Richard Wand, Author at MJ Engineering

Collaborative Robots in Manufacturing

Richard Wand on August 30, 2019

A collaborative robot, or cobot, is a type of robot intended to physically interact with humans in a shared workspace. These robots are usually designed for a specific task and come in handy when floor space is limited. A truly collaborative robot, like the ones produced by FANUC, Universal, OB7, AUBO Robotics, Omron, and KUKA, can be operated right next to a person without safeguarding.

But be warned. Just because you can operate a robot right next to a person does not mean you should. While a robot itself might be defined as collaborative, its application might not be. For example, if a collaborative robot has a knife on the end of its arm to cut a shape out of a piece of paper, then by code it might not have to be guarded; however, if it is using a knife that is sharp enough to cut someone, it would be dangerous and irresponsible not to put safeguards in place to protect the people around the robot.

MJ Engineering was once asked by a potential client to integrate a cobot that picked up hot plates measuring more than 200°F. The prospective client thought safeguarding was unnecessary because it was a “collaborative robot.” Not willing to compromise on safety, MJ Engineering insisted on adding safeguarding to its project plan, even though it meant losing the project to a lower bidder. You can count on MJ Engineering to always do the right thing—especially when it comes to safety.

Cobot Safety Categories

Richard Wand on August 30, 2019

To make them safer to operate around humans, cobots are designed to exert a controlled amount of force that will not cause injury in the event of a collision with a person. For that reason, cobots are limited in the weights and speeds they can handle. Most collaborative robots on the market today have weight capacities between 6 and 10 kg. FANUC offers a 35-kg capacity cobot.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) break down collaborative safety features for robots into the following four types:

Power and Force Limiting—This type of robot can work alongside humans without any additional safety devices.
Hand Guiding—This type of cobot can be used to read forces applied on the robot tool. This application is used for hand guiding or path teaching and can only be used while the robot is performing a particular function. For other functions, it will need to have safeguarding in place.
Safety-Rated Monitored Stop—All movement stops when a human has entered a predetermined safety zone.
Speed and Separation Monitoring—Movement slows as a human enters a predetermined safety zone and eventually stops if the human gets too close. It does not need a worker to give the go-ahead to resume movement.

“Danger, Will Robinson!”

Do not confuse cobots with industrial robots that are integrated with control systems designed to slow down or stop if a person gets too close. Industrial high-speed robots can handle full payload and full movement, and they will go back to full speed as soon as the person moves away. They do not meet the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) code requirements for collaborative robots.

Are Cobots Worth the Cost?

Richard Wand on August 30, 2019

The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) reports that the collaborative robot market is growing quickly. Advances in robotic manufacturing technology are enabling robot workers to be integrated into the labor force with a wide range of new tasks and applications, increasing productivity and efficiency. The robots themselves are relatively inexpensive, making them a more viable solution for small and medium businesses.

However, the upfront costs savings might not make up for the loss of production, with full-scale industrial robots being at least three times faster than cobots. On the other hand, the larger robots do take up more room, which can be a disadvantage in a smaller space.

So it is important to understand your robotic system needs and whether a collaborative robot setup is truly the best fit for your company. Often, it makes more sense to choose a cobot when there is a specific need, such as a setup where a robot fills a container, and a person sitting next to it puts the lid on. That could also be done in a non-collaborative setting, but it would have to pass through a fence, take longer, and use up more floor space.

MJ Engineering can collaborate with you on your collaborative robot needs and make the recommendation that is the best fit for your company, budget, and space.

2019 Summer Newsletter

Richard Wand on August 29, 2019

Meet the Team!

Ryan Richards is a mechanical engineer and FEA analyst at MJ Engineering. “Our job is to help make sure things like amusement park rides are safe, and machines function as intended,” says Ryan, who helps examine new and existing CAD models to determine whether they are structurally sound and if any design changes are required. The variety and unique nature of the projects are what Ryan loves about working at MJ Engineering, where he interned for two summers before being hired last spring. “My first day here, I was working on a vision inspection system,” says Ryan, “and the next day I was learning how to make a firetruck safe.” Ryan, who grew up in Central Ohio, earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2018. He says the work he does at MJ Engineering relates directly to what he learned in school, and that it’s an exciting time to work in a tech-savvy city like Columbus. “The breadth of work that we get is indicative of the fact that people are currently rethinking how they used to do things, redesigning old tools, and even concepting new ones,” he says. Another thing Ryan likes about MJ Engineering is the family atmosphere.

Fun facts: When he is not at work, Ryan is most likely outdoors. He loves running, biking, swimming, and snowboarding, and he has even hiked part of the Appalachian Trail. Ryan also loves to do aerobatic and formation flying in private planes

Brian Vagnone is a lead technician responsible for electrical and mechanical assembly at MJ Engineering. He also does programming and other general duties in the shop. Brian was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He says he knew he wanted to work for MJ Engineering while he was contracting for them. “It seemed like a really good company to work for,” he says, “small but capable, with a chance to do different activities and not be stuck in one area.” So when an opening became available recently, Brian seized the opportunity to join the team full time—and he is happy he did. Brian describes his job as “a nice balance of everything,” saying what he likes most about working at MJ Engineering is the freedom and openness. “You can talk to everybody, and if you have a question, you can go to that person and get answers,” says Brian. “Everybody is cool here, and we work together to come up with the best solution to solve problems.” Brian is currently working on an automated machine that puts a gasket on a clip.

Fun facts: At home, Brian enjoys cooking and making things, in part because they are skill sets from which
he can learn and grow. Brian also enjoys the outdoors, fishing, running, working out, relaxing, and socializing.

