In times of a shortage of skilled workers, product and variant diversity and uncertain supply chains, manufacturing companies have a growing need for flexible assembly solutions. The Chair of Production Metrology and Quality Management at RWTH Aachen University conducts research in the field of line-free mobile assembly systems, LMAS for short, which dispense with a spatially and temporally rigid linking of the individual assembly systems and at the same time enable (partial) mobilization of the means of production on a production area according to the clean floor approach. Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) and Autonomous Mobile Manipulators (AMM) play a central role here.

The Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University has now presented a new type of large mobile robot that allows the flexible manipulation of heavy payloads and has the potential to increase the productivity of manufacturing companies despite changing conditions. Unlike industrial robots that are firmly anchored to the floor and have a limited working area, the mobile manipulator enables an unlimited working area: the robot location can be flexibly selected according to production and assembly requirements. This means that resources can be deployed in a more targeted manner according to the current workload. Mobile heavy-duty manipulators offer the possibility of increasing flexibility in assembly systems and therefore represent a promising component for the assembly of the future.

The large mobile robot in detail

The large mobile robot was manufactured by Broetje-Automation and can move payloads of up to 150 kg with its manipulator, a Comau NJ-165-3.0. Thanks to its integrated sensors, the large robot can perceive its surroundings and act autonomously. There are also plans to integrate the robot into the existing 5G campus network of the 5G Industry Campus Europe. This will enable it to communicate wirelessly and in real time with other robots and factory cloud systems. The hybrid Siemens controller in the large robot enables control via a real-time-capable Linux operating system. The precise actuation options and the high flexibility of this platform enable efficient handling of heavy loads and at the same time allow the implementation of flexible assembly systems in an extended load spectrum.

The Chair of Production Metrology and Quality Management at the WZL plans to use the large robot for research, particularly in the field of holistic motion planning. Holistic motion planning will enable mobile manipulators to be used with 25 percent faster execution times in the future. The modular software provided by Broetje-Automation based on the Robot Operating System 2 (ROS2) will enable researchers to use the functionalities of the large robot and develop new algorithms in the future.