?A ROBOT WILL BE LIKE A HAMMER“

The company FerRobotics based in Austria is the global market leader for sensitive robotics. Founder Ronald Naderer explains in an interview with Report(+)PLUS where this technology is used, what the shortage of skilled workers has to do with it and why he nevertheless prefers to work with people.

By Angela Heissenberger / Editor

FerRobotics is the global market leader in the development and distribution of sensitive end-effectors that provide robots and cobots with force/contact intelligence and are mainly used for material removal and surface finishing. FerRobotics holds over 70 patents. In 2010, the company was European Manufacturer of the Year award in 2010, and in 2017 was named one of the "10 Most Innovative Robotics Companies".

About the person: Ronald Naderer, born in 1975, received his doctorate in mechatronics from Johannes Kepler University Linz and completed his MBA studies at the Danube University Krems and the Vienna University of Technology. In 2006 he founded the FerRobotics Compliant Robot Technology GmbH with its headquarters in Linz.

plus: You founded the company in 2006. How has the market for robotics developed since then?

Ronald Naderer: The company was founded as a spin-off from my studies at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz. The focus on sensitive robotics from the very beginning. Conventional robots are deaf, blind, numb. Hearing is less important in production anyway, through a camera system, vision was added - feeling was something like the "missing link" that we are still dealing with today. Automation is progressing step by step, the fields of application are becoming broader.

plus: Has the topic been given another boost by AI-Technologies?

Ronald Naderer: We have integrated small AI functions into our system. However, AI is not the key for us, but only a building block for complete solutions. Artificial intelligence is still in its infancy. In production, continuity and reliability are crucial. The production manager is not the striker of the of the team, but rather the goalkeeper. He does not have to come up with the most innovative new innovations. The innovations are in the products.

plus: In which areas is sensitive robotics used?

Ronald Naderer: Since robots were originally numb, it was only possible to design certain processes in a very complex way. We address the contact-sensitive group: Everywhere where the employee has been in direct contact with the workpiece and the tool, we start. This applies above all to the areas of sanding, grinding, polishing and deburring, - monotonous workplaces that are hazardous to health with dust or vibration exposure, so-called "3D jobs" (Dirty – Dangerous - Demeaning) - but also gluing and stacking. Here we are closing automation gaps. Five to ten years ago, we mainly had large industrial companies as customers, but now we also have many SMEs.

The spectrum is very wide: Our end effectors process parts made of metal, glass, wood, plastic, stone or ceramics in any size - from jewelry components to ships.

plus: What are the special challenges here?

Ronald Naderer: Glass is scored and broken, the sharp edges have to be ground. Sheet metal parts are welded together, the weld seam must be grinded so that it is not visible on the finished product and the component can possibly go into painting immediately afterwards. We have integrated this dexterity into the system, which is necessary for this work. The robot moves down to the surface in question with our sensitive end effector, and the force to be applied is precisely metered. Even with complex geometries, it adjusts in real time. The second challenge is the process for the respective machining. Both have to be optimally coordinated for it to work - and we can do both.

plus: How long did it take to develop this technology?

Ronald Naderer: We had already been working on this topic for seven years before the company was founded. Then it took another four years until the product was fully developed. But the development work never stops. Functionality, sensor technology and integration are constantly being improved.

We invest 15% of sales in research & development - this is also necessary, as we are pioneers in the market. Our goal is to provide customers with complete solutions.

plus: Where is the trend in the industry - multifunctional all-rounders or specialized machines for individual tasks?

Ronald Naderer: I see both fronts at the moment. In the highly automated sector, where millions of units are produced with the same setup, the trend is toward further specialization - even more compact machines that have even more functionality integrated and are designed for very specific tasks. For small and medium-sized companies, the focus is on all-rounders that are suitable for different applications. We offer solution packages for both requirements: for classic industrial robotics and for flexible cobots. For SMEs, which sometimes produce only 50 identical parts, it is not the cycle rate that is decisive, but the rapid changeover to a different production type. Within one hour weld seam preparation is possible, followed immediately by painting.

plus: Is this also a question of cost?

Ronald Naderer: The larger the company, the shorter the planning horizon. A medium-sized company doesn't think in quarters. But our solutions already pay off in one or two years. An additional factor is the shortage of skilled workers: Companies are unable to find personnel for strenuous, monotonous tasks in particular. People who have completed specialized training don't want to work all day with a grinding machine. Everyone wants high-quality jobs, and robotics will provide them.

plus: How well does the interaction work between man and machine?

Ronald Naderer: Robots have been used in the automotive industry for decades - it works very well. However, working hand-in-hand with a cobot is an exception. There are hardly any use cases for it. Most of the time, the human just presses the start button and the robot works I don't think collaboration is that desirable on the part of employees. I also prefer to work together with a human.

plus: What are your plans?

Ronald Naderer: The automotive industry is our most important pillar. Almost all car manufacturers worldwide are among our customers. Now we are moving in the direction of metalworking and glass processing as well as smaller companies. Last year we presented a new product, the ACF-K, for which we see a lot of potential. The number of customers in the SME segment is much larger, but more difficult to reach. These days, robotics and automation have received a boost. There is also a lot of interest from smaller companies. The companies have learned that production has to run, and they are striving for a certain degree of independence.

plus: Where do you see the limits?

Ronald Naderer: In the medium term, the robot will be something like a hammer - a tool that I don't have to operate by hand, but with my head. Employees will be needed for programming and maintenance, but the robot will do the monotonous "hammering" with the hammer. In the future, the economy will need more mental than physical skills. This is the general direction in which our society is developing - whether this is good or bad, I don't want to comment. The border is there, where the brain of humans is needed. We are still a long way from a thinking robot.

plus: Thank you Ronald for your time