Sourcery in Motion: Comau Zests Up Manufacturing with L.E.M.O.N. Hybrid Transmission and ABB GoFa™ Robots Join the Lab Party! 🍋🤖 #AutomationFiesta
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ABB Robotics and XtalPi unite to revolutionize R&D with GoFa cobots, creating intelligent automated laboratories in China. Accelerating scientific innovation, these customized workstations drive efficiency, adaptability, and precision, marking ABB Robotics' entry into the thriving USD 7.1 billion lab automation market
Comau has designed and deployed a high-volume, automated assembly line for HYCET, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Great Wall Motor and a leading manufacturer of DHT (Dedicated Hybrid Transmission) technology. The L.E.M.O.N. hybrid DHT is a next-generation transmission system that allows for the simultaneous use of gasoline engines and electric motors, enabling efficient power sharing between them. To meet the customer’s large-scale manufacturing targets, Comau’s end-to-end solution features a total of 12 robots across 6 lines to deliver an annual production capacity of 150,000 units per line with a cycle time of less than 2 minutes.
Within the scope of the project, Comau has wholly developed the necessary components, including e-motor assembly lines, gear and shaft assembly lines, main assembly lines, and the assembly test lines. The system also includes critical processes that grant full-process assembly from individual components to fully functional units. Furthermore, the high-speed production solution not only satisfies HYCET’s strict requirements in terms of manufacturing accuracy and product quality, it also ensures better adaptability and efficiency while lowering the production costs for future DHT product upgrades. Indeed, the Comau-designed production line can be easily customized to meet different market needs. Comau has also used a process-integrated overall station design to guarantee stability and quality across the entire production line with an equipment availability rate of 90%. A MES (Manufacturing Execution System) allows HYCET to optimize the management and scheduling of the line. Finally, key process parameters, such as force and displacement, are constantly monitored to ensure quality control throughout the entire production process and support subsequent data traceability.
“HYCET’s DHT technology represents cutting-edge innovation in the hybrid vehicle sector and delivers outstanding performance for Great Wall Motor’s DHT system. As our technology partner, Comau’s design and engineering capabilities confirm their exceptional position in this field. Throughout the project implementation phase, Comau adhered to the project schedule despite the recurring impacts of the pandemic, and ensured consistent manufacturing quality. This stability is critical for our production goals, allowing us to meet market demands and maintain optimal manufacturing efficiency”.
Wu Hongchao, Vice President of HYCET Technology Co., Ltd.: “This project was an incredible opportunity to work with a pioneering company in hybrid transmission technology development. By prioritizing flexibility, efficiency, and absolute quality within the manufacturing philosophy, Comau has designed a 100% error-proof production process that allows HYCET to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and meet its large-scale manufacturing goals. Our competencies in e-Mobility are backed by a longstanding experience in traditional engine and powertrain systems, helping position Comau as a leader in Electric Vehicle solutions at a global level”.
Jeff Yuan, Comau Head of Countries Cluster APAC: Comau invests in the development of e-drive technologies and consistently broadens its technology portfolio to meet the evolving demands of e-mobility applications. In addition to excelling in the design, manufacturing, and integration of flexible, modular, reconfigurable, and scalable automation solutions, the company specializes in stator assembly systems, rotor assembly systems, e-Drive assembly systems, electric control assembly systems, and electric housing machining solutions. Comau is also developing automated manufacturing systems for battery cells, modules and complete packs (with any cell format), Comau offers a range of systems for different stages of the production process including battery cell forming technologies. With a 360° portfolio of products, processes and technologies, Comau can handle everything from prototyping and pre-production to mass manufacturing, and all the way to end-of-life battery recycling.
By combining pioneering competencies in automation and electrification, Comau is fully able to help its customers, anywhere in the world, leverage technology advances and process developments, in addition to the enabling digitalization tools that support them. With a keen focus on the large-scale electrification of the automotive market, Comau fully supports its customers in developing market-leading new energy vehicles, offering advanced solutions for the future.
ABB ROBOTICS PARTNERS WITH XTALPI TO BUILD INTELLIGENT AUTOMATED LABORATORIES
ABB Robotics and XtalPi have entered a strategic partnership to produce a range of automated laboratory workstations in China. The new, automated laboratories will boost the productivity of R&D processes in biopharmaceuticals, chemical engineering and chemistry, and new energy materials.
XtalPi is dedicated to driving intelligent and digital transformation in the life science and new materials in the chemicals industry. In 2022, the AI tech company bought over 100 GoFa cobots to create automated laboratory workstations at its testing facility in Shanghai, China. This year, XtalPi officially launched the automation-centric brand XtalPi Intelligent Automation with the purpose of aiding researchers through automation equipment. Together with ABB Robotics, XtalPi Intelligent Automation is using GoFa™ cobots to automate the synthesis and crystallization processes involved in developing new drugs and materials for its target industries.
The automated laboratory workstations can be customized to meet specific requirements, using different modules to complete various experiment steps. ABB’s GoFa cobots take on repetitive, manual tasks, while also working non-stop, accelerating the pace of experimentation. The large volumes of high-quality data generated will help to boost the efficiency of the Design-Make-Test-Analyze research cycle and provide a solid foundation for driving AI for science.
The GoFa cobots are used by XtalPi Intelligent Automation to develop preparation workstations, diluting and filtration workstations, reaction workstations, UPLC testing workstations, glovebox workstations, sample warehouses, and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) to make lab research and development faster and more efficient.
Each automated workstation can perform hundreds of different experiments, with ABB’s GoFa cobots operating in a range of challenging environments, including glove boxes – with no moisture or oxygen– while performing intricate tasks such as opening lids and the placement of lab equipment, liquid handling, sample addition, filtration, dilution, magnetic stirring, rapid sampling and UPLC testing, with minimal supervision required. AMRs equipped with GoFa cobots transfer samples automatically between workstations, increasing efficiency while further reducing costs.
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Equipped with a GoFa cobot and four rotating columns, automated sample warehouses provide compact and efficient storage and retrieval for laboratory reagents, making the process more efficient and entirely traceable.
This is ABB Robotics’ latest project in the lab automation market, which is seeing significant growth with a revenue of USD 5.1 billion in 2022 expected to rise to USD 7.1 billion in 2028.
In conclusion, the strategic partnership between ABB Robotics and XtalPi stands as a testament to their commitment to reshaping laboratory innovation. The integration of GoFa cobots has not only propelled R&D efficiency but also showcased adaptability, precision, and excellence in addressing the evolving needs of biopharmaceuticals, chemical engineering, and new energy materials. With a visionary approach and technological prowess, ABB Robotics solidifies its presence in the flourishing lab automation market, marking a transformative leap into the future of intelligent, automated laboratories.
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