At the AUTOMATICA 2008 researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart will present the Care-O-bot® 3 for the first time.

The properties of polyurethane materials allow highly specific surface functions. This potential can also be used by robots in the service sector. The service robot Care-O-bot is contained in a shell which hardly forms any creases at all in the area of the moving parts. The polyurethane skin consists of a soft foam material in the inside and a dispersion foam material on the outside. Bayer Materialscience AG in Leverkusen has founded the "Robotics" work group to satisfy the increasing demand for service robots. The objective is to open up this application for functionalized, high-quality polymer materials. Materials especially for robots In this manner, this material specialist has already cooperated in a number of projects with key partners in the robotics sector. One example for this is the current version of the service robot Care-O-bot, which was awarded an innovation prize the end of last year, within the scope of the 21st Branch Convention "Foam materials and polyurethanes" in Würzburg. Decisive for this was the robot shell. In the area of the moving parts, it consists of a resilient skin which forms virtually no creases at all when the robot moves. Bayer Materialscience developed this skin using polyurethanes (PUR). The specifications were issued by the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation (IPA) in Stuttgart, which also designed the robot. The human skin was used as a model. The solution consists of a combination of materials with a two-layer structure. The dispersion foam Impranil which is actually a thin, closed skin, was applied to a very light, highly stretchable, soft foam material known as Hypernova – according to the material specialist.

High Application Potential for Functional Plastics
This PUR skin is a result of a cooperative development between the Bayer Materialscience Divisions Polyurethane and Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties as well as the New Business Unit. This unit is responsible for identification of application potentials and marketing possibilities at the material specialist. Increasing demand is expected for service robots in the areas of households, nursing and senior care.
Two trends have been identified as the basis: the change in our life style as well as the number of senior citizens in our society resulting in an increasing deficiency in nursing services. This has already resulted in an increasing number of mechanical "helpers".
Worldwide approx. 2 million service robots were used in private households in 2004, an additional 7 million were added by the year 2008. In any case, the International Federation for Robot Technology anticipated this number by the end of last year.
Bayer Materialscience intends to be prepared for this development. The approach for this plastics and rubber manufacturer is the use of functionalized polymer materials such as the two-layer PUR skin.

Numerous Application Possibilities for Robot Materials
There are numerous application possibilities for such materials in robots. Lightweight construction using plastics plays a significant role here. The lighter the robot, the lower the energy consumption. This allows rechargeable batteries to be used longer before recharging.
Functionally, the PUR skin provides high mechanical toughness. It is resilient to common cleaning agents and everyday chemicals. According to Bayer Materialscience it also has a pleasant, soft feel. The result is a high-quality product in terms of function and appearance, whose thickness, density, color and surface structure can be varied within wide limits – using a module principle.

Robot Arm Developed by Schunk
The resiliency of the PUR skin was laid out so that virtually no creases form when the arm moves. Schunk GmbH & Co. KG in Lauffen am Neckar was responsible for development of the arm and gripper.
The PUR-based material combination was patented by Bayer Materialscience. Today, robots have reached such a high degree of development that they can move reliably among humans and perform simple transport tasks. This was shown during the opening activities for the Fraunhofer Company Center in Stuttgart.

Josef Kraus

Precision, complete interaction: The robot positions a workpiece carrier filled with motors on the conveyor belt to run through production..

In its plant in Reutlingen, Bosch Automotive Electronics develops controls for electrical servo-steering units. Custom-tailored workpiece carriers from SSI Schäfer serve as the guarantee for a closed production and delivery circuit. Controls for electrical servo-steering units are high-quality components. For this reason, Bosch Automotive Electronics in Reutlingen uses custom-tailored workpiece carriers for transport and production. These provide the valuable components all required protection allowing completely automatic handling by robots. 25000 Workpiece Carriers for Just-in-Sequence The workpiece carriers developed and produced, of which a total of 25,000 are in use, guarantee time and cost saving Just-in-Sequence (JIS) routing for the components between the three plants. Bosch has been producing and selling microelectronics for use in motor vehicles at the Reutlingen plant since 1964. Plant 2 in Reutlingen produces controls for electric steering gears which are now being installed in the third generation as ESL-3 (electric servo-steering) since the Spring of 2008 in all passenger cars using the Golf-V platform, among others. Within the scope of a meticulously laid-out, delivery and value-added circuit, three plants participate in production of the control units – called power packs: The Bosch plant in Hildesheim is responsible for the motors, the Bosch plant in Reutlingen for the electronic control units and assembly of the components to a power pack and the plant in Bietigheim-Bissingen, operated by ZF Steering Systems (ZFLS), is responsible for installation in the steering system.

