|
 Kuka Roboter GmbH has announced that it supports the automation sector’s joint initiative “Green Automation”. The initiative for environment-friendly use of resources was unveiled to the public at Automatica in Munich held recently. Germany’s leading robot manufacturer Kuka used the international flagship fair for automation and mechatronics to present its active contribution to environmental protection to a worldwide audience. Actively pursuing a three-pronged approach to environmental protection—in internal processes within the company itself, in its product portfolio, and in the intelligent automation of competitive series production of green technologies, such as solar cells or fuel-saving lightweight vehicles, Kuka has made sure that its state-of-the-art robot production surpasses German environmental standards.
As Germany’s largest robot manufacturer and technological leader, Kuka Roboter GmbH takes its responsibility towards society and the environment seriously. For this reason, the company has set itself the goal of sustainable production with as little impact as possible on the earth’s natural resources. One practical example: Kuka is the world’s first robot manufacturer to use environment-friendly, water-based paint for its robot systems. Annual energy savings averaging 8% per manufactured robot have been achieved in production over the past five years. Solar cell on the roofs of the plant provide electricity. Saving energy is also an important issue in vocational training. At the new training centre of the Kuka companies in Augsburg, Germany, the apprentices learn how to measure and compare the power consumption of various electrical devices. Furthermore, an introduction to active environmental protection forms a core part of the training.
According to sources at Kuka, the company organizes interactive employee events, such as energy saving day, where experts show Kuka employees how they can make significant cuts in power consumption, both at work and at home. Kuka Roboter has not only made production of its products environment-friendly, but has also systematically developed the products themselves for operation with low impact on resources. To this end, Kuka, as a manufacturer of state-of-the-art German technology, has focused on energy consumption, lubricant consumption and durability of its robots, in order to minimize life-cycle costs and increase cost-effectiveness. The technical availability of a Kuka robot is 99.9%.
One indicator of energy efficiency is the ratio between the weight of a robot and its payload capacity. Less material to accelerate and move means less energy is required. Unrivaled in this respect is the 7-axis lightweight robot, Kuka LWR, that achieves a weight to payload ratio of 2:1. The Kuka product range also includes industrial robots with a payload capacity of up to 180 kilograms and light – and thus fast – energy-saving carbon-fiber arms. A world premiere at Automatica was Kuka's presentation of innovative and energy-saving functions of the robot controller that enable the robot to switch off during breaks in work – just like energy-saving cars that shut off the engine when waiting at red lights. Intelligent robots enable the production of intelligent products. Green technologies often involve the use of new combinations of materials and require new manufacturing processes. The processing of carbon-fiber mats in the construction of aircraft or wind power plants, the joining of lightweight aluminum in the vehicle industry, and the cost-effective manufacture of rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles or solar cells are not possible without robot-based automation. Implementation of the necessary robotic production processes is centered on an open PC controller designed for these new applications and safety functions that even allow close human-machine cooperation in intricate assembly tasks.
With both its open PC-based controllers and its “Safe Robot” safety technologies, robotics pioneer Kuka can lay claim to having the most installed robots in the industry worldwide and the most experience.
|