MJ Engineering Helps High Schoolers Build Better Robots

A local high school robotics team soared all the way to the FIRST® Championship in Detroit, Michigan, this spring, thanks in part to financial support from MJ Engineering. Based out of New Albany, Ohio, The Digital Eagles 5667, also known as NAHS Robotics, is a high school FIRST® Robotics Team “devoted to helping young people and communities discover, develop, and apply their passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (nahsrobotics.org).” The FIRST® robotics competition is a six-week program for high-school students, where they must build 120-pound robots that can complete tasks. With the funding received from supporters like MJ Engineering, the team came up with a successful design, which earned them the 20th spot at their first competition last fall. They were also first runner up for a Safety Award. After making some improvements, the Digital Eagles became Regional Finalists and won the Chairman’s Award at their second competition. The team earned a respectable 29/68 ranking at the Championship in the Tesla Division, and they are already gearing up for next year.

MJ Engineering is a big proponent of educating and inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in engineering. Over the past few years, company employees have traveled to high schools to give presentations about roller coasters and other exciting engineering applications, judged regional DECA competitions, which prepare students for their professional careers, and spoken to OSU engineering students about what it means to be an engineer.

The next generation was also a topic of discussion, among many, at FANUC America’s 20th annual Authorized System Integrator (ASI) Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, earlier this year. Specifically, a panel discussion revolved around the next generation of manufacturing personnel, focusing on high schools and technical colleges that are trying to graduate people with experience in the robotics industry. FANUC is one of the largest makers of industrial robots in the world, and they supply many of the robots MJ Engineering uses in the automated systems they design. MJ Engineering President Richard Wand was in attendance. “The purpose of the conference is to get integrators together to talk about the status of the market, new products FANUC is coming out with, and how we might be able to implement those products,” he said. The two-day conference hosted a variety of speakers, including the president and CEO of FANUC. A marketing expert talked about the current status of the market and provided overviews of the automation industry. A third-party economist discussed the state of the economy and its impact on the market and ability to get new projects. Attendees also learned a lot about the FANUC product line, new applications and versions of robots they are coming out with, things they are doing to make their robots easier to use, competitive products, collaborative robots, innovative systems being produced, and safety and collaboration within the automation industry. Finally, FANUC showed videos of its planned new, 420-thousand squarefoot facility, which will allow them to increase their spare parts and robot volumes in the US and shorten their lead times to delivery. “They are willing to put their money where their mouth is,” said Richard, who also attended FANUC America’s annual ASI Product & Application Sales Training event in June at FANUC’s US headquarters in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The event was targeted specifically toward integrator team members in a selling role or those involved in the sales process.

MJ Engineering Encourages Engineers to Pay It Forward by Sharing Their Knowledge

Richard Wand on August 29, 2019

If there is one thing we’ve learned in our 30+ years of engineering, it’s that no one has a corner on knowledge. At MJ Engineering, we are always expanding our expertise, perfecting our processes, and refining our approaches, but we know that the knowledge we gain is not ours to keep. In fact, the more we pass it on to younger generations, the more it comes back to us.

How we feed the future

Since our beginning, we’ve taken the time to share much of what we have learned with others. Typically in a classroom, we tell students stories of our discoveries and our failures. Rather than resulting in a loss of equity in intellectual property, giving freely of our knowledge and experience is actually an investment—one that pays dividends by promoting leadership, inspiring discovery, and creating assets in the form of future engineers.

That is why MJ Engineering team members periodically give presentations about roller coasters and other exciting engineering applications, judge regional DECA competitions, and speak to college engineering students about what it means to be an engineer. Most recently, MJ Engineering donated to a local high school robotics team, who made it all the way to the FIRST® Championship in 2019 (see our Summer 2019 Newsletter for more on that endeavor.)

Promoting leadership through shared knowledge

One way to sustain any industry is to raise leaders who can carry the vision after the current generation has retired. How can this be done if not by sharing the excitement we have about our industry? For many of us, we learned to love what we do by watching someone else who held the vision before us.

“When presenting to young kids, particularly elementary school kids, we want to ignite that spark that gets them interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),” says MJ Engineering President Richard Wand. “It is that spark of curiosity that, once ignited, is very hard to extinguish. When presenting to high school students, it has been my experience that the spark is either already there or has already been extinguished. So it is especially important to reach those kids in first through fourth grade, who are most apt to respond to a STEM-style presentation and have it affect them to the point that they start looking at things differently.”

Inspiring knowledge with shared experience

There is no stealing of ideas in these arenas, nor is it a matter of limiting genius. On the contrary, as we share our knowledge, the articulation of ideas makes them stronger in our own minds. After all, if you can’t communicate something, do you really know it?

More to the point of true understanding through communication, we find that apt young minds will bring the questions that those of us who have been around for a while either forgot to ask, or have settled on the answers we discovered years ago. For many, the mystery of new technology has long left the process, and the burden of feasibility has taken away the wonder.

However, in teaching the younger generations about this industry and the ways we create solutions, we are reminded of that wide-eyed discovery that—against all odds—leads to new discoveries. As Richard says, “Experience maximizes technology, but inexperience inspires technology.” And the truth is that without such inspiration, many industries will wither away. It is absolutely vital to the sustainability of any industry to keep a fresh set of ideas coming in.

So our decision to share what we’ve learned over the past three decades is not entirely altruistic. In truth, we gain so much more than we give. In addition to the satisfaction of impressing and inspiring a new generation of would-be engineers, what drives us back to the classroom time and again is the dream of keeping our industry viable and engaging for many generations to come. And who knows? One day those young engineers may create the very thing that makes our lives easier when we have long since retired.