

OMRON, a prominent player in factory automation and Industry 4.0 solutions, has introduced the MD-650 autonomous mobile robot (AMR) to enhance efficiency in production facilities. By introducing this medium-payload (650 kg) mobile robot, OMRON has broadened its range of autonomous robots, catering to a broader range of needs for part and material transportation. OMRON’s existing lineup of mobile robots ranges from 60 to 1500 kg, and the MD-650 provides a mid-weight range option (650 kg). Its unique control technology enables safe and smooth transport that can be easily implemented at production sites where people and machines work in the same area.

According to Sameer Gandhi, MD, OMRON Automation, India, “Matching the pace and needs of the industry for high-speed pick & place, and human collaborative robotics solutions, OMRON Automation Business in India is expanding its diversified Robotics portfolio. This new addition to our AMR family is to strengthen & enhance the solution for warehousing (pallet transfer to warehouse), line side replenishment, and aid flexible manufacturing, thus generating value for our customers to make hassle-free & automated material movement. It relieves operators from manual tasks for transferring material while ensuring the safety of human beings working in the same space.

We look forward to collaborating with the right solution partners to co-create & develop advanced industrial solutions based on the human-machine collaborative technology the robot offers.”

However, even if the optimal robot for each process is selected, controlling a large fleet of mobile robots requires different management systems and methods for each robot model. This requires investment in each system and management to ensure the smooth transportation of various heavy objects.

The unique “OMRON Fleet Manager” software enables integrated control of up to 100 mobile robots on a single system, eliminating the need for multiple fleet management systems, and automatically selects the optimal mobile robot for each process based on payload and availability. OMRON aims to add another model with a medium payload range of up to 900 kg shortly to strengthen the product lineup further.

Features:

• High speed and safety with top-level transfer speed*² in the medium payload range*¹ and unique obstacle avoidance algorithm.

OMORN MD-650 has proven experience based on implementing several thousand units at manufacturing sites worldwide. The new system operates smoothly even in narrow aisles due to its maximum speed of 2.2 m/sec, advanced navigation functions, and obstacle avoidance algorithms. In addition, introducing advanced battery and charging technology enables 8 hours of operation on a 30-minute charge.

• Integrated control of all mobile robots using proprietary software technology

A single system can provide integrated transfer routes for 100 mobile robots with different payloads and control the transfer sequence in real-time. The advanced linkage within a single system enables real-time routing, even for inter-process transfers at different production speeds, to achieve efficient transfers with minimal retention.

• High level of safety by ISO369: international safety standard*³.

It is designed for compliance with ISO 3691-4 (enacted in 2020), the latest safety standard for industrial Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs).

OMRON continues to expand its existing product lineup to contribute to the creation of safe factory environments and robots to help reduce the burden of material transport processes across various industries. Further developments to its proprietary software control will promote safe and optimised transport paths at sites across industries. The company’s vision is to develop solutions that maximise the value of people and create a prosperous future for people, industry, and the earth.

To learn more, please visit: www.omron-ap.co.in