Vision-guided cobot automates paint process for DENSO [Video]

Automotive manufacturing has long benefited from the thoughtful deployment of robotics and automation, and for good reason. Among the many complex production processes, some can be too difficult or too tedious to be completed safely and efficiently by human workers. As a result, industrial automation technologies can add tremendous value to original equipment manufacturers and automotive parts suppliers alike in many ways. For example, leading global automotive parts manufacturer DENSO recently sought to automate a physically challenging and repetitive tote-handling task.

Instead of letting employees continue to load and unload large stacks of heavy totes to and from a paint booth (Figure 1), the company partnered with CapSen Robotics, which customized its 3D vision, motion planning, and control software to suit the task.

DENSO also partnered with systems integrator Invent Automationto develop a system that would streamline the process and allow employees to contribute on the plant floor in more valuable, less physically-demanding …