New Delivery Circuit Requires High-Tech Workpiece Carriers
The new generation of ESL-3-steering units has now made it necessary for the motors to be transported from the Hildesheim plant to Reutlingen and the complete power packs then to ZFLS in a container. Moreover, all filling and removal processes were to be automated. The objective was to tighten up the processes and realize a Just-in-Sequence provision circuit to replace the two circuits required previously.
This new concept required suitable containers to guarantee reliable transport of the high-quality components through the entire JIS circuit.

In addition to stability, strength and shape retention, precision is required to run through the automatic production sequences and robot handling processes for separating and installing the control units from the Reutlingen plant in the steering gear motors. Twelve of the heavy control units weighing 4.5 kg each were to be transported upright in each container.

Workpiece Carriers are Custom High-Tech Products
Even a company such as SSI Schäfer with all its experience in container solutions was not able to simply "reach into the shelf" for this project. The workpiece carriers designed for Bosch were a custom high-tech product tailored to the high-specific requirements without compromises.
The complexity of the project becomes clear when one considers the time period required for its entire realization. The first design work was started in the Spring of 2007, one full year before SOP (Start of Production).

Development of Workpiece Carriers Alone Required Six Months
The development phase from specifications to the finish model required more than six months, because among other items, adaptations to the product were required repeatedly. Moreover, a vibration test was performed at the VDZ Testing Center for Packaging and Transport in Dortmund to simulate the transport route from Hildesheim to Reutlingen on a shaker. This allowed realistic testing of whether the power packs remained safely in their intended recesses even in the face of vibration and readjustment was accomplished to obtain the optimum result.
Moreover, it  was necessary for the workpiece carriers to withstand loads of up to 10 g. The subsequent tool construction phase required four months followed by a modification phase for changes requiring an additional six weeks so that in this specific case, the entire container development required one year before it was ready for SOP.

Stability and Security for Sensitive Components
The requirement for transporting the components upright made it necessary to increase the height of the workpiece carrier from the otherwise usual dimension of 150 mm to 255 mm. An appropriate centering mechanism was required to position each of the twelve power packs in each mold recess precisely to the millimeter.

The bottom was stabilized by ribs on the inside at the bottom. This allowed a high payload for each workpiece carrier of nearly 60 kg using a single bottom which reduced the costs considerably. Moreover, the containers are produced using a plastic injection molding process in one production step. It is molded in one piece and does not require any separate inserts which further reduces the costs and facilitates automatic handling.

Centering Domes Ensure that Workpiece Carriers are Stacked Securely
Centering domes allow the workpiece carriers to be stacked securely and prevent sagging for protection of the products inside. Since the power packs are function-tested before leaving the factory in Reutlingen, any damage would be a reject criterion.
For this reason, an electrostatic discharge protection feature is also incorporated. Moreover, the workpiece carriers produced of polypropylene are equipped with centering holes, lifting recesses and codings for unique determination of the running direction for automatic handling by robots.

Workpiece Carriers Allow Closed Circuits
With all these properties and features, the container is optimally suited for the motor transport circuit, production of the power packs and delivery to the final destination. A "significant advantage" is that the workpiece carriers automatically provide for a closed circuit with a total of three production and value-added stages. The experience with the containers is very good, no problems were encountered whatsoever.
The complete circuit through all plants using approx. 25,000 workpiece carriers has now functioned perfectly for over a year.
The advantages of this "single-box model": The closed chain saves material and empty circuits and helps save money. The best testimony for the trust in the competency of SSI Schäfer is the subsequent order for a project for workpiece carriers of the next generation for larger control units.

Thomas Jettkant
Thomas Jettkant is the Sales Manager for Boxes and Containers at SSI Schäfer Fritz Schäfer GmbH in 57290 Neunkirchen.

Foil and paper suction grippers are particularly suitable for handling blister packages for pharmaceutical and dietary supplement products with their frequently extremely thin sealing foils.

