Sheffield Forgemasters adopt cobot assistance
Summary
The Cobot initiative is a significant change for Sheffield Forgemasters, which relies heavily on grinders to fettle or prepare the complex 3D shapes of its castings, allowing operators to safely increase their working time on each job by reducing fatigue load. “The Cobot is a robotic, electric-motor driven arm, which takes the full weight of our pneumatic grinders and is guided by the operator, but does not require any programming. “Trials of the Cobot have transformed what we can achieve on such tasks, by improving the health and safety environment, reducing the chances of a grinder slipping from the work surface, and by removing fatigue and vibrations from the process, which dictate how much time an operator can safely work for.” For manual grinding tasks, vibration levels require a maximum working duration of three hours for the safety of the operator, but the Cobot allows operatives to conduct full days of grinding tasks without any of the associated risks posed by manual grinding. RB3D designs and provides equipment to assist manual workers and has developed Cobots and exoskeletons, which protect the wearer from lifting and straining injuries and enable heavier loads to be handled safely. Olivier BAUDET, sales director at RB3D, added: “We are pleased to be supplying Sheffield Forgemasters, one of the world’s leading foundries and an early adopter of our Cobot technology.