The process reliability for fully automatic handling of blister packs requires reliable gripping of the package. Vacuum suction grippers are optimally suited for this purpose, because special suction grippers are available for various applications and packages. The advantages of blister packs are sufficiently well known, unfortunately their disadvantages as well. The advantages include extremely good and hygienic product protection, a presentation possibility for the product and a clear view of the fill level. This disadvantages are, for example, the frequently jagged shape of the blister packs with their hard-to-grip surfaces, the extremely thin sealing foils used in the pharmaceutical sector as well as the sensitivity of the design surfaces used for display and presentation of the product. Conventional mechanical/pneumatic electric grippers therefore frequently reach their limits for product handling. A secure grip is frequently not ensured for dynamic handling processes. Moreover, handling with conventional grippers often has a negative effect on cycling times and the output of the foil or blister packaging machine. An alternative to conventional grippers are vacuum grippers such as those produced by the vacuum specialist J. Schmalz GmbH in Glatten. Schmalz differentiates three categories corresponding to the requirements for packaging and handling blister packs – and the products to be packaged: Pharmaceutical and dietary supplement products (blister packs with sealing foils), consumer product goods (blister packs with cardboard or plastic sealing card), other consumer goods (double blister packs with upper and lower blister shell).

Foil and paper suction grippers – the recommendation for the pharmaceutical sector
For pharmaceutical and dietary supplement products with their usually extremely thin sealing foils, it is important for the latter not to be sucked in or damaged in any form – either when picking up or during wrap and handling. According to information from J. Schmalz, the SGP series vacuum ??? grippers of silicone (SI) and natural rubber (NK) materials are laid out for just such applications. Soft suction cup materials, the special design with support on the inside of the suction gripper and thin extending sealing lip as well as the extremely low stroke ensure quick and reliable pickup of foils or paper. No permanent deformation occurs when the work is picked up.

Bellows-Type Suction Grippers for Universal Applications
Universal vacuum bellows-type suction grippers from the FGA/FG series are used preferably for consumer goods requiring highly differing types of blister packs with or without blister paper, blister cardboard or blister plastic cards. The FGA/FG bellows-type suction grippers are produced using the materials Perbunan (NBR), natural rubber (NK), silicone (SI) or PVC and combine high flexibility and maximum service life. The Perbunan material is highly resistant to wear. The natural rubber material adapts exceptionally well to rough surfaces and ensures a good seal. Finally, PVC is used for extreme flexibility and long service life, even when handling products with abrasive surfaces.

Double blister packs are used for handling highly transparent sales packages
Highly differing blister and display package designs are also good for other types of consumer goods. Schmalz offers three families of vacuum suction grippers for such applications: Round FGA/FG bellows-type suction grippers, round PFG flat suction cups and oval SGO suction cups, all of low impression heat resistant HT1 material.
The requirements placed on double blister packages are extremely high transparency and the shape of the high gloss blister shells. It is therefore necessary for the handling machines to operate without leaving impressions to ensure a "clean" appearance of the transparent surfaces and therefore unlimited salability of the products. For this reason, the suction grippers of this series are produced using silicone-free, heat resistant and low wear HT1 suction cup material, certified for minimum impression. These suction grippers are available with diameters of 5 mm to 53 mm or as oval suction cups in the size range from 4 mm x 2 mm to 75 mm x 25 mm.

Orders received by German machine construction companies are continuing to decrease, however, no longer as highly as in the past months. Data: VDMA

The downward trend has slowed down for the German machine construction industry: The number of orders received in March 2009 was 35% below the figures for the previous year. Domestic turnover decreased by 41%, foreign demand by 32% in comparison to the previous year's level, according to reports from the German Association of the Machine and Equipment Construction Industry (VDMA) released in Frankfurt am Main at the end of april. According to VDMA, there is no reason to give an "all clear" signal. A three-month comparison from January to March 2009, shows a decrease of 42% in comparison to the previous year all totaled, whereby domestic orders decreased by 39% and foreign orders by 43%. Orders Received from Foreign Sources Increase in Monthly Comparison "The number of orders received in March 2009 has again fallen drastically short of the previous year's level of machine construction orders", commented VDMA Chief Economist, Dr. Ralph Wiechers. However, the foreign business did for the first time exceed the level of the previous months of December 2008 to February 2009, reported the association. However, this is not a reason to blow the "all-clear": In machine construction, the figures for a single month with their high variations are much too fragile to project trends. Moreover, calendar effects must be taken into consideration when comparing the figures from the previous year: Since Easter was in March in 2008 and in April in 2009 , the two monthly results for the current and upcoming month are likely to be distorted, said Dr. Wiechers.

No Change in Trend for Individual Machine Construction Sectors
"In the individual specialty sectors, a single-digit decrease in the three-month comparison was noted only for elevators and escalators", stated VDMA economic expert Olaf Wortmann in an interview with MM Machine Market. Therefore, a change in the trend is not recognizable even for the individual branches.